Image: Student Counseling Services is one of two official University of Minnesota programs offering mental health support to students. It is housed in Appleby Hall in Minneapolis, Minnesota and as of March 24, 2022, services are most likely to be offered online according to their website. (Shannon Brault)
A comprehensive guide to the differences and similarities between Boynton Health and Student Counseling Services
By Megan Phillips and Holly Gilvary
Students can choose to seek mental health services at either Boynton Health or Student Counseling Services (SCS) at the University of Minnesota
What’s the difference?
Dave Golden, director of public health and communication at Boynton, said the difference comes down to funding, medical intervention and legacy. “It’s partially historical,” he said. “It’s always been that way. We’ve always had two entities.”
Boynton has four psychiatrists on staff and an additional five physicians assistants and advanced practice nurses who can prescribe medication to students. For mental health counseling, Boynton has 30 licensed therapists,which includes licensed professional counselors, licensed psychologists, licensed social worker, and licensed alcohol and drug counselors. Boynton can also bill students’ insurance for its services.
SCS, on the other hand, does not bill students and can’t offer medication. Caley Conney, marketing and communications officer for the Office of Student Affairs, said SCS has 13 counselors: a mix of psychologists and social workers who offer academic, career and personal counseling.
SCS’s mental health services are funded through general University money allocated for student services, while Boynton’s mental health services rely on money collected yearly from the Student Life, Health and Wellbeing Fee and additional payments from insurance, Golden said.
What’s the same?
SCS and Boynton are both within the Office of Student Affairs and both provide mental health support to students, such as counseling and referrals to other services.
Both entities offer groups for mental health and wellness care at no cost to students. Boynton is offering a Depression Support Group, Mindful Self-Compassion and Mixed/Multiracial Connections this semester.
Some of the groups offered at SCS include Understanding Self and Others and Folx Like Me: Community and Connection for Queer-Identified Students at the University. A full listing of groups for this semester is below.
Boynton care: a deeper dive
Boynton does offer mental health services for students, but getting care can be a little more complicated than signing up and seeing a therapist.
Even after the waiting period, Boynton limits visits and the kinds of diagnoses its providers will treat. Here is a breakdown of what Boynton does and doesn’t provide, as well as where you can turn in the case of a mental health crisis.
What’s covered at Boynton?
Golden said that Boynton will see any student experiencing distressing mental health symptoms, regardless of diagnosis.
“We’ll see virtually everybody,” he said. “It’s just a matter of how acute [their symptoms] are and how much treatment and how much care they’re going to need immediately.”
Boynton’s mental health clinic provides 10 therapy sessions per student per 12-month period, starting from the first session, which is the same number of sessions available at Student Counseling Services (SCS) for students who do not require medical management. Boynton places a cap on the number of sessions to increase access to therapists for new students, Golden said.
Golden said Boynton therapists realize 10 therapy sessions over the course of a school year is often not enough for everyone. In some cases, the therapists can get special permission to see students for longer, but in most situations, extended therapy means students need to seek a provider outside of Boynton.
Boynton currently has two clinical care coordinators to help patients find an outside provider to meet students’ specific needs and insurance.
Those care coordinators do their best to find good matches among community mental health care options, Golden said. Some of the clinics students are referred to include Acacia Counseling, Stone Arch Psychology, the Minnesota Center for Psychology and the Hamm Clinic.
Boynton offers group therapy sessions with a range of durations, some as short as three weeks and others extending longer. This semester’s offerings include a depression support group, a group for multiracial students to connect and a workshop for students to talk about their relationship with food and the body. Some are only offered for a few weeks or half a semester. Students have to call the mental health clinic and set up a group screening appointment if they are interested in joining a therapy group. A complete list of this semester’s groups is below.
Recovery on Campus (ROC) is a Boynton-sponsored student group for students struggling with drug or alcohol use. ROC holds weekly meetings in room 120 of Coffey Hall on Fridays from 4-5 p.m. Students can attend virtually by messaging ROC’s Facebook page or emailing roc@umn.edu.
Other resources at Boynton are a substance use assessment, a health promotion consultation and group therapy options related to alcohol and substance abuse.
What isn’t covered at Boynton?
Golden said students “don’t get turned away based on their condition.” But he also said that about 15% of students each week on average cannot be seen at Boynton due to the session limitation or because their conditions require specialized treatment.
