While a hopeful end to the pandemic nears, students may continue to face personal and academic challenges during the spring semester. According to University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Counseling and Student Development Center (CSDC) psychologists, students may experience stress due to disrupted plans, financial strain, relationship conflicts, adjustment to online learning and barriers to travel. This stress may, in turn, exacerbate or lead to increased mental health concerns.
In an effort to reach students more effectively during the pandemic, CSDC will continue offering a variety of mental health services to UH Mānoa students that are free and can be accessed virtually. These services include brief, solution-focused individual, couples, and career counseling services in which students can meet with a mental health professional via Zoom, as well as a variety of services aimed at learning new skills and connecting with other students.
Connecting with CSDC
Students currently enrolled at UH Mānoa can register online to attend virtual drop-in support spaces, one-hour group sessions that provide a place for students of various identities (such as student-athletes, on-campus residents, international students, LGBTQ+ students) to connect and share experiences.
Additionally, students can register for CSDC’s series of interactive, educational self-help workshops focused on maintaining mental and physical wellness during the pandemic. Workshops will address topics such as establishing a healthy sleep routine, managing stress, and cultivating mindfulness.
Students currently residing within or outside of the state of Hawaiʻi are eligible to participate in drop-in support spaces and self-help workshops. Students are encouraged to visit the CSDC website to learn more and sign up for sessions.
In addition to the CSDC’s individual, couples and career counseling services, group therapy will also be available and will focus on a variety of issues such as coping with ADHD, dealing with anxiety related to the pandemic, navigating graduate school and exploring personal identity. Interested students should call (808) 956-7927 to complete a brief telephone screening appointment to ensure group therapy is appropriate for them. Both services will be hosted on Zoom by a CSDC counselor.
If students are not able to connect with counseling services through the CSDC due to living outside of the state of Hawaiʻi, CSDC counselors can assist them with referrals to resources in their area. CSDC has adjusted services for students and is set up for urgent individual walk-in appointments (with adjustments to accommodate physical distancing), brief solution-focused counseling via tele-mental health and telephone consultations. CSDC requests that students call to set up an appointment or call before attending a walk-in appointment. Staff will help arrange appropriate services.
Faculty and staff can contact the UH Employee Assistance Program for counseling services at Worklife Hawaiʻi.
Additional resources
- UH Mānoa Counseling and Student Development Center (808) 956-7927
- Hawaiʻi Coordinated Access Resource Entry System (CARES)
(808) 832-3100 (Oʻahu), 1-800-753-6879 (Neighbor Islands) - National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- Crisis Text Line Text ALOHA to 741741 (Hawaiʻi) or text TALK to 741741 (National)
This work is an example of UH Mānoa’s goal of Enhancing Student Success, one of four goals identified in the 2015–25 Strategic Plan, updated in December 2020.
