The University of Arizona will begin offering counseling and psych services at no cost to students on July 1, ending the $25 per-session charge that had applied to individual counseling. Students on the Student Health Insurance Plan had been paying a $20 copay, while others used insurance or paid the fee out of pocket.
The change at Campus Health is meant to remove financial barriers and widen access to mental health care, the university said. It comes after students had long asked for more accessible support, and university leaders cast the move as more than a billing change: Aaron Barnes called it an exciting and meaningful milestone for the campus, saying students are more likely to seek help early when cost is no longer a barrier and that the policy strengthens the university’s ability to support them academically and personally.
Campus Health’s Counseling and Psych Services, known as CAPS, already accepted student health insurance, and financial assistance had been available for students who needed it before the new policy. Assistance funding will continue to help offset counseling costs until July 1, but the free service applies only to counseling and psych services. Psychiatry services, the ADHD Clinic and the Intensive Outpatient Program will still charge fees.
Adriana Grijalva said students had been asking for accessible mental health care and that mental health care should be accessible to everyone. Mourad Abdennebi called the change a win for students and for the university as a whole, saying a campus is stronger and better positioned to succeed when students feel supported. Amanda Kraus said investing in accessible mental health services is an investment in the future of students and the community.
The immediate significance is simple: on July 1, cost will no longer be the reason a student walks away from counseling at Uofa. The harder question now is whether removing the fee will be enough to bring more students in early, before their problems deepen.
