NJ Provides Free Therapy To More Than 18K Students

NEW JERSEY - The Garden State is continuing to highlight the need for mental health resources for its residents with the help of new findings from a statewide partnership that provides college students access to free telepathy care.

According to new data released by the New Jersey Office of Higher Education (OSHE), over 18,000 college students from 45 different schools have been able to receive treatment for free as part of the student mental health initiative partnership with provider "Uwill" that began in 2023.

OSHE says this first-in-the-nation collaboration with Uwill delivered over 78,000 free counseling sessions while bolstering on-campus health wellness centers with resources that allowed for a greater capacity of patients to be seen.

"Given the increased need for mental health support, Montclair State University's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) has been eager to partner with Uwill," added Jaclyn Friedman-Lombardo, Director of Montclair CAPS. "The telehealth program is particularly useful in filling service gaps for students who commute, prefer virtual support and/or need services after business hours and on weekends. The partnership has also allowed CAPS staff to focus efforts on prevention as well as addressing crises and more acute clinical issues.”

In the fall of 2021, OSHE found over 70 percent of New Jersey college students rated their stress and anxiety levels as higher or much higher than what they experienced the year prior, a number that was consistent with growing national trends.

In 2023, $26 million in funding was allocated to OSHE from the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, with $10 million going towards providing free tele-mental health and wellness supports to students, and $16 million in grant funding to institutions for the creation of community partnerships and professional development opportunities for faculty and staff.

"Strenghening Youth Mental Health: A Governor's Playbook" is also part of the state's larger strategy to combat isolating mental situations as early as possible, letting students know they have help every step of the way. One such initiative, the Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant Program, requires public schools to give an annual written screening for depression to those in grades 7-12.

Mental health and emotional stress are two of the most common situations that cause students to consider leaving school. Through this statewide higher education program with Uwill, students were shown the ability to receive help that extended well beyond the classroom.

According to OSHE, more than 1 in 4 sessions (30 percent) occurred outside of traditional business hours, with 19.2 percent coming on weeknights and 9.6 percent on weekends. Over 12,000 therapy sessions during 2024 were during summer break or winter intersession. Of those, 1,000 happened outside of the Garden State to not break the gap for continuation of care.

"New Jersey is rethinking student mental health — not as an add-on, but as a cornerstone of student success and our statewide college completion strategy," Dr. Brian K. Bridges, secretary of higher education for the state of New Jersey, proclaimed.

Students at all of the state's participating public and independent public-mission facilities are eligible for free services through April 2026.

Uwill currently collaborates with over 400 educational institutions around the globe, but as founder and CEO Michael London points out, "New Jersey's commitment to mental health access is setting a new standard for how states can support their college students. This data makes clear that students need mental health support that is accessible, inclusive, and responsive to the realities of their lives, whether they're on campus or not."

Access to telepathy is available 24/7 year-round, with the ability to connect with a licensed counselor in less than 24 hours.

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