How Telehealth Services Support Graduate and Professional Students
If you’re a graduate or professional student, you’re probably balancing work, family, and school obligations, while also taking care of your personal and mental health. Understandably, it can be overwhelming to manage all these different aspects of your life. Assistance is within reach!
Azusa Pacific University’s telehealth services can help you stay on track. APU Telehealth is a free resource that provides around-the-clock access to vital resources, such as mental health support, counseling, medical visits, and health coaching. The offering gives students a direct line to a team of board-certified or board-eligible clinicians for medical support, as well as licensed counselors and behavioral health specialists for mental health support.
“These high-quality, student-focused providers can be available anytime, anywhere,” said Matt Browning, EdD, director of Graduate and Professional Student Engagement at APU. “I can’t encourage students enough to sign up for APU Telehealth. The peace of mind of being able to gain access to care in such an easy way can be so helpful.”
Lori Lacy, PsyD, director of APU’s University Counseling Center, echoed Browning in noting that APU Telehealth can have a significant impact not only on students’ health but also on their happiness. “As graduate and professional students navigate multiple roles, they may experience ‘role strain’ where they feel they are not able to perform well in any of the responsibilities or roles they hold, as they are pulled in too many directions,” she said. “Counseling can be incredibly helpful in supporting students as they navigate their unique challenges in this season of life.”
All currently enrolled APU graduate and professional students have access to APU Telehealth. By taking the time to talk through these challenges and pressures, students can:
- Prioritize their commitments
- Implement self-care
- Reduce role strain
- Perform better academically and occupationally
TalkNow Connects You with Care Right Away
A key benefit of APU Telehealth is TalkNow, a service that offers immediate access to a mental health professional at any time. With TalkNow, you can connect with support when you’re feeling distressed or overwhelmed, from the comfort and privacy of your own home.
“TalkNow is available 24/7 at no cost to give students the tools to address any mental health symptoms or situation,” Browning explained. “Providers can discuss stress, anxiety, loneliness, depression, anger, relationship issues, and much more.”
Scheduled Counseling Provides Ongoing Support
APU Telehealth also offers Scheduled Counseling, where you can schedule a session with a counselor of your choice at a time that works for you.
“Finding ways to feel supported with the many roles they hold is incredibly important in a season where students feel demands from multiple places,” Lacy noted. “Scheduled Counseling offers services on weekdays, nights, and weekends to better accommodate a graduate and professional student’s unique scheduling needs.”
Medical Care Helps Treat Common Conditions
APU Telehealth has licensed, board-certified doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who can diagnose many common medical conditions virtually and recommend a treatment plan. You can even reach out to APU Telehealth for problems such as colds, sinus infections, bladder infections, pink eye, yeast infections, and more. The healthcare professionals can provide prescriptions, when appropriate.
Health Coaching Improves Your Wellness
With the Health Coaching component of APU Telehealth services, you can schedule free virtual visits with a nutrition specialist. These visits can help you stay on track with your nutrition, exercise, stress management, and weight loss.
Take Care of Yourself So You Can Thrive
Caring for your physical, emotional, and relational health is crucial for your success in school. “When our basic needs of health and connection to others are met, we are then better able to focus on additional areas that need our attention, such as school and internships,” Lacy said.
Easy, free access to excellent health care can make a difference. “Our graduate and professional students are so busy with school and family and work, so it makes sense that we would want to help them have easy access to medical and behavioral health care,” Browning said.
Are you ready to connect with APU Telehealth and take advantage of its free services to support your health? The Office of Graduate and Professional Student Engagement and the University Counseling Center are committed to students’ whole-person development, and the services from APU Telehealth are an essential part of this vision. Connect with support today.
Posted: February 23, 2021