Madison College expands mental health services
Illustration provided by the Madison College Counseling Services
Counseling Services available at Madison College
Paige Zezulka, Copy Editor
August 29, 2022
The recent expansion of Madison College’s mental wellness offerings will benefit student’s health, safety and academic progress.  
Within the past 20 years, mental health concerns have gradually increased. However, a year with a world in isolation, facing economic hardships, illness and loss, created long-lasting impacts burdened by the force of a worldwide pandemic.  
“Things were really hard for everybody, especially students,” said John Boyne, a Madison College counselor.  
Madison College took this opportunity to improve its mental health services.  
The first addition is the online wellness platform called, You at College. This was established so that students have access to a hub where they can work on their mental health resilience. There are many features to utilize such as, goal setting, assessments, tips and tools that match your own needs, Madison College Resources, ways to connect with others, and even an option to explore specific topics around mental health. Start with small changes by creating an account at: https://you.madisoncollege.edu/ 
To improve the college’s direct student counseling, BetterMynd was added to the college’s services. This 24/7, private, online therapy is nationwide with a focus on college students. Madison College students have access to six sessions that include three individual 50-minute sessions with a professional licensed therapist that matches student’s demographics and skill level, as well as offer’s three group workshops. 
“BetterMynd is brand new,” said Boyne, “Students are already using it and we hope to have them use it more.”  
As long as you are enrolled in one college-level degree credit and are 18 years or older, the services will be available for the whole academic year. To sign up visit: https://students.madisoncollege.edu/counseling-services/bettermynd 
If a student wants more than the six sessions granted, they can contact Dean of Students Office at [email protected].
Madison College already had a variety of resources. They have seven counselors that are available for free year-round on the Truax Campus. These services are offered virtually, in person and via phone. Their focus is personal counsel
ing which includes concerns such as anxiety, depression, academics, careers, relationships and more. 
“I generally say anything that could get in the way or distract them from being focused on school, we can help them with that.” said Boyne. If the issues go beyond the college’s expertise, they will find the resources that students may need outside of campus.  
The college’s mental health services are not a fully equipped mental health clinic with doctors, prescribers or 24-hour care. However, they do provide “Same Day Service,” “Crisis Service,” and walk-ins during the business hours of Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Friday 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 
“We secure clear time for counselors across the week so we are always available on relatively short notice- sometimes within minutes,” said Boyne.  
At this moment, Madison campuses are the only sites with in-person counselors, though students from other regions of the college district can always get in touch with someone via phone call or virtually.  
It’s all about finding the balance of academics and everything that exists outside of those campus doors. Madison College continues to make this a priority for its students by keeping improvements in mind as things adapt in the world.  
“I just think we really want to improve the ability for students to think about their own wellness and even before problems emerge to engage the services; make small goals and continually work to build their resilience around mental health,” said Boyne.  
For more information on Madison College’s Mental Health and Counseling services visit: https://madisoncollege.edu/student-experience/support/mental-health-counseling 
If you ever need support in a timely manner, please reach out to one of the following:  
• Journey 24/7 Crisis Line: 608-280-2600 
• National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988 
• Crisis Text Line: Text “home” to 741741
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