Boynton psychiatrists and therapists will work with students with such specialized conditions – for example, bipolar disorder or persistent obsessive compulsive disorder – “depending on student needs and level of acuity,” Boynton said in a statement to AccessU. Boynton also does not treat eating disorders but refers those to clinics specialized care.
Golden said that Boynton is not qualified to treat eating disorders, which have a higher risk of mortality than other mental health conditions and require specialized treatment. If a patient comes in with an eating disorder, they will be referred out, usually to The Emily Program or the Melrose Center.
You’re having a mental health crisis. Now what?
Boynton’s after hours resources for urgent mental health crises are two crisis lines that can be called or texted. During regular business hours, there are two dedicated staff covering urgent counseling, which prioritizes the students in the most acute distress. Crisis line counselors are available 24/7 and are recommended for immediate mental health crises; counselors can be reached by phone at 612-301-4673 or by texting “UMN” to 61222.
If you are not in immediate danger but still want to talk to a counselor, an urgent care counselor can be reached during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) at 612-625-8475.
Full listing of groups offered this semester:
Boynton
Depression Support Group – weekly on Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Mindful Self-Compassion – weekly on Wednesdays, 10:15-11:45 a.m.
Forward Motion – weekly on Tuesdays, 1-2:30 p.m.
Understanding Self and Others (Ages 23+) – weekly on Mondays, 10-11:30 a.m. and 2:15-3:45 p.m., and Tuesdays, 10-11:30 a.m. and 2:15-3:45 p.m.
My Gender My Way Graduate – weekly on Thursdays, 12:30-2 p.m.
To join a group, interested students must schedule a screening appointment by calling 612-624-1444. The appointment will take place over the phone and usually lasts 15-30 minutes, according to Boynton’s website.
Current Boynton patients can also ask their therapists about joining a group.
SCS affinity groups (in collaboration with UMN campus partners)
Pláticas: Latinx Graduate Student Connection Space – weekly on Tuesdays, 1-2:15 p.m. Sign up here
Mixed/Multiracial Connections – weekly on Wednesdays, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Sign up here
BAAM! – Black, African American, African Meeting Space – weekly on Fridays, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Sign up here
Folx Like Me: Community and Connection for Queer-Identified Students at the U – weekly on Tuesdays, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Sign up here
BIPOC and/or LGBTQI+ Honors Student Affinity Group – weekly on Tuesdays, 2-3:30 p.m. *Currently at capacity but the group is accepting requests to join the Fall 2022 waitlist. To join the waitlist, email kbishop@umn.edu
Affinity Group for Asian/Asian American Students – weekly on Tuesdays, 2-3 p.m. Sign up here
SCS counseling groups
Chronic Condition and Pain Support Group – weekly on Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Dissertation and Thesis Support – biweekly on Thursdays, 3-4:30 p.m.
Understanding Self and Others – weekly on Wednesdays 3-4:30 p.m. and Thursdays 3-4:30 p.m.
Grief Support Group for Students Who Have Lost Parents or Siblings – weekly on Tuesdays 12:45-2:15 p.m. and Thursdays 3-4:30 p.m.
To join any of these groups, email: counseling@umn.edu
A previous version of this story understated the number of mental health providers Boynton has. In addition to four psychiatrists on staff, Boynton has five physicians assistants and advanced practice nurses who can prescribe medication to students. The previous story also stated Boynton had a total of 15 licensed therapists; it has 30.
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Boynton’s mental health clinic provides 10 therapy sessions per student per school year. The clinic provides those session per 12 months, starting from the first session.
In a previous version of this story, group therapy at Boynton was described as “limited-session.” Following publication, Boynton requested AccessU clarify that those sessions are not “limited” but rather offered in a range of durations.
A previous version of this article understated details about the Boynton mental health crisis line. Boynton’s after hours resources for urgent mental health crises are two crisis lines that can be called or texted. During regular business hours, there are two dedicated staff covering urgent counseling, which prioritizes the students in the most acute distress.
A previous version of this story imprecisely stated that Boynton does not treat bipolar disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. In a statement to AccessU, Boynton said its providers will work with students with such specialized conditions – for example, bipolar disorder or persistent obsessive compulsive disorder – “depending on student needs and level of acuity.” As the original story indicated, students with specialized conditions often require referral to outside therapists; Boynton also does not treat eating disorders but refers those students to clinics for specialized care.