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Getting Started with Student Mental Health & Counseling · MIT - Conversations with MIT Health

• 0:02
  Nolan Alexander (Host): Welcome to Conversations with MIT Health.
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  I'm Nolan Alexander.
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  And I'm here with Dr.
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  Haleh Rockni, a psychiatrist with Student Mental Health
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  and Counseling at MIT Health.
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  Today, we're talking about getting started with Student Mental Health and Counseling,
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  what services are available, how you can access them, and what students can
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  expect when they reach out for support.
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  Dr.
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  Rockni, thank you so much for joining us.
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  How are you today?
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  Haleh Rokni, MD: I'm good.
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  It's very nice to be here.
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  Host: It's certainly our pleasure, and let's get to it.
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  For a student who's never tried counseling at MIT before,
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  how do they even get started?
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  Haleh Rokni, MD: It's very straightforward.
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  You can just give Student Mental Health and Counseling a call at our main number,
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  or you can request a call back using our web form online, and that's all it takes.
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  Host: Well, for someone interested, I want to go ahead and get that number.
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  What would be the number they could jot down right now?
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  Haleh Rokni, MD: Yeah, it is 617-253-2916.
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  And when somebody calls, they can expect to get a call back either
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  that day or within a day or two.
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  Nolan Alexander (Host): That's excellent.
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  So, somebody's taken the first step forward.
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  They've made that call, and now they're curious about that first
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  appointment, maybe they're anxious.
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  Can you pull the curtain back a little bit?
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  What's that first appointment like?
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  Haleh Rokni, MD: Sure.
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  So, the first appointment we call an intake appointment, and the
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  clinician in that appointment will ask a whole range of questions
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  and gather a range of information.
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  So, what brought the person in, a prior history of mental health
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  issues and treatment, medical history, developmental history.
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  And usually, that first meeting lasts about 50 to 60 minutes.
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  You're certainly talking about what brought you in, but it's mostly a session
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  not to get deep into that question.
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  It's more a history-gathering kind of a meeting.
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  And at the end of that visit, the clinician may recommend some additional
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  sessions to better understand the issues and make a plan for
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  treatment, or they might have some recommendations at the end of that
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  first meeting about treatment options.
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  Host: So fact-finding, it sounds like that first meeting is a
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  lot of answering questions.
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  Haleh Rokni, MD: Yes, that is true.
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  And then, what happens after that is you start to focus more on what
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  brought you in, what you want to work on moving forward, goals, getting
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  support, those sorts of things.
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  Host: Putting myself in a student's shoe, we've all been there before,
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  probably worried about cost.
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  How does cost work?
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  Haleh Rokni, MD: Yeah.
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  The good news is that it's free for MIT students and it's confidential.
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  So, there's really no financial barrier to getting support at the Student
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  Mental Health and Counseling Service.
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  Host: Wow, Dr.
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  Rockni, free and confidential?
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  Haleh Rokni, MD: Yes, absolutely.
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  Host: So what kinds of things do students typically come in for?
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  Haleh Rokni, MD: Reasons very much vary.
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  Often students are stressed.
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  They can be anxious, depressed, dealing with relationship things,
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  with family difficulties, difficulty sleeping, feeling overwhelmed.
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  it's really a whole range of things, and we're really here to consult and
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  to try to understand what's going on and figure out ways to help the
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  student feel better and move forward.
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  Host: That seems like a pretty wide range of topics to come in for.
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  So, students really shouldn't feel hesitant about, "Oh, maybe this doesn't
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  fit when I call in for counseling"?
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  Haleh Rokni, MD: That's absolutely right.
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  We really like students to come in for anything.
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  And if for whatever reason we're not the right place, we can give
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  guidance about what that would be.
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  But we work with students on a whole range of concerns.
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  Host: So if someone's unsure whether they need counseling, that's okay?
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  Haleh Rokni, MD: Absolutely.
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  They can come in and just talk over their concerns and we
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  can help them figure that out.
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  Host: So you've shed light on what an appointment looks like, that first
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  appointment, even the step before that of, of how to make a phone call.
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  So beyond that, are students limited to one-on-one sessions
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  or do other options exist?
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  Haleh Rokni, MD: No, absolutely not.
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  We have a lot of options here.
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  We do have individual counseling.
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  We also have group counseling sessions that are actually quite popular, and
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  we have brief consultations as well.
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  And if somebody needs longer-term care or specialized care, we can
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  help connect them with that as well.
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  Host: Oh, that's interesting.
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  So, why are group sessions popular?
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  Haleh Rokni, MD: You know, we have a lot of different groups here.
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  We have skills-based groups.
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  We have support and therapy groups.
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  And, you know, they're really places for students to learn different kinds of
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  skills and also to give and get support.
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  And the people who facilitate them are lovely.
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  You know, our students really enjoy these group meetings.
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  Host: I also imagine there are times when someone feels a sense of urgency.
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  What happens if someone needs help right away in a dire situation?
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  Haleh Rokni, MD: Yeah.
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  We have help available 24/7 for urgent situations.
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  So, somebody can always call.
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  And outside of hours, the phone will kind of direct you about
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  who the appropriate person is.
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  But somebody could call for an urgent situation even after business hours.
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  Host: That is really reassuring.
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  So, what would you say to someone who's still hesitating?
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  Haleh Rokni, MD: Yeah, I would just say reach out.
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  We are here for people.
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  It doesn't have to be a big thing or intimidating.
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  We're really here to just support people at whatever place they are
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  and to help people not feel alone.
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  Host: Can you please reiterate the benefits of MIT Health for our audience
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  today as far as understanding the unique needs of the MIT community?
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  Haleh Rokni, MD: Here at the Student Mental Health and Counseling Service,
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  we have a lot of providers who are very experienced at counseling and
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  working with students here at MIT.
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  So, we are really able to talk with students to understand various
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  kinds of concerns and experiences.
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  We're very familiar with the dorm life, with fraternities and sororities,
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  with the academic environment.
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  So, we often are really able to provide students at MIT with the support they
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  need in order to really be successful at MIT and to function effectively.
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  Host: Dr.
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  Rockni, thank you so much for spending time with us and helping
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  us become more informed about mental health counseling at MIT.
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  We appreciate your time today.
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  Haleh Rokni, MD: It's my pleasure.
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  Thank you so much.
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  Host: That was Dr.
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  Haleh Rockni, a psychiatrist with Student Mental Health
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  and Counseling at MIT Health.
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  And that concludes this episode of Conversations with MIT Health.
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  Head over to our website at health.mit.edu
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  for more information and to get connected with one of our providers.
• 7:09
  Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review Conversations
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  with MIT Health on Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Spotify, and Pandora.