Students at the Tunxis campus of Connecticut State Community College are feeling the impact of a severe shortage of on‑site mental‑health counselors. While the campus displays an encouraging sign that reads, “Keep going. You’ve got this!,” the reality is that the two wellness counselors who served the campus in the spring left, and their positions remain unfilled as the fall semester began with over 5,600 enrolled students.

Faculty stepping into counseling roles

Professor Kelly O’Brien Mann, who advises the Healthy Minds Club, describes a day that often includes “counseling on the fly, social work, case management, de‑escalating, and helping students problem‑solve complicated life issues.” The club’s mission is to normalize conversations about mental health and provide a supportive space for students to share their struggles.

O’Brien Mann says short‑term counseling services on campus are free, but students with chronic conditions must seek care outside the state system, a process she calls “tricky” because of insurance and availability hurdles.

Comparisons with four‑year institutions

At the University of Connecticut, the flagship four‑year school, nearly three dozen mental‑health professionals serve roughly 32,400 undergraduate and graduate students. By contrast, the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system provides only one to two counselors per community‑college campus, despite an enrollment of almost 38,000 full‑ and part‑time students in fall 2026.

CSCU has joined The Jed Foundation’s JED Campus program, a nationwide effort to evaluate and improve student support services. Yet the staffing gap persists, and the fall semester at Tunxis began with zero wellness counselors on site.

Telehealth fills part of the void

To mitigate the shortage, the college offers telehealth counseling and crisis support through a third‑party contractor at no cost to students. While this service provides a safety net, many students and faculty stress that in‑person counselors are essential for building trust and responding quickly to crises.

Director of mental health and wellness Meredith Yuhas acknowledges the structural deficit and financial pressures facing the system. “We have to be very intentional about staffing,” she said, noting that the open counselor positions are being filled but that staffing challenges have been a continuous issue.

Student experiences highlight urgency

Psychology student Ruth Pinto recounts helping a classmate navigate the college’s CARE referral system, which connects distressed students with faculty, disability coordinators, wellness counselors, and the dean of students. Pinto later faced her own mental‑health crisis and found herself overwhelmed by coursework. “I was so stressed,” she said, recalling a moment when a counselor asked her, “But how are you?” The counselor then helped her secure accommodations she hadn’t realized she needed.

Legislative perspective

State Rep. Greg Haddad, a Democrat who co‑chairs the Higher Education Committee, notes that over the past two decades, demand for campus mental‑health services has grown, yet the state subsidy has not kept pace because of Connecticut’s fiscal guardrails that limit spending growth.

Haddad urges the legislature to increase funding for community‑college counseling staff, emphasizing that mental‑health support is directly linked to academic success. A survey by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors found that counseling services helped about three‑quarters of clients stay in school and improve academic performance.

Why counseling matters for community‑college students

Earning an associate degree can add roughly $400,000 to a graduate’s lifetime earnings compared with a high‑school diploma, according to a 2002 U.S. Census Bureau analysis. However, community‑college students often juggle work, family responsibilities, and transportation costs, making robust mental‑health resources critical to their persistence and success.

Dr. Amy Rusch, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, stresses that community‑college students face the same mental‑health crisis as four‑year peers but with far fewer resources. “The really big difference is that community‑college students are experiencing the same mental‑health crisis with fewer resources to address it,” she said.

Looking ahead

CSCU officials say they are evaluating staffing needs campus by campus and remain committed to making mental‑health a priority. As open counselor positions are filled and telehealth services continue, students, faculty, and legislators hope that increased staffing will provide the in‑person support essential for student well‑being and academic achievement.

Original reporting: The Connecticut Mirror — read the source article.