Letter on mental health services offered by University Health Services

Mr Editor,

This letter follows a recent opinion article published by The Daily Californian.

The article misleadingly used data that was UC-wide and not specific to UC Berkeley. We would like to highlight recent improvements in how we meet the mental health needs of students.

University Health Services student mental health teams have worked to transform and improve mental health programs and, in 2021, implemented a new continuum of care model. From 2021 to 2022, the focus has been on improving access to counseling services within CAPS. During this period, wait times have been reduced significantly, from an average of 15.12 days in fall 2020 to 3.27 days in fall 2021. Currently, our wait times remain weak. We’ve also focused on adding resources and services beyond advising so that we have a variety of options to meet students where they are at any time.

Our satisfaction surveys highlighted the positive response to our refocusing on access. Here are some of the comments students shared regarding our modified model:

“This service is accessible and easy to book as a student! It’s nice to be able to make an appointment for the next day when you’re having a crisis or not feeling well.

“I really needed to talk to someone as soon as possible and I’m usually very anxious about going on a date. Therefore, same day appointments have completely eliminated the anxiety I usually feel.

Co-design is a key part of our process of evaluating and modifying our services to meet student needs. This means engaging students at all phases through surveys, focus groups, and advisory boards.

This letter was written by Tami Cate, University Health Services Communications Manager, on behalf of UHS. Contact the opinion office at [email protected] — or follow us on X.