Dickinson Offers 24/7 Counseling, Wellness Services
New partnership provides additional layer of support
College is a transformational experience marked by milestones big and small—first time living away from home, first college midterm, first Red Devils game, new social opportunities, internships, study abroad and more. Some students benefit from counseling and wellness services that can help them transition to college and thrive in the midst of new challenges and uncertainty. Now, Dickinson students have additional ways to find that support.
Beginning March 1, Dickinson will offer multilingual, 24-hour counseling services to all enrolled Dickinson students. This includes confidential, real-time access to a professional counselor, self-directed digital wellness resources and 24-hour crisis support.
With My SSP, Dickinson students have access to free, unlimited, 24/hour support.
Dickinson will offer the My SSP (Student Support Program) resources in addition to the Wellness Center's existing counseling and psychiatric services, which include individual and group counseling, therapeutic workshops, therapy assistance online (TAO) and sponsored programs. The Wellness Center expanded these offerings significantly last year, when the college hired additional part-time counselors for in-person care, developed new programs and created online and in-person group-therapy sessions for students.
All current students will have unlimited access to the LifeWorks My SSP app or website. Crisis support is available 24/7 by phone or chat, and additional counseling support is also available through phone, chat, or video conferencing. Help is available in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, French and Spanish. Additional language matching is available upon request.
The services arrive at a time when telemental health services are increasingly popular worldwide, and also during a surge in demand for wellness services across the higher-education sector, notes Lauren Strunk, who joined Dickinson as director of the Wellness Center last June. “Attending college is an exciting life experience, but it can also place a lot of pressure on students,” says Strunk. “I want students to know that they are supported every step of the way. With the free My SSP app, support is available 24/7.”
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Published February 10, 2022