CECH welcomes second embedded mental health counselor to support student success

College can be an exciting time for students — a chance to explore interests, engage with different communities and learn about the world around them. But with that same excitement comes added or increased expectations and pressures of an unfamiliar university experience. 

The College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services, and Information Technology (CECH)’s addition of a second embedded mental health counselor reflects UC’s broad commitment to providing valuable mental health and wellness services to the Bearcat community. 

CECH recently welcomed Nyla Morgan, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor III (LDC III), to join Madeleine Muller in offering critical mental health services to CECH’s student population. With the hiring, CECH becomes the first college in the university to employ multiple embedded mental health counselors. Located in Teacher-Dyers Complex, Morgan and Muller provide CECH students with accessible and personalized support to help them during their college journey.

After working in community mental health for the past eight years, Morgan was drawn to UC because of the university’s vibrant and collaborative environment. She eagerly accepted the offer to join UC’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) as part of the embedded counselor team.

Morgan is part of the CECH Student Success team and is in the Student Services Center (TDC 360). Students can schedule an appointment via the CAPS online scheduler.   

“I hope to be a positive face for students,” Morgan says. “I hope that they feel supported by the services we offer, and that I, along with the other embedded clinicians here, can be the face of people who can be trusted — people who can help them receive support and develop skills to navigate the various stressors they face while in college.” 

CAPS offers a wide range of services designed to meet the individual needs of students. These include crisis support, services, rapid access counseling, case management support, individual therapy and group therapy. Morgan, Muller and the other CAPS counselors are experienced in working with a variety of concerns, and they will develop strategies and collaborate with students to help them reach their goals. 

“Life is hard — that’s a fact — but I can teach skills to help people navigate that,” Morgan says. 

CAPS’ presence and engagement go beyond the Clifton campus and to the vast UC community. Through mental health programming, outreach and consultations, CAPS works to increase awareness, reduce stigma and remove barriers surrounding mental health services. 

“Our services — both individual and group sessions — are free, which is so, so nice,” Morgan explains. “I always tell students to take advantage of that because out in the community, especially after graduation, therapy can come at a pretty hefty cost.”

To further improve access to care, CAPS emphasizes digital tools such as the Therapy Assistance Online (TAO) app – a free interactive tool to help manage stress, depression and anxiety. UC’s Reach Out App is another resource focused on suicide prevention, crisis hotline numbers and wellbeing resources for students, staff, parents and friends.  For UC’s online student population, TimelyCare provides additional mental health support. These mobile self-help programs expand CAPS’ reach and help to make resources more accessible for all Bearcats. 

“We also just rolled out online scheduling where you can go online and book with a therapist of your choice,” Morgan says. “The time slots available are limited, but there are options there.”

Morgan, Muller, and the rest of the CAPS team are dedicated to helping students make the most available resources, address their needs, and achieve their mental health goals – both during college and after graduation. 

“I see a lot of students come in feeling hopeless, and after a session or two, they’ll say, 'That really helped.' A lot of the time, I’m not even doing all the work — they talk themselves into finding their own solutions,” she says. “I like to think of therapists as people who sell hope. But the client or student — they’re the ones doing most of the work, even if they don’t realize it.”

Embedded CAPS counselors allow UC to prioritize the well-being of all Bearcats, and CECH’s two embedded mental health counselors are proof of the college’s commitment to its students.

Featured image at top: Nyla Morgan. Photo/Provided