By Mads Clement, Contributor
cw: mental health, suicide
In 2018, the Student Representative Assembly voted to rescind the Peer Support Line (PSL), an anonymous hotline that existed to support students and their mental health.
PSL offered students a place to chat with another student trained in peer support about difficulties that they were experiencing. These challenges could range from relationship issues to academic problems.
According to a former vice president (administration) of the McMaster Students Union, the main reason the PSL was rescinded was because it received too many “crisis calls”, which posed a liability to all parties involved. Given student staff were not trained in crisis management or how to address calls with students experiencing suicidal ideation, this is a reasonable concern.
However, closing a mental health-based service has had negative impacts on the student body. We have lost one more resource on our already very small list of mental health resources. Anonymous peer support is extremely valuable. These services can be accessed without the fear of your name being officially attached to your mental health issues and because peers can relate to you on levels that adult therapists often cannot. Having someone who can relate to you without worrying about whether you will be institutionalized is an important facet of mental health care.
For these reasons and many others, students were outraged by the closing of PSL. We took to Twitter and Facebook, asking for answers as to why such a valuable service would be rescinded. It’s hard to find mental health care on campus, and reducing our options makes it even harder.
I actually received a reply from a member of the SRA to my outraged tweets where they wrote; “actually, there are 4 new counsellors that have been added to increase 4,000 hours of counselling to decrease the waiting time that students face when accessing the Student Wellness Centre.”
There are three main reasons why this resolution is an issue.
Problem number one: as mentioned above, going to a therapist is not the ideal option for everyone, as some students are likely to have minimal shared experiences with therapists. This especially applies to marginalized folks; patients of colour are less likely to find a racialized therapist that understands the impacts of systemic racism on their mental health. 2SLGBTQ+ students face a similar struggle when dealing with cisgender, heterosexual therapists. The same can be said of various other marginalized identities.
The second problem is that four more therapists isn’t enough. Ask anyone who goes to therapy at the SWC about how long they wait for appointments. In the majority of cases, there’s a two week to one month gap in between appointments. This is not adequate. On top of that, the therapists and counsellors are so swamped with students that they rarely have time to dedicate care to their patients beyond a surface level interaction. Mental health problems often run a lot deeper than what therapists are able to deal with because of their volume of patients.
Since there are many students floundering for mental health care outside of the SWC and PSL, more pressure has been put on the MSU peer support services: Women and Gender Equity Network, the Pride Community Centre, Student Health Education Centre and Maccess. These services, like PSL, are run by students who have entry level peer support training and are not compensated for their work. They are not equipped to handle the volume of students coming to them for help, let alone the degree of mental distress some of their space users are in. These students are not trained therapists.
Additionally, the majority of students that volunteer for these services are marginalized, which leads to the issue of marginalized students taking on all the mental health work on campus. These students, because of the pressures in their own lives and the added pressures of dealing with the mental health crises of others that they can’t always handle, often develop their own mental health problems and also need support or therapy. This system is unbalanced and unsustainable.
We need a balance of both therapists and peer support services. Therapists can provide specialized care to those who need it, but they are at capacity at McMaster University right now. We need more therapists; specifically therapists who have experiences with marginalization. It’s super weird talking about institutionalized transphobia with a cisgender, heterosexual person. This needs to change.
In addition, the MSU peer support services need more funding and volunteers should be compensated for their work. They put hours of unpaid labour into an unforgiving system that does not support them.
McMaster needs to rework its mental health support systems, and it needs to do this as urgently as possible. Everyone suffers when mental health services are limited, not just mentally ill folks.
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By: Kieran Douglas
The McMaster Students Union has announced it will close the Peer Support Line after five years of use. It makes sense. The need for support lines and similar services is clear, but this specific peer-based line seemed unsuitable for the demand imposed on it.
A recent Silhouette article stated that more than half of calls made to the line had to do either with crisis situations or mental health. As the line was run by student volunteers, most listeners are hardly equipped to effectively deal with situations this complex.
