To the Editor:
I was very glad to see Wednesday’s editorial (“Brown mental health services need improvement,” Jan. 28) regarding mental health services at Brown. Our goal at Psychological Services is to do all we can to promote the mental health of Brown students, and we welcome student input. The management of mental health issues can be complex, especially in the context of the academic and social challenges of the college setting, and we have a deep commitment to providing the sophisticated services that students need and want.
Our primary mode of service is one-on-one psychotherapy. Approximately 18 percent of the student body utilizes Psychological Services each year. To make our services even more visible and accessible, we have increased our outreach efforts this year to students, staff and faculty. We have a long history of supporting student groups active in mental health issues, including Active Minds and Student Volunteers for the Samaritans of R.I. We also partner with students through our participation in orientations as well as trainings for peer support groups, such as Residential Peer Leaders, the International Mentoring Program and Meiklejohns. We run several groups and do topical presentations on test anxiety, stress management, computer addiction, etc. We participate in student-led forums, such as the Ableism Workshop last fall, and we welcome the opportunity to view student mental health issues from a variety of perspectives and to explore novel ways to reach students, including the ones who don’t walk through our doors. As a staff, we view the increased and lively conversation on campus about mental health as exciting and positive.
Sherri Nelson
Director, Psychological Services
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