Editor’s note: This article contains discussion of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Students at Washington University who work in mental health services or mental health care advocacy are searching for ways to address the emerging mental health needs of students while also grappling with obstacles to providing care caused by the pandemic.

Grace Bruton | Student Life

Increased loneliness, anxiety about contracting COVID-19 and myriad other issues caused or exacerbated by the pandemic have taken a toll on the mental health of many students.

Two of the main student-led services for students struggling with these type of mental health related issues are the Uncle Joe’s Peer Counseling and Resource Center and the Sexual Assault and Rape Anonymous Helpline (S.A.R.A.H.).

Uncle Joe’s provides peer-to-peer counseling for students in addition to resources on its website for students struggling with their mental health. S.A.R.A.H., another peer-to-peer organization, is a confidential hotline for students to call to discuss issues ranging from sexual assault to more generalized mental health concerns.

One of the most challenging problems that the school and both student groups are facing regarding remote mental health care is that licensure laws prohibit therapists from working across state lines.

Student Union President sophomore Ranen Miao is one of around 150 other student body presidents from across the country lobbying state governments to institute temporary licensure reciprocity laws so that students can receive therapy from therapists outside of their home state.

“Remote students, even though they’re not here physically, are always part of our community,” Miao said. “We have a moral obligation to fight for them and serve them as well.”

Student groups on campus such as Uncle Joe’s and S.A.R.A.H. are also finding ways to help students who are learning remotely.

“A lot of the resources that Uncle Joe’s has historically connected students with are based in St. Louis,” Uncle Joe’s Co-Director of Recruitment junior Emily Angstreich said. “This semester Uncle Joe’s is training its counselors to learn how to help students access resources where they live…We still want to just be there for them in the moment though and saying, ‘Let’s look at what is available in your area, what can we find, what support can we help give to you.’”

According to Uncle Joe’s Co-Director Braden Patton, the group’s resource managers have been finding more resources to make available on social media and the Uncle Joe’s website, a resource that is available to all students.

A member of S.A.R.A.H. echoed similar sentiments. “It’s just a lot more of us trying to brainstorm with the caller for resources that we’re not always familiar with because we’re trained in resources in the St. Louis area,” they said.

Another issue that S.A.R.A.H. has confronted when dealing with remote students is that some may be living with a domestic abuser and do not always have any easy way to leave that home.

“We can’t always do everything we want to do for the caller, but our goal is to help them move towards ‘safer,’ and really talking with them and seeing what ‘safer’ looks and feels like to them,” the member of S.A.R.A.H. said.

Additionally, S.A.R.A.H. has had to help support people who have to go to the hospital for COVID-related issues. For many survivors, meeting with a medical professional can feel invasive, and they therefore might call S.A.R.A.H. to help them cope with it.

Similarly to S.A.R.A.H., peer counselors at Uncle Joe’s can legally speak with students all around the world, since they are not licensed therapists. However, Uncle Joe’s has still had to deal with how to advertise their services to more people, since handing out stress balls and flyers is no longer possible.

Anticipating an uptick in demand for mental health services due to the pandemic, Uncle Joe’s has also recruited 26 counselors for the next semester instead of the usual 18-22.

Uncle Joe’s is also looking to expand its virtual options for next year, as this semester they have only been providing voice calls.

“’I’m hopeful we’ll have some more options,” Patton said. “I’m not sure if it’ll be full Zoom options at the start of next semester, but at least something besides just a phone call.”

While phone calls have been the mode of choice for counseling this semester, students have run into problems with privacy while talking on the phone.

“People want privacy,” Angstreich said. “When everyone’s trapped in the dorm building, it can be harder to feel like they have that privacy. And so something else we’re trying to do is just come up with different locations that we know are safe and private and available on campus that we can kind of recommend to students.”

Student Union also plans to attempt changes for the spring semester, focusing its efforts on increasing the number of “wellness days” provided to students in lieu of spring break. As of Dec. 1, 4,825 members of the University community have signed SUs petition for more wellness days in the spring.

“I believe many students and faculty and parents are deeply upset about the way that the spring semester is structured by only giving two wellness days for students and not sufficient time for people to actually rest and recuperate,” Miao said.

“I don’t think they understand what wellness days are if we’re only getting two of them,” the S.A.R.A.H. member said.

SU is planning other points of advocacy to help students’ mental health this semester as well.

Miao said that the Union has been working with the administration to create academic accommodations for students who undergo a traumatic event, like the passing of a family member.

“I urge students to continue putting pressure on both us and the administration so that there’s more urgency surrounding these issues,” Miao added. “You can email deans, email the Vice Chancellor. You can make calls. You can do whatever you want to make your voice heard, because your voice is valuable.”

Editor’s Note: The Sexual Assault and Rape Anonymous Helpline (S.A.R.A.H) provides confidential and anonymous support and can be reached at 314-935-8080 24 /7 during the fall and spring academic semesters.

The National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at tel:1-800-656-4673 or via online chat at https://hotline.rainn.org/online 24/7.