BIG RAPIDS, Mich. — Ferris State University students will have greater access to mental wellness support through a partnership with Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services.
Personal Counseling Center Director Andy Slater stated that this partnership helps his department and Birkam Health Center achieve a longstanding goal. The weekly no-cost sessions with psychiatrist Dr. Jayanthi Peters will be available to students who receive referrals, starting this fall semester.
Pictured is the Birkam Health Center on Ferris State University’s Big Rapids campus.
“This partnership will help us increase the level of support and benefit for our students,” Slater said. “We are moving to a place of better collaboration to address the whole range of student needs to help them be successful.”
A growing number of college students nationwide are struggling with mental wellness, according to the American Psychological Association. A 2021 Healthy Minds Study of 373 campuses indicated that more than 60 percent of college students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem.
Slater mentioned that Birkam Health Center staff and counselors are ready to launch an awareness campaign to inform students about securing psychiatric care through public agencies.
“Community Mental Health in our area often requires Medicaid coverage as part of their referral process and cannot accept all potential referrals from campus,” Slater explained. “Our centers have had to direct those students to Grand Rapids for counseling and care, which adds time to starting their treatment. We expect our referrals will be on the way to psychiatric services within days to a couple of weeks rather than months of waiting or failing to receive care.”
Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services is a psychiatric hospital and behavioral health provider with a main treatment campus located in Grand Rapids.
Slater added that the addition of psychiatric care enhances the programs established at Birkam Health Center and the Personal Counseling Center.
“This new access to psychiatry improves our work. Pine Rest’s capabilities take us beyond what the Health Center could offer our students in terms of mental health support,” Slater noted. “Consultation with Dr. Peters can lead to students receiving medications they may require for the best outcomes.”
Slater credited Dean of Student Life Lina Blair and Vice President of Student Affairs Jeanine Ward-Roof for advancing this initiative.
For more information about available services, click Birkam Health Center and Personal Counseling Center.
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