The various mental health programs at the University of Oregon have stayed busy offering mental health resources throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both the Duck Nest and the university’s counseling services adjusted their services to be primarily remote last March, and the amount of students using their services has remained steady, student volunteers said.
Michael Huang, a UO junior and peer wellness coordinator at the Duck Nest, said that before the pandemic, lots of students would come into the Duck Nest to study or talk with peer wellness advocates. They are still open on the ground floor of the EMU, but only three people are allowed in at a time.
The Duck Nest is limited in the ways they can reach students, as they’ve had to replace tabling with alternate outreach opportunities like Instagram stories. They also can no longer offer every student a quiet place to study. Because of this, they’ve seen the majority of their student participation through virtual events, Huang said. They host everything from stress and anxiety workshops to healthy cooking classes each week.
One of their most popular services is SNAP drop-in assistance, where students can learn about how to apply for the federal food assistance program and how the process works, Huang said. The Duck Nest also works to connect students with other food security programs on campus.
“SNAP drop-in assistance has always been pretty popular, and it’s a really important service for students that need help and don’t know where to start,” he said.
Peer wellness chitchats have also gained popularity since the beginning of the pandemic. Students can schedule a time to talk one-on-one with a peer wellness advocate, a volunteer who can provide support and connect them with campus services and programs, Huang said.
“They can talk to our volunteers about anything on their mind, like getting adjusted to college, making friends or difficult classes,” he said.
Chloe Pimentel, a UO junior and chair of the Student Advisory Board for University Counseling Services, said that the university’s counseling services has also seen steady student participation in workshops and services throughout the pandemic.
All of the mental health services offered through University Health Services are paid for by fees included in student tuition, Pimentel said.
Like the Duck Nest, UCS has adapted the majority of their services to work remotely. Along with teletherapy, they are also offering drop-in hours on Zoom, allowing students to receive an informal consultation from a UCS staff member.
“I think UCS is doing an incredible job,” Pimentel said, “there’s always room for improvement, but compared with other schools I’ve seen, we have a really good selection of services.”
Every Thursday, UCS hosts a virtual wellness workshop with a different topic to give students tools to support their mental health. They also hold campaigns like Stress Less Week, All Sizes Fit and Movember throughout the academic year.
The Student Advisory Board is primarily meant to provide UCS with feedback on how they can improve their services. They work with UCS on outreach campaigns and help with wellness workshops and other events.
“One of the most important things we do is find creative ways to share the UCS services with the student population,” Pimentel said.
The advisory board also works with other organizations on campus to help reach more students. They are currently working on a collaboration with the UO Outdoor Program to include UCS resources and information in one of their backpacking workshops to highlight the connection between the outdoors and mental health.
“I would encourage students to check out the services we have to offer, because I think a lot of people don’t realize that all of this is basically free and could really help them,” she said.
