Marshall Psychology Clinic provides students with free resources to learn healthy coping skills through a new therapy group. (Courtesy of Marshall University Psychology Clinic)
Depression among college students is more prevalent than ever before.
A 2024 study by the National Institutes of Health found a 48% prevalence of depression among college students.
The study noted that students with higher grades, profession of medicine and health sciences, higher study stress and poor physical condition were identified as risk factors for depressive tendency.
Marshall Psychology Clinic aims to provide students with additional resources to learn coping skills for depression by hosting a free therapy group.
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Facilitated by supervised psychologists Katelyn Smallman and Mallory Stanley, the virtual group is conducted online every Thursday at 6 p.m.
“If you are someone on the waitlist for the Psychology Clinic or the Counseling Center, this is a good way to access therapy now,” Smallman said. “It is a great way to provide services to people who may be on a waitlist for mental health services, who may not have insurance that covers it or who may not have reliable transportation.”
Mental health awareness has grown in recent years, Smallman said.
“The younger generations are far more open about seeking mental health services, understanding their own struggles and working on them if they are distressing,” she said. “It’s important for us to also continue to spread the word to students that these services are free to them.”
The Psychology Clinic, similarly to the Counseling Center, offers many free services to Marshall students, Stanley said.
“We have discounted rates for the entire community of all ages and things like couples therapy and family therapy as a more long-term option,” Stanley said. “We also offer psychological assessments, which can be really helpful, especially for students.”
Smallman said there seems to be a lot of interest in therapy groups, but not a lot of people who actually sign up for them.
“When therapy groups do run successfully, it seems like members get a lot out of them and show improvement in those target areas,” Smallman said.
People can be hesitant about joining a therapy group, but Stanley said it can be very rewarding and connecting.
“We learn that the group is like a mini world to practice skills on a less intimidating scale,” Stanley said.
Holly Belmont can be contacted at [email protected].
