Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine’s (OUWB) counseling program garnered significant attention at a recent social work conference at the University of Michigan. The Alliance of University and College Counseling Center Social Work Training (AUCCCSWT) held its 6th Annual Summit on June 11-12 in Ann Arbor, with a theme centered on “Leading with Compassion and Empathy: Social Work Values to Embrace in the Ever-Shifting UCCC Environment.”
Among the notable presenters were Janae Kinn and Ashley Watters, OUWB’s dedicated mental health counselors for medical students. Their presentation, “Juggling Two Worlds: Experiences as Embedded Counselors on a College Campus,” highlighted their unique roles and the impact of their work.
“It was good to be in a room of people who understand the job, even if they aren’t doing the same exact thing that we’re doing,” said Kinn.
The AUCCCSWT summit aimed to examine core social work values such as social justice, advocacy, dignity, collaboration, empowerment, and responsibility to broader society. The OUWB counseling program, which has been in place since 2019, perfectly aligned with these values. Kinn has been with the program since its inception, and Watters joined in 2022.
Officially part of Student Affairs, Kinn and Watters are clinically supervised by the director of the Oakland University Counseling Center. They provide individual and group counseling services, participate in wellness programming, and advise the student organization, Mental Health Advocates. Counseling services are available to OUWB students throughout their four years of medical school, including during clerkships, at no cost and without session limits. Privacy is strictly maintained under HIPAA regulations.
Kinn and Watters handle caseloads of about 60 unique students annually, equating to a utilization rate of 20-25% and more than 1,110 counseling sessions. This is notably higher than the national average for student utilization of counseling services.
At the summit, the counselors shared several successes, including strong student trust, decreased stigma around mental health services, improved self-care practices among medical students, and increased overall mental health service provision. They also noted challenges related to the growing demand for their services.
The OUWB embedded counselor program attracted considerable interest at the summit, leaving Kinn and Watters with a sense of validation and pride in their work.
“People think our jobs are really cool,” said Watters. “It’s not very common.”
“It’s really validating to know that you work for a place that understands that this is a population that really needs these resources and provides them,” she added.
Kinn echoed these sentiments, reflecting on the positive impact of their roles.
“To look at our jobs from a different viewpoint felt really refreshing,” she said. “I not only felt pride, but it allowed me to reflect on how much we are doing for students…we are making a difference.”
The success and recognition of OUWB’s mental health counseling program underscore the importance of accessible, empathetic mental health support in educational settings.
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