The Counselling and Personal Development Service fast-tracks students that have more urgent needs and also offers self-help books, online aid and group workshops for students during their waiting period.

“I think the Student Support and Development are doing their very best and they are doing fantastic to cater to all students that come in, but there will always be a strain because there will be more students coming in every year,” said Henry.

DCU Senior Counsellor Ruan Kennedy stressed the fact that for students, the mental health services offered are “very dependent on risk and urgency, so if someone is at risk, they will be seen very quickly, and then for people who are waiting there are other sources as the workshops, or online resources, et cetera.”

“I’d encourage any student who is having problems to use our services and to be honest if they need to be seen urgently because a lot of people don’t want to say they need help right away,” said Kennedy. “But if they do, we will make sure they are seen to.”

Gráinne Jones, a DCU student who has been in the mental health system since she was 17, said compared to other services, “the DCU wait list is nothing.”

Jones said she was told by the Health Services Executive it would take three to six months to receive a one-to-one appointment unless she had the funds to pay for it immediately.

To read the rest of this article please follow this link: thecollegeview.com/2017/10/25/students-wait-six-weeks-one-one-counselling/