AUGUST 31, 2021 — With a new semester kicking off and students getting ready to jump back into their classes, UTSA is committed to supporting the wellbeing of all students to help them achieve academic success. That includes ensuring they have the resources they need to care for their mental health.
“UTSA has invested in our students’ mental health by expanding services and their availability. We provide a variety of services in multiple modalities to provide greater access to support,” said LT Robinson, UTSA senior vice provost of student affairs and dean of students. “Students need more than a one-size-fits-all approach.”
Several resources are available to students to help them manage their stress and the uncertainties of the pandemic.
Wellbeing Services has highly-trained, on-campus professionals available by phone, video conference and in-person visits to help with a variety of needs.
“We are committed to supporting the students’ wellbeing and helping them overcome barriers to academic success,” said Melissa Hernandez, interim associate dean of students for wellbeing. “We do this through a variety of mental health services, including individual counseling, group counseling, consultation, crisis helpline and 24/7 text support.”
Wellbeing and emotional support is available to all students through the My Student Support Program (My SSP) app to have a real-time text chat or phone call with a counselor, Hernandez added.
Counselors are also available for virtual or in-person appointments as well as after hours through the Crisis Helpline, which is available 24/7, including when the office is closed, weekends and official UTSA holidays. The Crisis Helpline is available at (210) 458-4140 (option 3) for those who are in need of immediate of urgent assistance.
As many high-profile individuals have acknowledged their mental health challenges—even those who seemingly have great success—it shows everyone has their limits, Hernandez said.
“It is especially concerning for individuals who have lived with mental health challenges. If one does not have the support or resources they need, we encourage them to seek help,” she said. “We will do everything we can to connect them to the resources that will best meet their needs.”
Tips for relieving stress:
UTSA is committed to the wellbeing of each member of the campus community and recognizes that numerous factors contribute to overall wellness. In alignment with the university’s commitment to student success, UTSA’s initiative on Enriching Campus Wellbeing is promoting and connecting existing health-related services, modeling best practices, and developing new programming. Though the initiative will focus heavily on mental health at the outset, it will look broadly at eight dimensions of wellbeing—physical, social, spiritual, environmental, financial, occupational, psychological and intellectual—as endorsed by several leading higher education associations.
“The overall goal of the Enriching Campus Wellbeing initiative is to adopt a holistic approach to wellbeing as an institutional priority,” said Tammy Wyatt, vice provost for student success. “Through the initiative’s work, we built a foundation for strategies, services and events that focus on providing an environment where help-seeking is encouraged.”
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Join the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.
Student Union Window Lounge, Main CampusLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThis event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
