Know your issues: Students have right to access mental health services on campus

Opinion columnists outline the issues incoming students need to know, but aren’t always told. Here are the things your new student advisor doesn’t tell you at orientation. I, like many UCLA students, waived my University of California Student Health Insurance Plan in favor of keeping my private plan. I initially found it difficult to get an appointment at Counseling and Psychological Services and was turned away upon asking for an appointment. After some research, it seemed my only options were to pay $250 an appointment in Westwood or travel 30 minutes by bus for every appointment I scheduled back home. UCLA provides students with free or low-cost resources, spanning from one-on-one counseling to group meetings. I came back to CAPS insisting on seeing someone and was given an appointment with a counselor and psychiatrist. What I learned was that you have to be your own advocate and demand good care. Don’t be afraid to insist on getting the next available appointment.

• The UC Regents approved an annual 5 percent increase in student services fees until 2020 to improve mental health and other critical services such as CAPS, which is currently understaffed and underfunded.
• It can be very difficult to get an appointment at all if you do not have UC SHIP because CAPS aims to refer students with private insurance to local professionals because of its limited resources.
• Many private insurances don’t cover counseling and psychological services.
• There is a limited number of counselors in Westwood, many of which do not offer CAPS’ flexible scheduling.