Samuel Casey
Contributing Writer
Over the summer, one of the four licensed counselors who provided services at the Longbrake Student Wellness Center left, leaving only three counselors available to students. “Emily Harstine took another job over the course of the summer, and we wish her the best in her new endeavor,” said Ray Tucker, director of the Wellness Center.
Counseling services are provided as a Wellness Center Service along with medical services and health education. “We provide sessions with licensed counselors between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.,” Tucker said. “Students can schedule the same way they would a medical appointment — by calling the Wellness Center.”
Currently a replacement has not been hired, but Tucker is in the process of reviewing applications for the open position. According to Tucker, while there were four counselors during the last few weeks of the Spring ’18 semester, they have been able to operate with three or fewer counselors for years.
“While that does at time[s] cause there to be a wait list for sessions, priority is still made for students in crisis,” Tucker affirmed. He added, “we have not had a full year with four counselors yet, so we cannot determine what effect that will have until we do.”
Cydney Hall ’21, who has used the College’s counseling services in the past, voiced concerns with the process.
“I was lucky to not have to wait very long to get scheduled, but I have friends who had been on the waitl ist for a while,” said Hall. “Counseling at Wooster is not at the level it needs to be.”
After learning that one of the four counselors had left, Hall stated that having only three [counselors] was unacceptable. “This is an extremely rigorous academic experience and college is a very vulnerable time in a person’s life,” she said. Hall added that there should be double the number of counselors given how many students live on campus.
“Again, it can get busy and schedules can get filled for counselors,” Tucker reiterated. “We ask that, if there is a wait list, students be patient with us because that also means we are seeing other students with every available hour.”
Tucker made it clear there is a counselor on-call after hours for crisis situations. “We ask that if you’re having an emergency and need assistance, that you not hesitate to come over to Wellness,” he said.
Counselors are also available for fifteen-minute consultations through the “Let’s Talk” program, where you can gain advice or direction about any topic of concern from a licensed counselor. Locations are in Babcock Hall on Tuesdays, 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. and in A.P.E.X. on Thursdays, 2:15 to 3:45 p.m.
