Editorial

Changes at Counseling Center a good step

By Editorial Staff

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As several recent Spectator stories have reported, both the Health and Counseling Centers have faced an influx of demand. As the article this week notes, the Health Center lost its medical doctor and has had to hire a part-time MD to fill the gap. Unfortunately, the new doctor will only be available to see Hamilton students on Thursday afternoons from 1-4 p.m. Meanwhile, the Counseling Center has responded to heightened demand by doubling the psychiatrist’s hours and treating students increasingly in a group therapy format.

Both the Health and Counseling Centers have responded creatively to challenging situations. The Counseling Center should be commended for recognizing and responding to student demand for a psychiatrist, as well as for adding another part-time counselor to their staff.

Students need to recognize these strides in providing more opportunities for care. They need to better understand their options when the Health and Counseling Centers are closed. And, they need to continue communicating their needs.

Still, the College has a long way to go in meeting the needs of its students, even those best informed about what it offers. There will always be the counterpunch that in the “real world,” one does not always have easy access to medical care. Yet, after education, the health and well-being of its students should be the College’s highest priority. If we aspire to the top in the educational sphere, we ought to follow suit with better access to medical and psychological support.

Hours remain the single biggest problem. A doctor available once a week is not enough for those students who depend on him/her for primary care. Psychological services on the weekend with a counsellor with whom students have an established relationship are essential. Often, the ability to see one on a weekly basis is just as much, if not more, so. These are immediate needs. But for the future, lest we forget: The new health and counseling center facility will make no impact on the health and well-being of students if it is seldom open.

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