Earlier this semester, I was going through it. 

With classes, two jobs and an infinite amount of papers and exams, to say I was feeling stressed is an understatement. I knew I needed help, so I tried to schedule an appointment through the Counseling Center — emphasis on “tried” because after realizing all of the paperwork I had to fill out to schedule one appointment, it just didn’t seem worth it.

I mean, the last thing I wanted to do was add more stress to the pile, and completing paperwork for an appointment that was just gonna redirect me to the help I needed seemed like adding stress to me.

While I understand paperwork is necessary, I just don’t think it should be a requirement to schedule an appointment with the Counseling Center — it just adds more stress and steps that can be done later on. 

First, paperwork acts as a roadblock to getting help by only being available to complete during the Center’s access hours, which does not include Saturday and Sunday, therefore limiting the times patients can book an appointment to start the process of getting treatment. 

It is not easy to accept you need help, and once you are willing to start the process, it can be as easy to back out when there’s a barrier. By only allowing scheduling to happen Monday through Friday under the Center’s available hours, there’s room for students to decide not to keep going through this process. 

While they do mention “If you need help outside of those hours, please call 919-515-2423,” you should be able to schedule an appointment anytime — and paperwork is not letting that happen. 

Additionally, when you call said-number outside of their hours, the answering machine says “Access hours for new appointments have ended for the day. To initiate services with the Counseling Center, please call back Monday through Friday.” 

Requiring paperwork in the earliest stage of scheduling is hindering one of the most critical components of healthcare delivery: accessibility. 

Every day of the week, every hour of the day, we should be able to go to the Center’s website and schedule an appointment, regardless of its hours. That’s what scheduling is for: to arrange a particular time in the near future to be seen, one that doesn’t require the provider to be available. And even if there’s a 24-hour helpline available, there’s no opportunity to book a new appointment either online or by phone. 

Paperwork is a barrier that needs to be removed and placed later on in the procedure as it is making the scheduling process inaccessible. Why can’t we schedule an appointment first, and then fill out the paperwork later? 

That’s how it works with Campus Health, so if I can schedule an appointment for physical care through Campus Health on a Sunday afternoon, I should be able to do the same thing for getting an appointment through the Counseling Center. Mental health should be treated the same as physical health.

With paperwork and limited hours acting as blockades for getting mental health support but not for getting physical treatment, it is clear we are not treating mental health and physical health as equals. And while I know the Counseling Center offers a lot of other resources, such as drop-in hours to get support without an appointment, students should be allowed to schedule one whenever they need one.

Whether on a Monday morning or a Sunday evening, students should be able to take that first step in the process of seeking help whenever they need it, not according to the hours of availability of the Center or when the paperwork will be available for you to fill it out. 

The process should be as easy and simple as going to their website and setting up a date and time to be seen. It’s just an appointment; you don’t need to be coming back on Monday to start the process.

Make it available, make it easy and simple, make it accessible on a Sunday evening. After all, one appointment can change the course of someone’s life.