TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — As more Americans are struggling with their mental health and with rising prices across the boar, the University of Arizona is looking at a way to help relives both of those for their students.
On July 1, students on the University of Arizona's Main Campus will have free access to counseling and therapy sessions through the school's Counseling and Psych Services Department.
However, therapy for online students and Psychiatry, ADHD Clinic and Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) services will keep their costs.
Depending on insurance coverage, it could costs a student $20 to $25 per session to see a University mental health professional through Campus Health Services.
Director of of the campus Counseling and Psych services team said after working with both undergraduate and graduate student organizations, the department was able to drop their costs to "recognize the importance of mental healthcare for everyone.”
Barnes has counted between 450 and 550 students come into their offices for mental health help each week.
“College is one of the most challenging times— a time of adjustment, a time of doing things on your own for the first time for many of our students," he said. "Oftentimes the first time a student might face a mental health concern ever in their lives. We know that depression, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, they first present around the time we’re 18 to 24 years old.”
In 2023, over 90,000 students filled out a mental health survey from the National Education Association
44% of those students reported symptoms of depression, while 37% said they were experiencing anxiety.
A staggering, 15% claimed to be considering suicide, the highest rate the NEA had recorded in their survey's 15-year history. Barnes said, cost could be a barrier for some of those students. He hopes that breaking down the barrier will help every student get the help they need.
“Pretty much no matter who you are right now, things are uncertain," he said. "To me, University of Arizona offers a test case of what would happen if we actually had enough mental health support for the folks that live in our community.”
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Alex Dowd is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9, where her work combines her two favorite hobbies: talking to new people and learning about the community around her. Her goal is to eventually meet every single person in Tucson. Share your story ideas with Alex via email, alex.dowd@kgun9.com, or connecting on Instagram or X.
