College can be a difficult time for many students–adjusting to new classes, meeting new people, and living in a new place all make for a hard transition. Even harder, is finding the courage to talk about their struggles.

But these students are not alone–the Bob Smith Health Center on the SMU campus provides counseling services that many students aren’t aware of. Griffin Sharp, Assistant Director of Health Promotion at SMU, explains how the Counseling Center helps students adjust to the crazy world of college.

“The counseling services center offers a lot of different services for students,” Sharp says. “Primarily, they offer individual counseling sessions so students can come in and receive personal, one-on-one counseling with one of our licensed, professional counselors.”

The Counseling Center also encourages students to use WellTrack–a free self-care app that launched one month ago. Students who don’t have time for an in-person appointment can use the app to assess their mood, stress levels, and mental health.

“So students can utilize that to take a mental health assessment, see if they actually even need to come in for counseling, daily mood checks, it includes a lot of stress management,” Sharp says.

The app is giving students the results they need. According to a study conducted by the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, counseling services have a positive effect on college students’ academic performance.

“Students experience a lot of help and academic success following a session or following therapy,” Sharp says.

Adjusting to college or coping with stress can be a lot to handle on your own–the SMU Counseling Center is there to help.