New Mental Health Service Coming to SIUE Counseling Services
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Counseling Services will begin offering Therapy Assistance Online (TAO) to students during the fall 2017 semester.
TAO is an online platform that provides expanded counseling center services and mental health resources to students, both on and off campus. The platform expands access to treatment for students challenged by mild to moderate anxiety, depression and other behavioral health concerns, and will allow the counseling services staff to effectively treat more students.
The platform’s tools include secure video-conferencing, educational videos and exercises, progress assessment, and homework for practicing skills. These additional services augment the effectiveness of treatment and can be accessed from any mobile device. The TAO platform also includes a self-enrolled, self-help feature, which all students can access without a trip to Counseling and Health Services.
“The treatment is a hybrid of face-to-face counseling and online module-based resources,” said Counseling Services Director Courtney R. Boddie. “Our intention of adding it to our service offerings is to create another option, another point of access for students, regardless of location, to interface with helpful clinical tools and even clinical staff. At this time, we are only rolling out the self-enrolled, self-help feature, but the face-to-face counseling option is soon to come.”
According to a study from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH), more than half of students visiting campus clinics across the country report anxiety as a health concern. Nearly one in six college students has been diagnosed or treated for anxiety within the last year, according to another study from the American College Health Association. Implementing online tools and resources is an effective solution to accommodate the increased demand for access to these important services.
Counseling and Health Services is located on the ground level of the Student Success Center, and is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For after-hours, on-campus crisis response, please call the SIUE Police Department at 911 for emergencies and (618) 650‑3324 for non-emergencies.
About TAO Connect
TAO is an effective treatment for anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns that allows the patient or client to proactively work on behavioral change while a clinician monitors progress on treatment tasks and symptom change over time. The platform can be utilized from any mobile device, allowing greater access to effective and affordable behavioral health treatment. To access TAO, visit thepath.taoconnect.org.