Though the service was commendable in that students would volunteer and lend a hand to peers in need, no amount of good can substitute for the training of a professional counsellor, which is what the MSU should be looking to focus its funds on in order to better serve students. Conversely, this brings light to the present concerns to student mental health services on campus and presents the imminence of a need for better services the help students who are in need of support at McMaster.
For crisis cases and situations that are extremely time-sensitive and need the assistance of professionals, students can only help so much. In addition, there is the concern of the peer support volunteers’ mental health. In crisis cases such as those that have the potential to result in life-threatening outcomes, volunteers may hold themselves accountable for other students’ situations.
Even if peer-support volunteers immediately direct callers to more appropriate services in these cases, the extended wait could prove detrimental. Given that 10 per cent of calls the line received were of this nature, eliminating the middleman is well-worth doing.
PSL executives raised a valuable point in defense of the line by suggesting that students sometimes wish to talk about grave topics like suicide and fear that professional help might end up involving authorities. By no means am I mental health professional, but there is a difference between discussing suicidal ideation and posing a danger to yourself. In either case, professional help should be sought out, and it shouldn’t be the responsibility or burden of other students to do so.
For crisis cases and situations that are extremely time-sensitive and need the assistance of professionals, students can only help so much.
I have personally never made use of the PSL, but I have called crisis lines more than once in the past. Excepting wait times, they have been nothing but accessible and helpful. Ultimately, these services exist to help people as they need it and on their own terms. There are few situations that would escalate beyond a phone call, and those situations would typically be emergencies. Professional counsellors can be relied on and trusted to be both impartial and confidential
Bear in mind too that the closure of the PSL is not necessarily a loss to student support. The MSU’s Executive Board assures us that the money no longer spent on the PSL will be used to increase awareness of existing services with professional counsellors on staff. Perhaps the closure of the PSL is also an opportunity to invest in mental health support on campus in general.
It is my hope that university administration considers the usage statistics of the line as further evidence of the overwhelming demand for expanded mental health services on campus.
While the PSL may have been introduced to handle issues separate from mental health concerns, its use as such indicates a clear need to rethink its existence. Given the sensitivity of matters of mental health, an under equipped support line can be worse than ineffective. Student demand should be listened to in this case and I wholeheartedly believe that the PSL budget would be better spent enriching mental health support services on campus.
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Dear Mac,
I’m unemployed right now, and I don’t have any income. Most of my friends are employed. Even if they are just making minimum wage, they at least have some sort of money coming in. My parents give me money when I need it (for rent and stuff) but I hate asking them for money because we are struggling financially as a family as well. I try to mention it to my friends when they want to do things that need money. I mainly try to make it light, saying things like “I’m broke” and “Student life”, but they keep on suggesting things to do that cost money, and I don’t know what to do anymore. I love my friends, we’ve been friends all my life, but I can’t afford to hang out with them anymore! -Broke
Dear Broke,
That’s a really tough situation to be in. Financial difficulties can be awkward and tough to talk about, but it is important to address this issue, so that it doesn’t cause problems in your relationship with your friends. Since you’ve known them your whole life, it might be a good idea to try to talk to your friends, and be honest with them. Let them know that you are having a tough time financially. Chances are that they will understand.
You can also try suggesting cheaper alternatives for hanging out. Instead of going out to dinner, you can try having a potluck, or cooking dinner together. Instead of going to the movies, you can try playing board games or sports, or renting a movie. Most people understand what it’s like to be having money troubles at some point, so trying to communicate honestly with your friends could be a great idea. You don’t have to go into details, but it might be helpful for you to be assertive and say that you would prefer not to spend money when you hang out. Maybe they just don’t realize that you are serious about your financial difficulties.
-Mac
Dear Mac,
I used to be really close with my parents, but now I’m having a really hard time connecting with them. I feel like we don’t have anything to talk about, and I feel like even when we’re spending time together, we’re not really “together”. We’re on our phones, or iPads, or not really spending quality time together. I feel like I’m really different from my parents now, I’ve changed a lot from when I was younger, and I know that we disagree on a lot of really core values, opinions, and beliefs. I still really miss being close to them, but it’s hard to have a conversation that won’t end in a fight. I really do love them though, and I want to get back to the way it used to be! -Disconnected
Dear Disconnected,
First of all, it might not go back to exactly how it used to be. You said so yourself that you’ve changed a lot since then, so chances are, your relationship will have changed a lot too. This is not a bad thing. You said your values, opinions and beliefs are different from theirs now, which also might not be a bad thing. Some of the best conversations can be between people with opposing viewpoints. You just need to make sure that you put emotions and frustrations out of the equation so that a debate doesn’t turn into an argument.
