On Feb. 28, Student Counseling Services (SCS) announced via email a new telehealth platform for Augustana students. The provider, UpLift, is similar to TimelyCare and connects students with mental health professionals online. 

UpLift is available for all students through their Augustana account and operates through students’ insurance. Users may also pay for sessions out of pocket or upfront. 

Director of SCS Bill Iavarone said the new platform offers access to long-term and psychiatric care, both of which are currently not offered on campus. SCS allows up to six free counseling sessions for students, he said, and students can apply through the Office of Disability Services (ODS) to receive academic accommodations for mental health concerns. 

“About a majority of mental health disorders occur between 20 and 25,” Iavarone said. “A lot of students come to college, and they start to notice these changes.” 

Through UpLift, Iavarone said students can better qualify for these accommodations based on a therapist’s referral. The online platform features three Illinois-based psychiatrists and around a thousand virtual mental health providers, he said.

Assistant Dean and Director of Student Well Being and Resiliency Farrah Roberts said many students in need of psychiatric care experience months-long wait times in search of help within the local community, one of the problems she hopes UpLift can help relieve. 

“Sometimes getting a diagnosis is the key to opening up a lot of doors and also healing,” Roberts said. “We can’t do anything about things that we don’t have a definition for.”

To find help, students must first answer a short mental health questionnaire. Then, UpLift will connect individuals with services and care based on the survey’s results, she said. 

UpLift also recently acquired Therapeutic Assistance Online (TAO), an online mental health resource platform with interactive modules that Roberts said was developed by the therapeutic community. TAO’s videos provide students with additional support, Roberts said, regarding topics such as healthy relationships and the importance of sleep. 

“If we find that a student has no interest in ever stepping foot into a counseling office, but wants to get mental health care, we want to have different ways for them to be able to get that,” Roberts said.

Junior Madi Greenwood serves as president of The Gray Matters Collective chapter, a nonprofit organization that has been advocating for mental health on campus since 2019. Greenwood said she believes UpLift will be particularly helpful to students who may be afraid to reach out to resources on campus or within SCS. 

However, Greenwood said one potential problem she foresees with the new telehealth application is the need for insurance, which may be a barrier for some students. 

“One thing we consistently see is that many people need mental health care, but it’s not accessible for insurance reasons or other cost reasons,” Greenwood said. 

UpLift lists all accepted insurance types on their website. However, Iavarone said the platform does not yet accept Meridian, the Illinois Medicaid, and is working on resolving this issue.

While this does worry Greenwood, she said she hopes UpLift will serve as a valuable resource to students even off-campus, with care available year-round despite college breaks or summer closings. As a student, Greenwood said she understands the fear or hesitation in reaching out for help but encourages all students to take their first step in their own mental health journeys. 

“It doesn’t have to be anything huge, it [starts] in small steps,” Greenwood said. “Any step forward is a step towards progress.”