Mental Health Support during remote operations

The Wheaton College Counseling Center remains committed to supporting our students’ well-being and resilience during these unprecedented times. Given our campus’s transition to online instructions/remote operations, and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Massachusetts Department of Public Health to limit personal contact to stem the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus, the Counseling Center feels it is important to notify students of operation changes.

At this time, the Counseling Center will not be seeing students in person, accepting new clients, or engaging in teletherapy or phone therapy, due to legal and licensure restrictions. All students who were actively being seen in the Counseling Center this past semester will be contacted via telephone the week of March 23, 2020 to discuss transition planning and case management support for wherever they will be located moving forward.

We understand this is an unprecedented experience and not the way any of us wanted to end our time on campus this semester. Times like these can bring up anxiety, worry, fear, loss, and many other emotions, not only due to COVID-19, but also due to many life circumstances, we may be juggling along with this new reality. These feelings are a normal human reaction to large change and uncertainty in such a short period of time.

We encourage students to engage in self-care and utilize the resources below. In addition, the America Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Jelena Kecmanovic, psychologist at the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, have great science-backed tips for how to manage increasing anxieties and worries you may be experiencing due to COVID-19.

To urgently talk with someone on the phone:

Counseling Center after-hours support is available 24/7 until we’re open for student services on the first day of classes, Fall 2020. Call 508-286-3905 (follow voicemail prompts to speak with a clinician).

How to seek in-person support:

  • Contact your individual health insurance for a list of providers
  • Search for local providers on Psychology Today

Hotline Resources:

Emergencies:

  • On Campus – Call 508-286-3333 – 24/7 for Public Safety
  • Off Campus – Call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room

In wellness and care,

Counseling Center staff

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