Mental Health and Counseling Fee FAQs

Why has Emory instituted this new Mental Health and Counseling fee? 

The new Mental Health and Counseling fee is an important new funding supplement for Emory University's Student Health and Counseling Services. Money generated by this new supplemental fee will be spent entirely on increasing counseling, health and wellness support services for Emory students. It costs a great deal more than $50 per student per semester to run Emory’s mental health, counseling and health promotion activities. However, this additional funding source adds critically important dollars at a time when our campus, like other schools across the nation, is focused on meeting the mental health, wellness and safety needs of both individual students and our whole community.

Why is there a need for such a fee now?

In recent years, Student Health and Counseling Services has seen a steady increase in demand for services. This supplemental fee will help us to both meet that increased demand and continue to provide high quality and timely care for our students' needs. The supplemental fee also will allow us to provide the additional services that Emory students have specifically requested, such as more mental health providers, expanded alcohol and other drug prevention services, and more wellness outreach programs.  We are also concerned about the stigma often felt by students who want to seek help for mental health or alcohol and other drug problems/concerns. With resources from this fee, we will intensify our efforts to educate students and reduce this stigma in our community.

Doesn’t Emory already supply adequate funding for mental health, counseling and health promotion from tuition dollars?

Emory supplies nearly $3.5 million each year in tuition-based funding to Student Health and Counseling Services, and Student Health Services generates another $1.5 million in fee-for-service ancillary activities (medications, laboratory testing, etc.).  This money provides mental health services, primary medical care and health promotion services for over 12,500 Emory students. However, expenses continue to rise faster than tuition funding and revenues, which limits our ability to expand services to meet changing student and community needs.  This supplementary fee will allow us to have a steady stream of additional funding that is specifically designated for mental health and wellness activities and needs.

Why not charge for visits to raise additional needed funds? Shouldn’t users fund the needed changes and staffing enhancements? 

Student Health and Counseling Services firmly believe that there should be no charges whatsoever for student counseling, psychiatry, alcohol and other drug counseling and health promotion/outreach activities.  We feel that any impediment to students seeking needed mental health care presents a real and present risk to both the individual student and the community. Even if an individual Emory student never uses campus mental health and counseling services, these services are still critically important to him or her because these services will be used by a friend, a roommate or a classmate in need of help. 

How will the supplemental fee be used? 

The fee will be used to hire more personnel, increase programming and enhance patient care technology (including web-based patient portals for students).  Via these additions and enhancements, we will foster the continued development of an Emory community that is even more healthy and supportive for our students. Our overriding goal is to support student success in and out of the classroom, and help empower students to take care of themselves and others in creating a healthy campus culture. Our strategies are consistent with best-practices in clinical services, psychology and public health.

What new benefits will this supplement provide to Emory students?  

We expect students to see:

• Improved access to services from increases in mental health professional staff;
• Improved technology and web access to health services;
• Increased health education programming including suicide prevention, alcohol and drug use education, nutrition and performance-enhancing food choices, stress management, coping, enhanced sleep and overall wellness; and
• More visibility and awareness of our services through a campaign to reduce the stigma students may feel in seeking the help they need.

How was the decision made to establish the new supplemental fee?  Did students have a voice in this decision?

The recommendations for adding the supplemental fee came out of Emory President James Wagner's Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs Task Forces in 2005-06.  Both of these task forces sought substantial input from students, faculty and staff. The task forces also analyzed campus health and wellness data and best practices nationwide. As a result, student voices were instrumental in the institution of the fee, and fee revenues will be used exclusively to support services and programming for the benefit of students.

Will the fee increase every year?

No. This supplemental fee has been placed at a level where we anticipate that increases will only be necessary every three to four years. As a result, an individual Emory student is likely to see at most only one fee increase during his/her time at Emory. 

Who can I contact if I have more questions?  

If you have more questions about the Student Mental Health and Counseling Fee, please contact:

Mark McLeod, PhD
Director, Emory University Student Counseling Center
rmcleod@emory.edu

Michael Huey, MD
Executive Director, Emory University Student Health and Counseling Services
mhuey@emory.edu

Heather Zesiger, MPH, CHES
Director, Health Education and Promotion Services
hzesige@emory.edu

Revised 04/16/2008