Triage system helps colleges treat mentally ill students

In the last 10 years, colleges and universities across the country have seen increasing numbers of students with mental health needs. As the stigma of mental illness lessens and students feel more comfortable with seeking help, some campuses are implementing mental health triage programs to deliver care to large numbers of students despite relatively small staffs. At the University of Virginia, for example, their counseling center gives students who call the counseling line a 20-minute phone consultation with a therapist; students in crisis are seen immediately, and some 25 percent of callers are referred to off-campus therapists right away. With only 12 full-time therapists, UVA accommodates 9,000 visits last year.

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