You can always start small: Ask your parents how their day went, try asking them detailed questions about their day, and try to really listen. Share details about your life too. Tell your parents what’s new with you, what’s new with your friends, how your day was. Starting small like this can build a great rapport, and help you get back into the rhythm of great communication.
If you feel like you’re beyond small talk, and are looking for some meaningful conversations, you can do that too. A great way to find interesting and relevant topics is by reading the news. Talk about a municipal election – the pros and cons of each candidate, talk about the World Cup, Talk about the economy, talk about international affairs. You can even google interesting conversation topics and use them as guides during your conversations and debates. This way you can have intellectual or relevant conversations and debates, and maybe even learn something.
Something else you can do is to try spending more quality time together. You can even explain to your parents what you are trying to do, and this way you can get the whole family engaged and actively working towards the same goal: reconnecting. You can do this by setting rules, such as “no electronics for an hour”. You can also try out some hobbies or activities together as a family. Don’t be afraid of the art of conversation – try to engage each other in meaningful conversations. You can talk about sports, world issues, your days, anything really. It might sound cheesy, but you can even really connect with each other about reminiscing about old memories, and hopefully building back your family rapport can help you create some new ones!
-Mac
“Dear Mac” is a column written by volunteers from the MSU’s Peer Support Line. To email in a question that you want addressed in a column, you can send it in to: psl@msu.mcmaster.ca with the subject line: Dear Mac. The Peer Support Line does not run in the Summer, and will start again in the Fall.
Dear Mac,
I’m about to start my fourth year this Fall, and I still have no idea what I want to do next. Most of my friends know what they are going to do, but I have no clue. I don’t know what my degree will get me, and I don’t know what kinds of jobs I want to do, or what I would be good at. Before, it seemed okay, because I still “had time”, but I’m starting to panic now, because I’m starting my fourth year, and I should know what I want to do with the rest of my life! I’m freaking out, and I don’t know what to do!
-Futureless
Dear “Futureless”,
First of all, just because you don’t know what it is, doesn’t mean you don’t have a future. It’s very common to have doubts and questions about the future, and you are definitely not alone in having them. The first place to start is to think about what interests you, what you like, and what you are qualified to do. Look at the kinds of things you’ve enjoyed doing in the past: What subjects do you like the most? Do you like research? What kinds of job and volunteer experiences do you have? The Student Success Centre website has many resources for career planning (under the “careers” tab). You can also try talking to a Career Counsellor, either at the Student Success Centre (Gilmour Hall, 110), or at your faculty office. You can also try searching up different careers you might be interested in on the internet to see what requirements they may have. You could also try searching up different careers your degree could lead to (e.g. careers in psychology, careers in gerontology, careers in communications, etc.) If you’re interested, you could even try talking to one of your professors, many of them are very helpful, and may be able to help guide you in identifying your strengths, weaknesses, and areas of focus and interest.
See if you’re interested in pursuing graduate studies, talk to professors or your academic advisors and see if they have any insight about grad school for you. Think about whether you think you want to go straight to grad school, or take some time off to work or travel, or have some personal time.
One other thing to remember is that just because you’re going into your fourth year, does not mean that choosing a career is “now or never”. Many people change their careers throughout their lives. It’s okay to worry, but don’t feel like you have to have your entire life planned out right now. You still have time, and you have a lot of options.
-Mac
Dear Mac,
I think my housemate is stealing my food. We are living in our house for the Summer, after living in the same res this year. I often notice that my food is missing. There are only 3 of us living in the basement, and we all share a fridge, but I’m pretty sure I know which of my housemates is doing it. I’m getting super frustrated, but we are all really good friends, and we are going to have to live together all year, so I don’t know what to do!
