American River College offers three different therapy services for its students. The services available are: Togetherall, Student Health and Wellness, and Bettermynd. Each service is specifically provided for the students’ preferences in how they want to receive their therapy.
Togetherall is a peer support service that connects students anonymously and safely with other students with communication and emotional support is available 24/7. This service gives students the option to join any community groups based on their preferences, such as their identities or topics they care about.
The Togetherall service is for students who like to have support from a group, especially a group that can relate and understand. For students who may feel like they need companionship, this service provides that option.
If this doesn’t seem like the type of service for some students, there are other service choices that students can choose from.
Student Health and Wellness is an in-person/virtual meeting with a therapist or advocate. This service has students log in to their ARC account and fill out their information. After they do this they can find appointments that will work for them. Once a student chooses online or in-person, they will be able to set their preferred time and date.
Student Health and Wellness is mainly for students who want to meet one-on-one with a therapist or advocate. An advocate is someone who publicly recommends a particular cause or policy, such as therapy programs or communities.
Another service that may better suit students who are more introverted is BetterMynd. This service is suggested to students that prefer online therapy over in-person therapy.
BetterMynd is the only service out of the three that is strictly online therapy. BetterMynd has partnered with the Los Rios District to provide free, safe and private online therapy for students.
These three therapy resources for students are available whenever a student would like to seek support, such as the opportunity to have someone listen to their thoughts and feelings.
In an email from the Student Health and Wellness team, the staff said they always want to hear their students’ voices and work to respond to the students’ feedback. When they surveyed their students last fall, one of the big things they heard from their student body was that students did not know where the Mental Health center was located.
According to information provided by the staff, 70% of students districtwide reported not knowing where to find the center, but 60% of students wanted to use the Mental Health services.
“At ARC, we met with the Operations team to create more signage and visibility on campus. We added large window screens to the front of our building and signage in the student center to direct students where to go,” the team said in the email.
The staff is also continuing to seek ways to help students find the Mental Health center and enhance awareness of its services.
“At the Student Health and Wellness Center (SHWC), we are committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for all students,” said the team. “We encourage students to ‘try it out – talk it out’ using the platform they are comfortable with—from anonymous peer to peer support or in-person or virtual therapy. The SHWC team is here to support each student, ensuring that they feel empowered in their wellness journey.”
On American River College’s website ARC Student Health & Wellness Services students can read information on the three therapy services available to them online and on campus.
If none of the resources are right for students, they can also find emergency resources and community based resources on the website.
Students can browse some FAQs on the website that may address any questions they have about the mental health resources available to them.
