Mental Health at Exeter: Response from CAPS

To the Editor:I was sad to learn that Theresa Clark ‘13 went through four years at PEA feeling that her issues concerning mental illness were misunderstood. I am responding to her article entitled “Mental Health at Exeter” in the 12/13/13 issue of The Exonian.Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) makes every effort to provide effective and confidential mental health care for all students and to ensure that our services are easy to access. Our department includes three full time licensed clinicians and a consulting psychiatrist who provides consultation to students for medical management. We hope that students who seek our help do not feel awkward or stigmatized, as shame should never deter someone from getting the help they need. Obviously this is not how Theresa Clark experienced her care, but we trust that her comments do not reflect the opinions of the vast majority of students who seek our services. In fact, we see about one-fifth of the student population in any given year. Nevertheless, she raised some very important points about the difficulties of coping with psychological problems in a boarding school environment.We welcome dialogue to increase awareness of mental illness, to highlight misconceptions and to educate students about the available services on and off campus. Our department attempts to de-stigmatize mental health issues in a variety of ways: first and foremost, the clinicians meet with individuals privately in an environment that is supportive, respectful and cognizant of the unique challenges of adolescence. In addition to our individual meetings, we also meet with new students during orientation, provide extensive training for student listeners, advise Active Minds, an ESSO group whose focus is “changing the conversation about mental health” and participate in community forums. Furthermore, the Health Education Department offers classes for all new preps and lowers to inform students about issues related to mental health and the resources that are available to them.The article highlighted the importance of students and adults on campus understanding the intersection of adolescent development and mental illness: this is not an uncomplicated process. Clearly, mental health does not exist in the Health Center alone and for someone struggling with these issues, it necessarily involves the understanding of the entire community. We appreciate Theresa’s comments and value feedback to help us better meet the needs of students.Jeanne Stern, LICSWDirector of Counseling and Psychological Services