ABAC is starting a new partnership with UWill, a mental health non-profit, to provide five free teletherapy sessions to students. Founded in 2019 by entrepreneur and mental health advocate Michael London, the organization focuses on supporting student’s mental health and currently serves over 1.5 million students across 150 colleges, according to their website.
UWill has become the nation’s leading provider of mental health support for college students. UWill allows students to book immediate appointments with licensed therapists and provides students with direct access to a crisis hotline. In addition, students can participate in general wellness activities, such as yoga, meditation, and mindfulness exercises. All services are completely confidential and secure.
To schedule an appointment, students simply have to create a UWill account, then select a therapist based on individual preferences such as language, gender, and ethnicity. Students are also able to specify what challenges they are facing so that they can choose the counselor that best meets their needs.
Although ABAC currently offers teletherapy from its counseling center, they are only open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m to 5:30 p.m. and 8 a.m. to noon on Fridays. With UWill, students will now be able to schedule appointments outside of this window, including on weekends.
All of these services will be included in addition to those already provided by ABAC’s Counseling Center, which currently provides therapy and crisis response, as well as community outreach and prevention. However, with UWill, students will see an expansion in the care provided.
Professor of Psychology Dr. Shubha Chatterjee said, “Our students now have access to 5 free sessions with Umatch (telecounseling), as well as unlimited access to Uhelp (24/7 crisis support),Upsych for Mental Health Medication, and Urise (on-demand wellness programming).”
Even with additional support, students may still find reaching out frightening. Chatterjee encourages students to still seek help.
“There is a first time for everything, and we all need to support each other. If you are feeling low or down or not feeling the way you normally do, visit the center.” Chatterjee said. “If we aren’t available, we can schedule a time. We even take crisis calls. Reach out. Talk to us. Help your friends that are going through something, and send them to the center.”
ABAC’s counseling center is located in Suite 201 of Branch Hall. Students experiencing a mental health emergency can access UWill’s crisis connection service by calling 833-646-1526.