Free online mental health portal for UTRGV students

TimelyCare coordinates with campus support services

A new UT System initiative called TimelyCare is now available 24/7 to all UTRGV students to provide additional support for their mental health.

Dr. Christopher Albert, director of the UTRGV Counseling Center, said TimelyCare’s services – therapy by appointment, on-demand emotional support, health coaching, and an online peer support community – are free for all enrolled students. This includes not just the general student population, but also online and dual enrollment students, and students of the School of Podiatric Medicine and School of Medicine.

Albert said the new online services through TimelyCare are an addition to the UTRGV Counseling Center’s services. On-campus counselors will continue to provide in-person and online counseling.

“TimelyCare is coordinated with our on-campus services, so we can work together to improve the mental health and wellbeing of our students,” Albert said.

SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES

Albert said that TimelyCare’s “scheduled counseling” option is similar to what a student would experience with an on-campus counselor: students are assigned to a licensed counseling professional who they see recurringly over a number of scheduled sessions.

“The advantage for students would be flexibility of scheduling,” Albert said. “Our center has hours of operation, and students might want to be seen outside of our availability.”

Students can schedule up to nine sessions per year through TimelyCare.

“After this, they could be transferred to the UTRGV Counseling Center to continue treatment through graduation,” he said.

In a time of emotional crisis, such as experiencing suicidal thoughts or a panic attack, students have had the option of calling the 24/7 Vaqueros Crisis Line at (956) 665-5555.  Now, students have the additional option of requesting TimelyCare’s “TalkNow” on-demand support through text, video, or phone call.

“TalkNow is not meant to replace mental health counseling, but a student can receive some mental and emotional support right away from master’s level-trained clinicians,” Albert said. “And students can use this service option even if they are not in an emotional crisis at the time.”

TimelyCare also offers a service, “Health Coaching,” that focuses on helping students with lifestyle behaviors like exercise, sleep and time management, nutrition and stress reduction.

“TalkNow and Health Coaching are team-based care models, so they’re not guaranteed to talk to the same person,” Albert said. “But there is no cap on calls.”

SERVING ALL STUDENTS

TimelyCare’s telehealth services were developed specifically for students of higher education, Albert said.

“They know universities, college culture and common issues students work with,” he said. “And, they have a diverse group of English- and Spanish-speaking counselors representing many different cultures and gender identities.”

International students and student-athletes who often travel outside of Texas can utilize TimelyCare’s online mental health services when the center’s professionals are not able to provide services.

“Licensed counselors must practice in the state in which the student is located, but TimelyCare has counselors across the nation to match with students in other states,” Albert said.

And while TimelyCare’s scheduled counseling is still limited to U.S.-based students, TalkNow and Health Coaching are available from anywhere in the world.

Faculty and staff also have a 24/7 support line for questions about how to help students who come to them with difficult emotional issues.

“We’re really excited about these options,” Albert said. “It gives students greater accessibility and, hopefully, a better outlook.”

Students can register for the service on the TimelyCare website or download the app on the Apple and Google play stores.