The COVID-19 crisis has made it difficult to get help to students, namely mental health services, but they are doing everything they can to provide students the counseling they need.

Jill Maze, Psychological Services Supervisor at COS, states that getting a hold of students was one of the biggest challenges in getting them proper counseling. Some students may not check their e-mail or they may not have a private space in their homes. According to her, some students go into their car in a parking lot just for privacy.

Another problem is that students who haven’t received counseling before and want to now will need to sign forms, however not every form is available to be signed electronically. Some forms are signed electronically and others need to be printed.

This doesn’t mean she’s stopped trying to help students. Jill Maze states that one of her greatest fears is that she won’t be able to connect with students and even miss some students who need help. That is why she made sure to contact students that she was previously counseling and inform them that alternative forms of communication will be made available.

For students that weren’t contacted, there are other ways to contact Jill Maze. The mental health services page contains a few links for students seeking help. Students can talk to a health center staff member in a Virtual Unplugged Cafe on Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m to 1 p.m. There they can talk to other students in a Zoom room and be directed to health services. The phone numbers and e-mails are shown on the site. There are resources available to those who need help and it is encouraged to use them.

Here is their site: https://www.cos.edu/en-us/student-life/health-services/