By Lee Kling

MENTAL health is a rising crisis in the United States that needs to be solved. Nearly 1 in 5 adults live with with a mental illness. Sometimes this also can be a common theme for college students that often goes unnoticed. 

York College of Pennsylvania offers many incredible sources for mental health that start with the team of counselors located in Codorus Hall. Sarah Dehoff has been working at York College for 4 years and interned for a few years prior. Right off the bat, Dehoff noted that the team of counselors we have are incredible: “Our team is a very collective group, we always bounce off of each other and can always count on each other to be there in times of need,” she said.

Dehoff mentioned that the school’s counseling services have been around for nearly 20 years and offer many different types of services. A few of the popular ones among students are individual counseling, couples counseling and group counseling which are offered to any student enrolled at York College. 

With the recent death on campus of junior Drew Ruehlicke, who was found unresponsive in his dorm room Oct. 10, Dehoff mentioned that more services have been offered. “We offered crisis debriefing sessions for any students that needed the extra help following the loss of Andrew.” she said, adding that once word got out a majority of the counselors returned to the campus immediately to offer any help to students who were struggling with the event. 

President Pamela Gunter-Smith, in a conversation with members of The Spartan on Oct. 19, also mentioned the importance of just reaching out for help and talking to someone. She emphasized the importance of taking care of yourself. “Mental health and your well-being is extremely important. It’s a part of everyone’s life and no one should feel ashamed to feel a certain way about something,” she said.

She also mentioned the importance of utilizing the sources around campus; they’re all there for a reason and that’s for the student body.

With that, Dehoff mentioned the importance of seeking help. “The most difficult thing is coming out and talking, try to get help, make the phone call, put yourself first,” she said. “It may be very scary but can be a huge relief when you decide to let it all out.”

Dehoff couldn’t stress enough how important it is to reach out and just talk through your issues; you might think it’s embarrassing but in the end you will find it relieves so much pressure and stress, she said.

“We want to be the best support on campus for our students, we want to offer that safe space and the time for students to come and vent and fix whatever issues they’re dealing with,” Dehoff said.

There are many counselors and many services that are offered, some that might surprise you because you weren’t aware they existed. “We’re here for you, we love being here for the students,” she said.

She closed by mentioning how great their team is and how well they work together.

By working as a team they can create a great service for students, she said.

Here’s a link to the counseling center’s website.

Lee Kling is a senior majoring in Criminology.

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