-Hungry
Dear Hungry,
This kind of situation can be tough, because when you’re living with close friends, you want to have fun, but you also need to remember to set rules. You might be pretty sure which one of your housemates is taking your food, but remember that you might not know for sure. Something you can suggest is having a “house meeting” where you can set ground rules for living together. Here, you can mention specific rules for sharing food and fridge-space. This way, you aren’t singling out one person, and it is also a constructive way to prevent problems in the future. If this doesn’t work out, try talking to your housemates individually, or leaving notes on your food saying “do not eat”, or labelling it with your name.
-Mac
I didn’t see Silver Linings Playbook when it came out. I’m a month older than Jennifer Lawrence, and Bradley Cooper is pushing 40. Watching the two in a romantic comedy wasn’t my idea of entertainment.
But then it got nominated for a bunch of Oscars. I’m a sucker. Now I’ve got to see the bipolar-boy-meets-sex-addict-girl love story.
If not for the romance, at least I’d better watch it for the commentary on mental health. Because when Hollywood is willing to associate a famous and good-looking cast with serious topics of neurosis and depression, it’s probably worth a watch.
McMaster’s Student Wellness Centre ran Stop Out the Stigma events last fall. They sought to acknowledge how common problems of student mental illness were on campus.
Along with Silver Linings Playbook, it asserted that helping people first means making it okay to admit that they’re in need of support.
Other efforts, particularly out of the MSU, have tried to help students going through a tough time.
The Student Health Education Centre (more than free condoms) launched a campaign this week to promote their peer-to-peer counselling services. The student-run MSU service asks, “Want to talk? We want to listen.”
Also running is the new, and only somewhat redundant, Peer Support Line, whose members are also “here to talk” to students.
Meanwhile, the Student Wellness Centre is offering counselling services and online resources to students.
But there’s an important piece missing. Someone can talk to their peers or try to self-help all they want. But, for a lot of people, recovery won’t start until they get one very meaningful thing: a diagnosis.
And it’s not just about treatment. It’s about attitude.
Maybe your girlfriend/boyfriend broke up with you. Maybe school’s a lot of work. Maybe you’re homesick. Or maybe life’s fine, but for some reason, you’re not happy in it.
Getting anxious or depressed as a result doesn’t mean you’re weak. But it might mean that you’re sick. That’s a meaningful distinction to give someone.
Yet professional, medical approaches to student mental health are lacking on campus. Wait times are too long at the Student Wellness Centre, and the office doesn’t have the resources to do much other than refer students to other doctors when the going really gets tough.
The will to help is obviously present at McMaster. And SHEC and the Peer Support Line are offering necessary services.
But for every service that’s “here to talk,” there needs to be one that’s “here to treat.” Someone needs to be able to respond quickly and completely when a student’s mental state turns to illness. Students aren’t going to be the first ones to admit, or even realize, that what they’re going through requires more than a talk from a peer.
Anyway, I hear Silver Linings Playbook is still playing at Westdale Theatre. Anyone want to go?
Students feeling stressed out are now able to turn to another avenue on campus. The MSU’s peer support phone line opened as a pilot project Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
Students can call the confidential line at McMaster extension 28888 between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The service is a confidential “warm-line” as opposed to a hotline, which means volunteers are trained to pass off emergency calls to professionals. While they aren’t therapists or counselors, 20 volunteers have been trained by Security Services and the Student Wellness Centre to listen to their peers talk about issues they’re coping with, from academics to sex.
MSU president Siobhan Stewart, who proposed the phone line in her campaign platform last year, said the program “fills a niche” in campus mental health support.
“Mental health is a spectrum. Some students don’t want to go to the Student Wellness Centre because what they’re dealing with isn’t severe, but that doesn’t mean they’re mentally healthy.”
Stewart said the structure of the MSU’s support line is modeled closely after Laurier’s peer help line, which has been run by its students’ union for ten years. Other universities in the area, including the University of Ottawa and Western University, have similar programs in place.
Stewart hopes the peer support line will become a permanent service after its pilot run finishes at the end of the term.
“Sometimes you don’t want to talk to a friend [about your problems]. You want to talk to someone who doesn’t know who you are,” she said.
