As a kid, I was depressed, and have since continued to be depressed. I thought that coming to DePaul would fix everything. I’ve been in and out of therapy, treatment centers and hospitals since I was in middle school. But out of all the horrific experiences with treatment, the University Counseling Services (UCS) at DePaul has treated me the worst.

If I had done more research into the practices of mental health care at DePaul, I simply wouldn’t have applied.. I’m paying to go to DePaul not only for the academics, but also to feel safe. UCS does not make me feel safe, it makes me feel like I’m being swept under a rug, that the institution put in place to help me doesn’t want to. I would argue that keeping UCS as it is would be the same as not having it at all.

My first quarter at DePaul was ruthless. I was horribly depressed, unwilling to get out of bed at times. I did my schoolwork and then oftentimes perished in the immense pain, like a gaping hole in my chest. Winter quarter was the same. The first two weeks being trapped in my tiny dorm room began to make me feel like I was in jail for a crime I did not commit. I had no one at that point. I reached out to UCS, asked them what they had available for counseling. They pointed me towards My SSP.

I’ve used My SSP probably five times, and each time, they offered me no real help. It’s always runaround answers and resources. When I speak to them, it feels like my words are getting put into Google translate and regurgitated out in a language the person on the other line doesn’t understand. Whenever I communicate with My SSP, I leave feeling the same, if not worse. No real help has been administered, just short-term solutions to a long-term problem. There was an incident that happened, and my roommate was worried for my safety. I went to treatment and left feeling so utterly disappointed, that the system has let me fall through the cracks. After this incident, the Dean of Students reached out and offered me more help than UCS ever has.

I’m upset and frustrated that DePaul is not trying to catch up with these other policies. I don’t want to be sent to a call center when I’m feeling low, talking to someone who doesn’t know me at all or the institution I’m at. Talking to someone who just knows my name, phone number, and school on a screen is not helping me. It’s not helping anyone.

I want change for this school, but I can’t be the only one. Everyone who has ever talked to My SSP or UCS has said horrific things about them, and it needs to stop. This is not healthy for anyone, and especially not productive.