With every semester there comes struggles beyond simple stress or fewer hours of sleep. When it comes to being a student at Sacramento State, mental health should come first. Student Health, Counseling, and Wellness services provide resources for students seeking support for their mental health.

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Sometimes, student’s day-to-day activities aren’t enough to regulate mental health, and become harder to achieve. There are counseling opportunities available to Sac State students if they find themselves feeling anxious, depressed or in a crisis.

Beth Maestretti, a health and communication specialist, said students have access to both individual and group counseling. Both can be accessed via online appointment and walk-in visit at The WELL, and can be utilized all semester.

“You can meet one-on-one with a licensed therapist and they can talk to you about your concerns,” Maestretti said. “It’s typically a short-term focus, we do operate on a semester basis.”

Students can also access group counseling alongside their peers dealing with similar issues to help them feel less alone. Maestretti said these sessions were also moderated by a licensed clinician, so students can trust they’re getting honest and professional care

Maestretti said mental wellness on campus strongly encourages relying on your peers for support. Both one-on-one and group peer counseling are available on campus for any student who feels peers can relate to them better, or may not feel as comfortable speaking to a therapist.

Fourth-year communications major student Araya Corral says she knows about The WELL’s services but believes more could be done to advertise them to students.

“Social activities are advertised in common areas rather than services needed for mental health,” Corral said. “I believe CSUS is about students’ mental health but still needs to be more prioritized.”

Fourth-year communications major Jon Reyes said he doesn’t use the mental health services at Sac State but still prioritizes and takes it seriously.

“I cope with my mental health through exercise, spending time with loved ones and personal hobbies, ” Reyes said. “For me, mental awareness is normalizing mental illness through dialogue and media.”

Reyes stated that he preferred using his own insurance over Sac State’s mental health services. Both students stressed the importance of taking care of their mental health, however, and agreed that Sacramento State could do more to prioritize it for students.

Health insurance isn’t required to access on-campus services. Students who have yet to receive counseling resources can book an intake appointment at any time by calling The WELL’s main number, (916) 278-6461.

Peer and group counseling can be accessed by contacting the host of the session. You can receive more information by visiting The WELL or going to their socials, all @wellsacstate.

There is nothing embarrassing about taking care of your mental health. For anyone in an emergency situation, please contact 911, or the suicide hotline, 988.