Louisiana university deploys teletherapy services for students

McNeese State University, a public university in Louisiana, deployed a teletherapy tool last week used by more than 300 colleges and universities across the country in an effort to expand its efforts to improve student mental health and wellness.

The collaboration with Uwill, the teletherapy platform, offers students access to mental health services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Students who use the platform will be offered immediate appointments with licensed mental health counselors who are matched to them based on student needs and preferences, according to a press release.

“Mental health support is a key component of how we serve our students,” Kedrick Nicholas, dean of student affairs at McNeese State University, said in the release. “It is very beneficial to have a partnership with Uwill because their services allow us to meet the needs of our students by enhancing and expanding therapy options.”

Uwill serves more than 2 million students and claims to match students with a counseling appointment in less than five minutes, the release said.

“I commend the McNeese State team for taking these steps to enhance mental health support and for their commitment to student success and well-being, embodying the values of our university system,” Rick Gallot, president of the University of Louisiana system, said in the release. “We look forward to working with institutions across our system as they work to expand high-quality mental health support services that are responsive to the needs of our students.”