Over 800 Bellevue College (BC) students responded to the Healthy Minds Survey that was emailed to students in January. Between spring and summer quarter, the results were emailed to students.
The Survey is very popular among colleges, having been used at over 450 colleges and universities since it was launched. Some of the most highly esteemed colleges in the country — including Dartmouth, Stanford and the University of Chicago — participated in this survey in 2021–2022.
The most recent survey at BC found that over 82% of students reported that they “needed help for emotional or mental health problems or challenges.” Like the email with the survey results said, “it’s completely normal to feel a range of emotions.” We all struggle sometimes.
Eighty-six percent of students responded that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the “respect and consideration for my cultural/racial background” in the therapy or counseling at BC. The vision for the Counseling Center is to be committed “to advocacy, social justice, and service to all students, including those who have been historically underrepresented and underserved.”
There was also a majority of students, 87%, that believed that the Counseling Center respected privacy concerns. With a few exceptions, counselors are usually not allowed to share anything said during an appointment with a client.
Eighty-five percent of students disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement “I would think less of a person who had received mental health treatment.” This suggests that talking about mental health is becoming more accepted and normalized.
However, the results were more varied with the statement “Most people think less of a person who has received mental health treatment.” Forty percent of students disagreed or strongly disagreed, but 19% only somewhat disagreed and 11% agreed. This shows a belief that some individuals on campus believe others do not think highly of people who have had mental health treatment. Others show that they are uncertain by somewhat disagreeing.
The Bellevue College Counseling Center is still open during the summer, both in-person and online. Keep in mind that there is a high demand for the counselors, so it’s probably better to get on the waitlist sooner than later. You can schedule an appointment here.
The counselors can speak Mandarin, Spanish and Vietnamese, respectively. They can also help you find a counselor who speaks your language if it isn’t English or one of the three mentioned.
