Mental health app offers free resources
The Texas A&M University System recently introduced the TELUS Mental Health App to students on all its campuses.
The app services are completely free. Once the TELUS app is downloaded students will have mental health resources at their fingertips 24/7.
With TELUS, students can access the resources they need anywhere and at any time.
The investment in the mental health of students will allow them to contact licensed professionals with a minimum of three years of experience via phone call or chat, converse with peers, access articles related to mental health, practice healthy habits and watch featured videos.
There is unfortunately a stigma around receiving mental health resources, but this was not going to stop Assistant Dean of Students-Student Wellbeing Jo Elda Castillo-Alaniz from reaching her goal.
Alaniz has encouraged first-year students to download the TELUS app by scanning a QR Code that directs students to the Apple Store or Google Play Store.
“We have a lot of outreach events and scheduled monthly, mental health awareness events. I recently started a student health and wellness advisory counsel, and we have been talking a lot about marketing and brainstorming different approaches to take,” Alaniz said.
While the TELUS app is now available for students, the TAMUK Student Health and Wellness Center (SHW) is still offering services for the TAMUK community.
Director of Counseling Services Renée E. Weiss believes the TELUS app can potentially solve the cultural disconnection some students may feel with the current staff, and allow for easier conversations; as the app’s resources are available in several languages.
The SHW hopes to use TELUS as an extension to aid in the enhancement of providing students with the proper resources.
“To be able to have students utilize the app as their first step and then connect with us, is a great stepping stone for the [SHW],” Weiss said.
Weiss added that TELUS offers students the chance to reach out to fellow peers in a separate chat, that chat is monitored at all times to ensure the safety of the individuals.
In order to create a safe and welcoming digital environment, before starting a conversation students can filter out specific key phrases that they may find triggering.
As a precaution when licensed professionals are connected with a user through TELUS, they may ask a series of questions to assess the wellbeing of the individual, and to determine whether they are experiencing a crisis.
Students on campus have helped promote the TELUS app, such as TAMUK Student Body President Jacqueline McClendon.
“Mental health is such a prevalent issue in young people today…I believe in order to be successful academically, [students] must be well mentally and physically. [Students] can’t perform in the classroom if [their] mind isn’t there,” McClendon said.
TAMUK students who wish to schedule an appointment through SHW can call the center at (361) 593-3991, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.
“Thinking about picking up the phone and scheduling an appointment can be really overwhelming for someone. Having this resource right there is convenient, accessible, effective and empowering. [TAMUK’s Student Government Association] has been really advocating for more counseling services on campus and while [TAMUK] has a 24/7 on-call counselor, this is really empowering that [students] can just have all these resources right here on [their] phones through this app,” McClendon said.
To contact the on- call counselor contact TAMUK’s Police Department at (361) 593-2611, students experiencing a crisis are advised to call 911.