I had to look up what an FDU was. Learn something new every day. :-)

I just noticed …. while not the only one absent, but very conspicuously absent due to its provincial stature as the premiere technical institute in BC is BCIT.

If you’re a parent considering which school to send your son or daughter to, keep in mind that of all the institutions listed only CNC no longer has mental health counselling available. Since 1-in-5 student suffers from some form of mental illness, this can be a serious consideration.

gopg2015. Yes it was rather interesting. Who knew?

That could be because there is already a long waiting list to attend many courses at BCIT. Unless you book courses there well in advance your chances of getting in are otherwise slim. Compared to the quality of education offered at BCIT, plus the facilities available there, many of the other community colleges are sorely lacking. They are real good at relieving the student of his money for tuition though.

I looked it up too. FDU Fairleigh Dickinson University, The Leader in Global Eduucation (sic). :)

Please note that Krusty is mistaken. CNC does indeed have mental health counselling available to students. If you have any questions, just call the college. Happy Thanksgiving!

No, I am correct. I understand they intend to hire a counsellor but for only 10 hours a week as opposed to the 60 hours/week they had until the end of this past July when they got rid of the two full-time counsellors they had. Furthermore, they have dropped registration in a professional counselling body as a hiring requirement, meaning there is no assurance that whoever they do eventually hire will be competent. Go to the CNC website and check the posting info if you don’t believe me, pgbghere.

Given that two full-time counsellors had their hands full, given a student body of about 3400, imagine how little access students with serious mental health needs will receive with one part-time counsellor. College administration supposedly thought that mentally ill students could simply attend the university’s Community Care Centre, but they have a waitlist of 4-6 months. When CNC had full-time clinical counsellors, students in crisis could be seen in less than 1/2 hour; now they’ll wait months.

People sometimes think college counselling is about assisting students finding housing and getting directions to the foodbank when the reality is that nearly a third of the students seeking counselling in post-secondary settings are suicidal.

So, yes, by all means, if you have questions about mental health counselling at CNC, go ahead and call them. Just don’t expect to speak to a counsellor.

RUMOUR has it that a certain pres. at one of the colleges said if they need counselling let them go to the food bank to get help. WOW ican feel the humanity in a statement like this.

UNBC cancelled funding to the Community Care Center. It is now funded through Northern Health.

These last two statements are pretty close to the mark. He allegedly has said students seeing counsellors are just there to ask about public housing and the food bank, something he apparently said on more than one occasion. This is patent nonsense as there is nothing to suggest that this un-named college is any different than any other college or university in the province (i.e. 30% of students seeking counselling for suicidal intentions). This suggests this president is either ignorant, a fool, or deliberately thwarting a necessary support for students.
As for the Community Care Centre, I believe they did receive an envelope of funding that will allow them to remain open and serve the needs of the community. That said, research on the subject of post-secondary supports shows that students rarely access such supports unless they’re available on campus. It’s not that they’re lazy or unmotivated; it is yet another stressor in a long list of stressors for students already burdened by the pressure to succeed in their studies and get ahead in a very uncertain work environment.
This is a sad state of affairs but one that went largely unnoticed by the public last spring when the decision to get rid of the counsellors was made.

The Colleges and Universities can refer students to the services provided by Northern Health. Academic Institutions are not health institutions. If there is an exceptional need in the case of students, especially for those from out of town who have no local support group, then look at providing space for Northern Health or private walk-in clinics on campus.

The figures of percentages of students suffering from mental health issues are not all that different than for the general population.

They way they are being presented here it appears as if they are unique.

Whether it is a student or a young worker out of high school trying to make ends meet and is starting to be saddled with social as well as economic issues as they move from the safety net of their parental home the issues really are not all that unique.

The solution is the same. Seek out the appropriate professional help from social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists. Colleges and Universities should assist by having a list of professionals who will take on students, especially if they are from out of town.