Roughly 37% of college students across the United States are seeking mental health therapy or counseling, according to a recent Healthy Minds Study.

But at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), the Counseling Center only sees a small percentage of students each academic year. 

Only 8.25% of students have utilized the on-campus services provided by the center, which totals to 1,650 students being seen, for a total of 9,925 hours since August 2024. This is out of 20,383 students enrolled at BGSU this semester.

While BGSU students told BG Falcon Media they either didn’t utilize the Counseling Center at all or are hesitant because of the long wait times, university leaders said the center works with as many students as possible to meet their needs. 

“Generally, across the general standard for college counseling centers, usually about 10% of the student population uses the counseling center at some point in time,” said Ben Batey, senior chief community and well-being officer. “So, like for us, for 20,000 students, about 2,000 students are interacting with our Counseling Center throughout the year.” 

Batey works for the Division of Community and Well-Being, which is the division BGSU’s Counseling Center falls under. 

BGSU’s Counseling Center provides short-term mental health resources for students with individual and group counseling opportunities, and drop-in hours Monday through Friday for students facing an immediate problem. 

The center also provides mental health and crisis consultations, case management services and education, prevention and support services related to alcohol and other drug use. 

“We have a whole host of resources that we’ve really leveraged over time to really try to meet students where they’re at,” Batey said. “Everything from the counseling center is sort of being in the core of that. Offering anything from walk-ins for students who might be in crisis on any given day, but then also doing individual counseling appointments with people and group therapy sessions.” 

Following complaints from students, BG Falcon Media looked into the Counseling Center and found that it has a negative reputation among students, which stops them from seeking services.

Counseling Center’s reputation 

BG Falcon Media made multiple attempts to speak with the Counseling Center, but were repeatedly declined.

“Unfortunately, this is not something I or someone on our staff can help with at this time,” Phil Hughes, assistant director of the Counseling Center, said in an email. 

Issues between BGSU’s Counseling Center and students mainly stem from miscommunication about its services and wait times, Batey said.

“I think sometimes students can get frustrated. ‘Like, I don’t want to wait two weeks,’” Batey said. “That’s ok. We’re going to interact with that student, and we’re going to give them some tools to help manage until their appointment comes. But at the same time, we have to be mindful that there are only so many hours in the day and so many professionals that can interact.”    

Maddie Mills, senior social work student, said she’s heard from peers that they’re hesitant to schedule an appointment because of financial reasons. According to students, they’ve heard the Counseling Center only allows for 16 free visits before having to pay. 

She said it was “messed up” if students had to pay to access a certain number of scheduling appointments from the Counseling Center. 

“Students experiencing mental health issues should have much more support and access to resources than that,” Mills said. 

However, Batey said the services provided to students at the counseling center are free of charge, and funding for the center comes in through different ways. 

“We don’t charge anything for the services that we offer,” Batey said. “Everything from the Office of Dean of Students to the Counseling Center to well-being coaching. We’re working with students, and part of the fees that are covered help us do that work, as well as to provide those resources.”

Counseling Center Budget 

According to the FY 2025 Counseling Center Budget Report document, the official one-time budget for 2025 is $271,537. 

The Center also received a total of 50 donations for the 2025 fiscal year and a total of 324 over the past five years. 

Part of the Center’s budget also comes from student fees. Each student must pay a counseling center fee as part of their tuition each semester, and the cost varies by student. 

The student fees are billed differently depending on a student’s class/cohort and number of credit hours, according to the Office of the Bursar. The counseling center fee for freshman and sophomore students is priced differently from the fee for juniors and seniors.

Other mental health alternatives 

While BGSU’s Counseling Center is a main on-campus resource, there are other local alternatives for those looking for immediate counseling or help with finding the care they need.

Harbor in Bowling Green is a mental health and substance use disorder treatment provider, and can provide immediate mental health care, according to their website. 

The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) at BGSU hosts free mental health recovery support groups for students every third Thursday of the month at the Bowen-Thompson Student Union. They also host other programs and events throughout the semester that help address mental health concerns students may face. 

NAMI BGSU also collaborates with NAMI Wood County, which also hosts events, free educational classes, support groups and other programs that address mental health concerns for Wood County residents.

For more information about the Counseling Center, call 419-372-2081 or visit East Hall 101 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

https://www.bgsu.edu/counseling-center.html

NAMI Wood County can be contacted at 419-352-0626. https://namiwoodcounty.org/

Harbor can be contacted at 1-800-475-4449. https://www.harbor.org/