By Emily Reed

Anxiety and other mental health issues have become a growing concern among college students, with 41.6% of all students reporting their concerns. Anxiety has been the leading concern among students, but it is shortly followed by depression, in which 36.4% of students have admitted to struggling with, according to the American Psychological Association.

West Virginia Wesleyan College offers a health and counseling center free of charge to students. The goal of the counseling center is to provide a host of health and counseling services that support optimal levels of individual and community health in the pursuit of personal, academic, departmental, and institutional goals. The key objectives are to treat symptoms, enhance knowledge, foster self-care, and support responsible behavior change (Health & Counseling Center.)

The college even operates a website: https://deema136.wixsite.com/wvwc-counseling. On this website, one can find quick resources for help. The website was designed to create a place to start the personal growth process. Whether one may be struggling with anxiety, depression, relationships, stress management, self-harm, disordered eating, feeling alone, or motivation. The college has developed a plan to start a student’s growth process.

If a student requests to begin counseling or referred by a doctor, the counseling center is located on campus by the Rockefeller Center. Students are allowed free 30-minute sessions with therapist, Whitney Oliverio. However, if the student is in need of higher level of care, the college will aid in searching for a third party that will accommodate to the student’s needs. 

The mental health of college students is often overlooked. West Virginia Wesleyan College, however, offers the care and counseling for students when needed, or requested. When a student is struggling with their mental health, the college has made sure to not let them battle the suffers alone.