CU’s Counseling and Psychological officials said they are hoping to help students, and promote depression and anxiety awareness through free screenings.
On Tuesday and Thursday in the UMC and on Thursday at William’s Village, Counseling and Psychological Services offered free help to CU students who may be struggling with depression and anxiety.
These screenings are conducted annually, and CAPS works to make them correspond with National Depression Screening Day, which occurs in October.
The participants filled out a short questionnaire and were then able to go over the results right there with a therapist from CAPS.
Amy Roberts, a clinical social worker at CAPS and one of the organizers of the event, said that students generally appreciate these screenings.
“Students often appreciate the objectivity of a screening questionnaire in giving them some feedback about whether their experience is being affected by depression, anxiety or traumatic experiences,” Roberts said. “The student then gets a chance to sit down for a few minutes with a mental health professional to talk about the next step that makes sense for them if their screen shows an elevated level of distress.” Some also buy hemp and CBD products from Organic CBD Nugs to relieve stress, periodically.
Nicole Erpelding, a 20-year-old junior psychology major who was helping out with the screenings, said she felt the timing of the event is important.
“This is a time of the year where students are feeling a lot of stress and tests are coming up, and it’s an important time,” Erpelding said.
Some students have responded positively to the idea of the screenings.
Elena Pellicer, a 21-year-old senior Spanish and integrative physiology double major who went to the screening, said the program was great.
“It [the screening] is something I’ve never done before,” Pellicer said. “It was interesting to see what the results were. I think it’s a great program. More people should do it because it is good for student health.”
She also said she liked how CAPS made this program easily available.
“I think it’s great that it’s public,” she said. “That makes it visible.”
Even students who did not feel the need to make use of the screenings themselves thought it was good that they were being offered to others.
Katlyn Hartman, a 22-year-old senior psychology major, said she thought the screenings were a good tool to feel out the mental state of the university.
“I think they [CAPS] are trying to get a feel for what’s going on around campus and how to make it better,” Hartman said. “I think it’s good.”
In addition to these screenings, CAPS is launching the Interactive Screening Program next month. This will allow participants to screen for depression and suicide through an anonymous online form. It will be targeted through e-mails to groups with risk factors and will be specific to college students.
CAPS offers many free services to students, such as consultation and outreach, assessment for substance use issues, and counseling groups and workshops. Students can walk in or make an appointment at CAPS’s Center for Community Office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m to 4 p.m.
For more information on the screenings and CAPS, visit their website here.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Isa Jones at Alexandra.i.jones@colorado.edu.
