The program, which provides mental health services to college-age youth via Zoom, aims to address the need for support exposed by the pandemic. Its service area extends northeast, but it all stems from Berkshire.
of Austin Riggs Centera mental health service provider in Stockbridge, Intensive outpatient program In November 2021, Zoom will help address the mental health needs of “emerging adults” ages 18-26 in Massachusetts and New York.
Spencer Beale, director of the Chicago-based program, said the program’s goal is to provide intermediate care to students and help support resources on campus. Many of such programs in have been overwhelmed by demand due to the pandemic, Beale said.
This program offers three hours of group therapy on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, focusing on coping skills, relationships, yoga and mindfulness training. The groups are still relatively small, with about eight or he nine students at a time, Beale said.
We also offer individual and family therapy sessions and medication management consultations by appointment on Tuesdays and Fridays. Appointments are scheduled flexibly, Mr. Beale said, allowing him to accommodate the often confusing schedules of college students.
One of the main goals of group therapy is to bring students together and create a sense of community. This is a place where students feel safe and secure enough to open up, Biel said.
“They rely on each other for support and feedback, and that sometimes includes challenging feedback,” Beale says. “Not just what to do today, but this is also where I feel the friction with you, trying to figure out what’s going on between us.”
The program treats many mental health areas, such as depression and anxiety, but cannot be used as an emergency service.18 in Massachusetts and New York, including UMass, Boston College, and Williams College. Serving colleges.
“One of the really cool things is that there are UMass students and Harvard students and Worcester students, and part of what they exchange with each other is, ‘This is what my school is like,'” says Beale. said. “Hearing about the similarities and differences from place to place adds dimension to the experience.”
Program costs vary by student as the program is considered non-insured. Biel said the program will accept whatever insurance pays for out-of-network services and will work with students on a sliding scale if they are not reimbursed.
A few common themes emerged across all campuses.
“What I see most in this program is the kind of loneliness and isolation that is at the core of what young people are working on,” said Biel.
In addition to that loneliness and loneliness, students in this age group often struggle with feelings of alienation as they reach adulthood.
“It’s hard to know how to participate or connect in a world where everything is upside down and unpredictable,” Biel said. is difficult.”
All of these uncertainties have, of course, played into the COVID-19 pandemic, exposing many of these mental health issues. He said social isolation has made the transition more difficult, especially for students who enrolled in college remotely or in person during the pandemic.
“I think it just contributed to a kind of siloing of life, where each student is in their own kind of dorm room or house, kind of alone and trying to connect to things,” Biel said. “But they are very cautious and unsure of where they are on campus, much less where in the world.”
Beal said the pandemic is affecting everyone and that’s contributing to the problem. As a result, younger children and parents will also have to deal with more stress and uncertainty, which can disrupt support systems for young people, he said.
Beal hopes the Zoom session will help address his needs, step by step.
“It’s a cascade that I think hit us all in one way or another,” Biel said.
