McHenry County College offers to online therapy platform to students

An online therapy platform now available to McHenry County College students aims to provide access to fully license therapists at no costs to students, the college said in a news release.

McHenry County College staff found that while the county has an extensive network of counseling providers available for referrals, many students didn’t have insurance coverage or the ability to pay for out-of-pocket expenses, according to a news release. Others encountered barriers related to transportation, scheduling, and stigma.

The college’s partnership with Talkspace allows students to exchange unlimited private video, audio and text messages with a fully licensed therapist at no cost to them, according to the release.

Students also receive unlimited access to the Talkspace suite of online and in-app mental health and wellness resources, one live 30-minute video session per month with their counselor, and can book additional sessions with their therapist at a reduced rate.

“One of the great things about Talkspace is the scheduling flexibility,” Rachel Boldman, McHenry County College’s director of crisis intervention and prevention services, said in the release. “Students can seek help on their schedule, and can potentially sign up and start communicating with their therapist within 30 minutes.”

The program is being funded through federal legislation signed into law by President Donald Trump in December.

“The College recognized that as we hit the one-year mark in a global pandemic, our students are struggling,” Boldman said in the release. “Many have been laid off, are now monitoring their children’s or younger siblings’ remote learning, and dealing with the stress of the pandemic—all while trying to keep up with their classes and assignments.”

Numerous reports and news stories documented how the pandemic is causing a mental health crisis, Vice President of Student Affairs Talia Koronkiewicz said in the release.

“When the funding became available, we knew we wanted to use it to benefit our students’ mental health,” Koronkiewicz said.