Editor’s Note:

Since this story has come out, it has come to the original writer’s attention that some of the facts from their own personal experience are no longer accurate. An appointment was made immediately after the application was filled out by the Counseling Center; however, it was scheduled with the wrong email. It is important to validate the other students and their experiences and challenges they have faced so this story in its entirety will be kept up, however, the writer’s personal experience with the center has changed.

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Therapy. Sometimes there comes a time when we might need to utilize it. We see ads plastered everywhere for it, on social media like Tik Tok and Snapchat, during Television commercials, and on Spotify in between listening to your favorite tunes, there are even posters on our campus about it. On campus, we have a free service for therapy that is open weekly to all Marian students from 8:00 am-4:30 pm at the Counseling Center. While this can be such a helpful tool to many of Marians students others, can’t seem to receive an appointment.

From my own experience, I went to the counselor’s office during one of the first weeks of school. When you go for the first time, they encourage you to go as early as possible because new patients won’t be able to get in as easily as other students who are returning to the center. After filling out my application and my availability I submitted the application and was told “We will get back to you in one to two weeks to set up an appointment. One week went by. Then two, and there was still no word from the counselor’s office. After two and a half weeks went by, I reached out to the office and never heard back. I decided to reach out once more and again nothing. At first, I thought this was my problem. That I just couldn’t get in, but it seems that other Marian students have run into the same problem.

For this story the students wished to be anonymous, and for that reason, their names will be replaced.  After talking to several students it seemed that a pattern was forming. Students were accepted quickly, given the forms to sign and a sheet to mark their schedule and then never heard anything from them again. “Ann” who is a Sophomore said, “After filling out all the information and waiting to hope to be seen, I found out one of my friends who signed up after me actually got an appointment, and I still haven’t been seen.” Ann felt that in the end she wasn’t seen at all. She just became a name on the paper and wondered how she could be looked over while others were given the opportunity to be seen a lot faster. “Mark” also had a lot of the same feelings as Ann.

Mark who is a Senior also had a similar experience. He said that “It’s nice that Marian offers this experience, but I wish I could have actually used it.” After not being able to be seen he had to go through an off-campus outlet. “In the end, I had to find a different service and pay a little out of pocket to be seen sooner.”

While many students find the counseling center useful, it seems that there are still some that can’t be seen, or feel as if they become unprioritized when they see their peers being seen first. At the end of the day, we need to take care of ourselves and prioritize seeking help if we need it. Sometimes to receive the help we have to reach out of our comfort zones and seek the immediate help that we might need.