Law School Changes The Way Its Mental-Health Services Are Offered

What changes are being made at Florida Coastal?

Depressed woman with head in handsEd. note: In an earlier version of this post, the format of Florida Coastal’s mental-health services offerings was incorrectly reported. In fact, Florida Coastal will continue to offer mental-health services through an independent counselor on an as-needed basis. Click here for more information on the change.

Everything that has to do with law school is an incredibly stressful endeavor. From studying for finals to studying for the bar exam to waiting for bar exam results to waiting for a job offer to figuring out how to lead life while shouldering up to six figures of student debt, law students and graduates have a tough row to hoe. Thankfully, most law students and graduates are able to take advantage of their school’s counseling services should they need a professional outlet to listen to their woes and guide them through their times of despair. Sometimes these situations become so desperate that a law student’s or graduate’s ability to get in touch with someone at their counseling services center can mean the difference between life and death.

Yesterday afternoon, students at the Florida Coastal School of Law received an email from Dr. James Artley, the school’s assistant dean of student affairs, breaking the news to them the format of their counseling services would be changing. The school is smaller now because in preparation to become a non-profit, administrators are being more selective when admitting students, so Florida Coastal is “adjust[ing] [its] resources to fit [its] class size.” Here’s more information from the email (click to enlarge):

Florida Coastal Mental Health Email

For the sake of Florida Coastal’s students and graduates, we hope the school’s independent contractor mental-health services provider is willing to be on-call during finals and the bar exam.

UPDATE (05/24/17): This post has been significantly revised to reflect more accurate reporting. The headline and excerpt have been changed. For more details on Florida Coastal’s new counseling services format, please click here.

Most colleges and universities have counseling and psychological services resources that students can turn to if they are in crisis or would like counseling, even after hours. If these services are not available at your school, and if you’re depressed and in need help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) or a lawyer assistance program in your state. Remember that you are loved, so please reach out if you need assistance, before it’s too late. Don’t become a statistic.

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Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. She’d love to hear from you, so feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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