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In normal times, the Student Counseling Center (the Center) at Mercy College provides students with access to free and confidential counseling services that can help them with issues ranging from anxiety and depression to substance abuse.

But these are not normal times. During the months of isolation, disruption and difficulties of adapting to remote instruction brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, feelings of hopelessness, panic and more serious mental health challenges are on the rise among college students.

These harmful effects on student well-being are of prime concern at the Center. “What we’re seeing now are much more acute conditions brought on by loss and stress,” said the Center’s Director and Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Ori Shinar. “This goes well beyond the typical cases that a student counseling center sees in normal times.”

In March, when Mercy closed campus operations and shifted all classes online, the staff at the Center — which includes Shinar and social workers Karen Reed, Kaitlyn Mercurio, Kylie Cleesattel and Katie DeVoll — pivoted their normal operations to continue providing mental health support. Within two weeks of the shutdown, appointments for short-term individual counseling services were available to all students through two secure and HIPAA compliant virtual platforms. Group counseling and referral services soon followed.

To read more of this article in the Spring 2021 issue of Maverick Magazine