Lack of volunteers hurts counseling The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, June 5, 1984 - Page 7 By THOMAS HRACH Despite the myriad of counseling ser- vices available at the University and in the city, those that do not charge a fee are plagued by too many patients and not enough volunteers. Part of the recent rise in counseling can be attributed to the state's mental institutions, said Weicher van Houten, director of the University's outpatient psychiatry clinic. "PERHAPS today people are more willing to discuss their problems," he said, "but there is also a tendency to move people out of state hospitals too quickly. Many of the patients shouldn't be out on the streets." The patient load has also increased at facilities designed for students with mental and emotional problems. During the busiest periods - the late fall and early winter, psychologial counseling service in the Union cannot keep up with its caseload. "During our busy times of the year," said clinical social worker Joan Zald of Counseling Services, "we take all the patients initally but on return visits we're forced to put less serious cases on waiting lists." THE PROFESSIONAL Counseling Services staff primarily handles serious emergencies, while simpler cases, such as depression, are usually turned over to the volunteers at GUIDE, a free consultation service manned by students. The 76-GUIDE phone number is widely publicized as a counseling ser- vice for students, but a lack of volun- teers has forced the service to close for the summer. Callers are greeted by a recording referring them to other men- Stop counselir tal health services. While free services are available to students seeking immediate care, very little free help is available beyond the initial consultation. "OUR SERVICE is only the front line," said Zald. "It's our job to help the students get to those that can help them." Counseling Services refers students with serious problems such as drug abuse or suicidal tendencies to professional services for which studen- ts must foot the bill. The University's Counseling Center on Huron Street offers a free con- sultation and then charges an hourly fee for, testing and treatment by graduate clinical psychology students. Health Services also offers coun- seling for a fee after the free first session, and they only treat suicidal students. "WE CAN fix a person's medical problems, but then we must decide if its safe for them to go home. Many times we're forced to send a patient to other clinics," said social worker Jay Callahan of Health Services. Several professional off-campus ser- vices are also available for a fee, but many students who seek psychiatric help often need little more than the sympathetic ear offered by volunteers. But volunteers are sometimes hard to find, so the SOS Community Crisis Cen- ter in Ypsilanti holds three volunteer recruiting drives each year. Volunteers at SOS must undergo 65 hours of training before working the phones. "We look for caring, non- judgemental attitudes in our volun- teers," said SOS Director Maureen Wilkes. "Basically we look for open- minded people who want to help." g cuts, says review panel (Continued from Page 3) According to the study, less than 10 percent of counseling funding is chan- neled into areas toward helping studen- ts with severe problems. ONE SUCH service is 76-GUIDE, a crisis line, which was forced to cut its 24-hour service back to 5 p.m. to 10 a.m. in 1981, and shuts down completely in the summer. Marsden said that the psychology clinic in the Counseling Service is a "last chance" - helping people with severe emotional problems. He said that his office occasionally has to shut the doors on people who need help because the staff is overbooked and there is no time to schedule more patients. "It is clear that there are people with severe problems that need help that aren't getting it," he said. * BUT NOT everyone agrees that the money for severely disabled students is inadequate. Johnson said that if the allocations were different than the report showed, "I'd be scared." He said that most students who come to the University do not normally need extensive help, so the small percentage of funds given to areas in which more highly trained counselors requiring higher pay are needed is adequate. THE SECOND recommendation of the task force, to have an ongoing commit- tee to review all counseling programs, is a first step toward assessing the quality of services students receive - something not analyzed in the review. "We need to watch between what is needed and what is where," Marsden said. Dr. Charles Judge, Director of Academic Services in LSA said that in academic counseling, the demand out- weighs the availability of services, especially during class registration. He also attributes the problem to the budget cuts throughout the University, not nly to counseling service fund reductions. "With less money all over, more problems fall on us," he said. One example is that classes close faster with fewer faculty members teaching, so students now go to academic counseling with this problem. "A fair amount of that could be streamlined," perhaps using a com- puter system to tell a student if, for example, their distribution requirements have been met, Marsden said. Then, more money could be chan- neled into counseling for students who need it more, he said. The review, which was started in 1982 and completed in February of this year, has gone back for some "further defining of the recommendations," Johnson said, and if the recommen- dations are valid to Johnson andmFrye, a new committee will be appointed to implement them "as soon as possible," Johnson said. On Guard Associated Press President Reagan rubs elbows with the Coldstream Guards as he watches a guard of honor yesterday at Kensington Palace Gardens shortly after his arrival in London. Reagan plans to attend the seven-nation economic sum- mit which begins Thursday. Protestors chant at. Reagan policy speech (continued fromPage4) Moscow to reduce or eliminate such about 5,000 protesters, shouted "Ron- weapons on both sides. nie, Ronnie, out, out, out." "We need to have the Soviets return But in the first reaction from to the bargaining table," he said. Moscow, a commentator for the Soviet "I BELIEVE we must not be news agency Novosti dismissed satisfied, and we dare not rest, until the Reagan's remarks, saying the day we have banished these terrible American president "has again showed weapons of war from the face of the himself to be a master of speaking earth forever." much, but saying little." Reagan's address was interrupted ThuhUSofialacnwegdt briefly by the walkout of three of the 166 Ths oghaU.S.offeiiciatowedgteyi Irish lawmakers. Twenty other mem- was not a major new initiative, they hers beycotted the speech and outside said it was a change. DO YOU?0 * Enjoy taking photographs? " Have experience printing pictures? " Want to earn up to $175.00 a month? The Michigan Ensian, U-M's all-campus yearbook, is hiring a darkroom technician for the 1984-85 school year. Apply at the Student Publications Bldg. or call 764-0550 for more information.