At the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Counseling Services treated over 300 students during the 2024-2025 academic year. As student mental health needs continue to rise at universities across the country, the numbers raise questions about UMSL’s ability to meet student demand, balance counselor availability and provide quality care.
Mental health services at universities across the nation have reported higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression in students since the COVID-19 pandemic. At UMSL’s Counseling Services, students can schedule appointments within three to seven days, with no limit on the number of sessions they can attend. However, the typical counseling experience at UMSL is designed only for short-term support, influencing students’ choices when seeking care.
According to UMSL’s custodian records, released as required by the Missouri Sunshine Law, UMSL Counseling Services currently has six licensed clinicians, including professional counselors and clinical social workers. During the 2024-2025 academic year, 333 students utilized these counseling services.
The records reflect that crisis appointments occur within minutes, while intake appointments are typically available within three to seven days, depending on availability.
Hannah Paul, a staff therapist at UMSL, says: “At this time, our current staff level allows us to consistently get students in to see us quickly when they request appointments. If we had to develop a waitlist for new appointment requests or cut out other responsibilities in order to meet with students individually, this would indicate that we would need to re-evaluate our capacity as a staff.”
The Counseling Services team tracks appointment requests throughout the year and notes that student demand can peak at certain times. “It can vary week to week, but we do see an increase in appointment requests towards the beginning of the semester as well as around midterms and finals,” Paul said.
Kat M., a senior at UMSL, said campus counseling can be helpful in a crisis, but may not provide beneficial long-term support: “I am no longer in a crisis situation and have found that I do better with a therapist I can see more long term.” Kat also noted that specialized treatments such as EMDR therapy can be more effective and therefore influence where students seek support.
UMSL Counseling Services has confirmed that specialized treatments can be offered if needed. “Three of our staff members are trained in EMDR and EMDR can be offered to students when clinically indicated,” Paul said.
Student mental health needs have been a big topic of discussion among universities. According to the American Council on Education, 47% of college students screened positive for symptoms of anxiety or depression. Yet, fewer than half of those students received therapy or counseling in the past year. Research also indicates that 77% of students say mental or emotional difficulties have negatively impacted their academic performance. To combat these statistics, many universities have expanded their counseling services and improved student mental health programs.
Accessing UMSL Counseling Services can be important for students facing financial difficulties or sudden mental health challenges. “If I were in a crisis situation or experiencing financial hardship, I would absolutely use the services at UMSL. It is reassuring knowing that those services are available to me, if I ever needed them,” Kat said. The counseling staff also noted that outreach and collaboration with student organizations are vital parts of their work to help students learn about available mental health resources.
According to UMSL officials, the expansion of counseling services is based on many factors, such as student enrollment and budget constraints. “We keep track of the number of students that we serve in our department, the efforts that we make to outreach to students on campus and the feedback we receive from clients regarding services. All of this and more gets taken into account when the university allocates departmental budgets,” Paul said. Students seeking help can turn to UMSL Counseling Services and schedule an appointment online through UMSL Health, Counseling and Disability Access Services student portal.
