College students should not be required to meet with the school psychologist on a yearly basis.
The biggest issue is funding. If the district were to administer a mandatory psychologist meeting annually or semesterly, the cost would certainly show. As it is, many college students struggle to pay for their schooling, and by implementing these health checks more often, the cost of tuition would also increase.
Colleges would then have to hire thousands of additional psychologists to be able to get the tests done in a timely manner before the semester starts. Salaries would have to be paid, which means an increase in tax dollars to fund these school doctors.
Mental illness is a serious subject among college students and symptoms related to depression, addiction, eating disorders and even suicide are something universities have to deal with.
Research conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness on college campuses shows that 50 percent of college students had experienced enough anxiety to cause them to struggle in school. To deal with this problem, institutions would benefit by implementing more hands -on programs to help students
Tutoring programs, study hall requirements and stress-relieving workshops are just some of the ways schools can fight this problem. Not only will this method give students a scholastic advantage, it will save the school system’s funding that would otherwise be spent hiring more psychologists.
Psychological treatment is vital for students who suffer from mental problems. The answer to treating students who experience stress from classwork is not to mandate annual mental checks. Instead, the school should instill programs and other activities that keep students feeling in control of their workload.
Administrators and officials of the school system should research and analyze mental illness problems on campus before making their decision. These mental issues often times do not even relate to school, as some students endure more stress outside of the campus. At the very most, if meetings were to be required for all students, a mental check before admission should be the only time psychological screenings should be conducted.
It is important to have a school psychologist on campus, but to schedule annual meetings with them is unnecessary and an unwise way to spend educational funding.
