The mental health subcommittee of Student Health Services’ Health and Wellness Committee is launching a new location as part of its “Let’s Talk” program, an initiative designed to provide Washington University students with easy, free consultations with professional counselors.

“Let’s Talk,” is a nationwide program that made its debut at Washington University in the spring of 2016. The new location in Anheuser Busch Hall will add to the four existing locations that include Lopata Hall, the Sumers Recreation Center, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of International Students and Scholars.

Starting Feb. 7, students will be able to stop by Tuesdays through Fridays when their schedules permit, as no appointments are needed, and the program will run until May 5.

“We want to target people who might be intimidated or scared to go to a counselor at SHS or maybe somebody who has a friend who has a problem that they want to get advice on how to deal with that but they aren’t really sure on how to approach it,” Lisa Gorham, a sophomore on the SHS Health and Wellness Committee and part of the mental health subcommittee, said.

Although the program is not intended to replace traditional counseling sessions, the creators of “Let’s Talk” hope to provide insight for students and aid them in finding other resources, depending on their issues of concern.

“[At] Mental Health Services (MHS), what you’d do is make an appointment online, and then they call you and do a ten-minute brief interview to kind of figure out what’s going on and then they make an appointment,” Gorham said, “And it can be kind of delayed before you end up getting an actual appointment. This, you walk in, you get seen immediately, whenever you want, any time during those times. And it’s much more casual; it’s more informal.”

While the program is open to all Washington University students, Gorham said it is best suited for those who may have never done counseling and are nervous about it, or for students who may want to address an issue about a friend of theirs in a confidential setting, as the “Let’s Talk” program isn’t a huge time commitment and provides a low-pressured setting.

The staff involved in “Let’s Talk” are all licensed professional counselors, and through the program, they will consult with students in an informal setting and can help to determine whether it would be beneficial for students to see a formal MHS counselor.

The program has also been updated since it began last year.

“I am really excited because we just opened up a new site in the Law School this year,” Gorham said, “We are just trying to expand because much of the feedback we’ve gotten back is just that people want more sites, and so we now have five—we started out with two.”

Students agreed that the convenience of the program and its accessibility to students who reach out for friends in need are both attractive features.

“Its’ definitely beneficial. I think that it’s a good point that you can get help for other people,” freshman Jingyan Xu said.

“I am definitely interested in this program, especially because of the convenience the service provides,” freshman Ashley Ok said. “This expands the opportunity for many more students to receive counseling. Even if they have healthy mental states [of mind], some may need to reach out to someone from time to time.”