KINGSVILLE (February 5, 2024) — The more than 153,000 students in Texas A&M University System schools now have access to TELUS Health Student Support, a free, confidential mental health care app.
TELUS Health Student Support gives students 24/7 access to mental health help via telephone or chat. Students can also make counseling appointments for short-term support via telephone or video.
“Studies show that about 75 percent of students who are struggling with depression or anxiety are reluctant to get help,” said Dr. James Hallmark, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs for the 11 universities in the A&M System. “We hope this app makes it easier for students to take the first step.”
“Texas A&M-Kingsville’s partnership with TELUS, when added with other programs we already have, will ensure that we create an infrastructure on our campus that supports our students’ mental health in a comprehensive way,” said Dr. Robert H. Vela Jr., university president. "College students are grappling with unprecedented levels of anxiety and depression, and we are duty-bound to provide every possible resource to our students to help them. TELUS provides valuable support at students' fingertips, 24/7. We want our students to know that while they may be struggling, they are not alone.”
TELUS, which is available in Android or iOS, is not only available when students need it, it’s also accessible where ever they are. The app can be installed and set up in just a few short steps and allows students to connect with a professional counselor any time they want.
Through the app, students can talk to a counselor via text chat or phone call, with services available in multiple languages including Spanish, French, Mandarin and Cantonese. Other languages may be available by request. Students can even schedule a limited number of repeat sessions with the same counselor if needed.
Other features include an educational media library covering a variety of mental health-related topics, anonymous assessments for conditions like depression, anxiety and drug use, and even access to guided meditations and fitness sessions.
Hallmark thanked Chancellor John Sharp and the A&M System Regents for investing in the new mental health care benefits.
“Mental health is key to student success,” Hallmark said. “College can be stressful, it’s a transformative experience, after all, but students today are more willing than ever to seek the help they need and we are very glad to be able to be offering it to them.”
For more information, contact your campus University Health Services.
About The Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $7.8 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, a comprehensive health science center, eight state agencies, and the RELLIS Campus, the Texas A&M System educates more than 153,000 students and makes more than 23 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceed $1 billion and help drive the state’s economy.
Contact: Laylan Copelin
Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications
(979) 458-6425
(512) 289-2782 cell
lcopelin@tamus.edu
