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Syracuse University’s Barnes Center at The Arch began offering virtual therapy to improve students’ mental health during the coronavirus pandemic. But sophomore Lucy Stover said the online counseling sessions have actually made her anxiety worse.

Stover has seen the same therapist from the Barnes Center since February. She understands why SU transitioned to online therapy this semester to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. But the resulting lack of personal connection has caused her to dread her Zoom therapy sessions, she said.

“It’s definitely not what it’s like in person, where you can feel that bond of trust,” said Stover, a television, radio and film major. “It’s very hard to be vulnerable over a screen because it just feels like you’re talking to a robot and not a real person.”

Administrators at the Barnes Center and Hendricks Chapel said they have not seen a decrease in students seeking mental health counseling this semester. Several SU students, though, said virtual therapy hasn’t proved an effective replacement for in-person counseling, especially given added stress from the pandemic.

Despite changes to its programs and resources, the number of students who used mental health services at the Barnes Center in September remained consistent with the same time last year, said Cory Wallack, executive director of health and wellness at the Barnes Center. Students utilize same-day appointments, group therapy and after-hours services, he said.

Virtual counseling has been especially helpful for students in isolation or quarantine who would not be able to access mental health counseling in-person, and has allowed for group therapy sessions to take place at full capacity, Wallack said.

“Mental health variables are the top predictors of academic success, and our mission at the Barnes Center is to support our students’ academic journey,” he said.

But those virtual counseling sessions don’t work for everybody. Jennifer Kim, a junior majoring in film, said she doesn’t want to use the Barnes Center’s mental health resources this semester due to “Zoom fatigue” — spending too much time on video conferencing platforms.

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Kim said she would prefer to hold counseling services in person because she needs the environment of a therapist’s office to feel comfortable during a session.

“All my classes are online,” she said. “Because I’m online all day, the idea of going on Zoom again for counseling or anything other than my classes just really isn’t ideal to me.”

Stover is joining a group therapy workshop dedicated to mindfulness and self-care but doesn’t think she will use virtual one-on-one therapy in the future.

The Barnes Center isn’t the only source of mental health services at SU this semester. Hendricks Chapel also offers both in-person and virtual mental health services, said Brian Konkol, dean of Hendricks Chapel.

Unlike the Barnes Center, Hendricks Chapel has seen a spike in overall attendance across all its mental health programs. These programs include group counseling, in-person conversations with chaplains and online programs, Konkol said.

“Students are seeking support to build resiliency,” Konkol said. “I’m really proud of our chaplains and religious group advisors who have been responsive to the needs of our students and have accompanied our students through what is clearly a really, really challenging time.”

Venus Bradbury, a sophomore public health major, said they feel supported by SU’s numerous mental health resources, such as the Department of Public Safety’s crisis hotline, the Barnes Center’s 24-hour phone line and Zoom therapy sessions.

The loneliness Bradbury feels living alone in a dorm room this semester has encouraged them to reach out to the university’s mental health services. While virtual therapy at the Barnes Center is strange, the therapy sessions have been helpful during unprecedented circumstances, Bradbury said.

“Syracuse is doing the most for everything that’s going on,” Bradbury said. “They’re taking into account how much mental health can be affected (by the pandemic).”

Danielle Rubenstein has also tried to access mental health services at the Barnes Center. But she has found it hard to communicate with SU personnel to receive proper care, she said.

Rubenstein, a junior human development and neuroscience major, said her doctor asked that she gets weighed on the Barnes Center every week to receive the proper care for her eating disorder. The Barnes Center has yet to agree to weigh her over a month after she first contacted them, and she does not know if they’ll respond to her requests.

Some students have also relied on off-campus resources or student organizations because they do not think SU alone can fulfill their mental health needs.

Leondra Tyler, a sophomore Higher Education Opportunity Program student, said a lot of her discussions in therapy center around race, and she prefers to see her off-campus therapist, who is a woman of color. The Barnes Center needs more diverse counseling staff to better accommodate the student body.

In the spring, SU said it would make efforts to diversify its counseling services in response to demands from #NotAgainSU, a movement led by Black students that held two separate sit-ins at the Barnes Center and Crouse-Hinds Hall last academic year.

Rubenstein, who is the president SU’s chapter of Active Minds, an organization promoting mental health awareness for students, said over 40 people have reached out to her about joining the club –– even though she never advertised it.

“I don’t think it’s COVID, per se, that’s causing all these people to have depressive symptoms or anxiety symptoms, but it’s an added stressor that has exacerbated everything,” Rubenstein said.

While some students said their mental health has improved since they returned to campus, they feel more depressed and lonely than usual because health guidelines have limited their social interactions.

Stover said that, while she and her friends are happy to be back on campus, coronavirus-related restrictions have taken a toll on their mental health.

“A lot of people are struggling silently right now with their mental health, especially people who are on campus,” she said. “A lot of people are trying to pretend that they’re having a great time, but it’s actually been really debilitating, just being on Zoom all the time.”

Published on September 30, 2020 at 10:32 pm

Contact Abby: akweiss@syr.edu | @abbyweiss_21