By HAYDEN GUTHRIE/Contributor
Photos by Mae Grimm/Staff
Although students are turning to the Student Counseling Center in higher numbers, they are not facing long delays.
The center has avoided a long wait list by using an efficient scheduling and treatment process. Students seeking services are matched with a licensed therapist and receive a personalized treatment plan that reduces visits as goals are met.
Services range from grief therapy to managing acute stress and anxiety. Therapists adapt to each patient’s needs and sometimes use art during sessions to help a patient cope.
UT Tyler is no exception to a national rise in students seeking mental-health treatment. Since early 2025, the Counseling Center has seen a steady increase in students requesting therapy.
Therapists are noting a shift in demand. In the past, demand was low at the beginning of each semester and peaked around finals. Now, just weeks into the semester, the center has already filled 95 percent of its available therapy slots.
“Therapy doesn’t have the stigma it used to have behind it, so a lot of people are utilizing it more,” said Gilberto Mendoza, interim director of the Student Counseling Center.
The Counseling Center has increased outreach efforts. It has become more active with presentations during orientation and utilizes flyers and emails to help get information to students.
Mendoza said many students assume the center offers academic or guidance counseling and do not realize it is a mental-health facility staffed by licensed therapists. Clarifying that helps students understand the scope of treatment available and to feel comfortable seeking help earlier in the semester.
With so many students seeking treatment, scheduling effectively is important. The center uses “a one at a time” appointment to start the process and match the student to a clinician. Appointments are then scheduled based on the patient’s needs, with the goal of “stepping down” treatment frequency as they reach goals.
“As they go along through the counseling process, if they meet their goals, the goals that they set, during the sessions then we’re going to utilize the stepdown process where they’re going to get put from weekly to biweekly to monthly to termination,” said Mendoza.
The center uses an app called Timelycare when the waitlist peaks around finals. This is a temporary solution for students on the waitlist while they wait to see a clinician. This allows the center to prioritize current patient needs while not neglecting those waiting for a slot.
“By the end of the semester, usually we try to terminate all of them, if the goals are being met. If not then of course they can continue for the next semester, but it’s really important that they establish goals and they meet those goals,” said Mendoza.
While prioritzing health, the center has still been able to treat and release patients in roughly 6-12 weeks. The counseling center also has a wellness center right next door that is open to students all day. It offers a quiet area to relax and detox from the stress of school without having to comit to treatments.
“It’s a nice place to relax in between classes and the massage chairs are the best part of my tuition,” said student Kailyn Clynch.
To support every student who walks through its doors, the center continues to refine its treatment plans . Even as more students seek help, the staff remains committed to providing individualized care and improving the mental health of the campus community
“Our main focus is always going to be our client, that is sitting across from us. It’s going to be their mental health, the byproduct or side effect of being able to help them with their struggles is that they may perform better in school, but our focus is always their mental health,” said Mendoza.
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