Life is unpredictable, and some of our most trying times do not happen between set business hours.  The UNI Counseling Center, on the second floor of the Student Health Center, is open to students via appointment from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. But what happens when a student needs help outside of business hours?

This year, the Counseling Center is partnering up with Protocall, which has been around for 10 years and has been helping other counseling centers and mental health providers through call centers staffed by licensed mental health counselors.

According to David Towle, the UNI Counseling Center Director, the new addition will help students “get the help they need when they need it.”

With the Potocall alignment, students can now call the Counseling Center (273-2676) as they normally would to schedule an appointment. An auto attendant will answer the phone, giving students the opportunity to leave a message regarding appointments or the opportunity to patch them through to a Protocall counselor.

Towle said the Protocall counselors have been trained to respond on behalf of the UNI Counseling Center by talking with the person about their situation, helping with any immediate crises or concerns and then giving them some recommendations for the next step(s).

The Protocall counselors also have the contact information of the UNI counselors in case the situation calls for their input.

After the concern has been taken care of, the Protocall counselor will send a report to the UNI Counseling Center via a HIPPA compliant database.

“I think that it’s awesome, just because it just gives you help at your fingertips; it just takes a phone call, and you can have the help that you need,” said Lydia Reding, freshman family services major. “I feel like there are some people that, waiting till the next day or multiple days later that things could majorly happen, they could do something horrible because they didn’t have somebody to talk to about it.”

Reding also pointed out that the transition to college is difficult, and this is a wonderful and necessary resource for people if they need someone to talk to, even if it’s just to vent.

Reding’s main concern was to make sure word got out to students about the new hours.

“If you wouldn’t have told me what this was about I would not have known,” Reding said. “I think if people would know about it […] then I think they potentially would  [utilize it], but I guess I don’t know if there’s a lot of people who take advantage of the counseling center itself.”

Sophomore English major Erin Hankemeier thinks this is a valuable resource if something were to go awry.

“I would like that because you know, just in case something happens after hours we would need someone to talk to,” said Hankmeier.

In order to spread the word about the new service, Towle will be in contact with the Residence Life Coordinators, as well as the campus police, and campus faculty and staff.

Any UNI student, as well as anyone concerned about a student, can use the service. This can include faculty, staff, a parent or another student.

The service does costs  about $950 a month according to the Counseling Center’s budget, but Towle believes it will benefit students.

“I just know that students have a great sense of confidence when they can call and get help anytime that they need it,” Towle said. “I think it will help reduce some of the barriers that people have about seeking mental health assistance because that’s one of the biggest concerns. There’s a stigma for some people about pursuing help and this might be an easier first step for some students to take.”

If a student is calling the Counseling Center during hours, they will get in contact with the receptionist, who will work with them to find a good time for them to come in.

“Our goal is always to get students into the counseling center within a week of calling. But if it’s an urgent situation, […] we will see the person the same day,” said Towle. “Typically we see about 20 percent of the students that contact us for their initial appointment. About 20 percent are seen the same day they call.”

Towle said students should think about getting in touch with the UNI Counseling Center “any time when emotional or mental health issues are impairing their functioning, getting in the way of how they’re doing with school or other relationships or work or other important activities in their life. Anything that may be making it difficult to concentrate, focus, be motivated, fulfill your daily obligations, those kinds of things,” Towle said. He went on to say that at any time a person feels like it could be beneficial is a good time to consider calling.

The UNI Counseling Center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Student Health Center building. To call and make an appointment or to call after hours, dial 273-2676.