UWill hotline comes to Cedarville University 

By Avonlea Brown

This fall semester, Cedarville University Counseling Services launched the UWill mental health hotline, UHelp, a new resource to provide instant care for students on and off campus.

UWill Mental Health and Wellness is a company focused on providing, as mentioned on their website, “immediate mental health and wellness support eliminating all barriers to care.” Founded in 2020, UWill aids students, teachers and licensed professionals in assessing and treating mental health concerns. The crisis connection number is 833-646-1526.

Director of Counseling Services Josh Krieg came across UWill when they acquired Christie Campus Health, a mental health service for college campuses. Krieg began researching different services when he noticed a need for more rapidly available help for students at all times, a service the Cedarville Counseling Center cannot provide. 

“I often tell people we are a counseling center, which means we meet with people, we build a treatment plan and then we work that treatment plan,” Krieg said. “We’re not a crisis center, and if we told people we were, we would be horrible at our jobs.”

Mental health crises happen regardless of business hours, which Krieg knew needed to be addressed. UWill laid out the answer. 

The UHelp hotline is available “24/7/365” for students experiencing any mental health crisis. Once the student dials the number, they are connected to a licensed professional within 30 seconds. A certified crisis specialist assesses the student and begins providing support depending on the situation. 

The care continues even after the student is out of the crisis. UWill keeps students in their system and calls back 48 hours after their initial call, and another follow-up call happens 30 days later. 

UWill also provides notes to the licensed professionals at Cedarville University for follow-up if the student needs lasting care. Students also have the option to remain anonymous by not giving their names when the crisis specialist asks over the first call. 

The arrival of UWill on Cedarville’s campus is largely possible due to a grant given to Krieg and the Counseling Center. The Mental Health Supporting Fund, provided by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, was signed in January of this year. During the two years he has access to the money, Krieg plans to develop the Counseling Center at Cedarville to serve students more effectively. 

“I recognize that sometimes there’s this idea, this myth, that maybe we[Cedarville University] approach things from a different level, but it’s not true,” Krieg said. “We want to meet students where they are. I really believe that it’s a privilege to be drawn into, to be allowed into, the student story.”

Avonlea Brown is a senior Broadcasting, Digital Media, and Journalism major and editor of Campus News for Cedars. She likes reading, traveling, and learning new things.

Photo by Scott Huck