U. of Michigan Offers Election Stress Counseling to Students

The University of Michigan announced this week that it is offering specialized counseling services to students that are experiencing stress as a result of Tuesday’s presidential election. Both students and faculty will have access this week to extensive counseling resources through the university. Despite the university’s messaging, students claim that they have to wait nearly a month before they can be seen by a campus therapist.

According to a student newspaper report, the University of Michigan is offering a host of counseling services to students around Tuesday’s presidential election. The university has created a Campus Climate Support group that will work with students to promote healthy discourse on campus over the next few weeks.

The report cites a study that claims that over two-thirds of American adults have claimed that the election has been a “significant” source of their stress. Approximately one-half of adults polled in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election also said that the election had caused them significant stress.

Stress over the results of the election combined with ongoing issues like the COVID-19 pandemic and systemic racism have students on campus concerned as Tuesday nears. More than two-thirds of adults have reported the election being a significant source of stress in their lives, an increase from just over half of adults polled in 2016, according to a study from the American Psychological Association.

Despite the initiatives and the institution’s $12.4 billion endowment, students frequently criticize the counseling services at the university over its various inadequacies. The report claims that the next available appointment with a campus therapist is nearly a month away. For this reason, some students have even been forced to create their own resources to address their mental health issues.

University of Michigan spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald said that students have already reported that the election has caused them “high levels of anxiety.”

“Election cycles by their nature can be very stressful times,” Fitzgerald said in a comment. “A fiercely contested presidential election during a pandemic, when some have questioned the democratic process itself, is creating high levels of anxiety for many members of our community.”

Stay tuned to Breitbart News for more campus updates.