Foundation Prioritizes LSMSA Community’s Mental Health in COVID-19 Disruption

New software and telehealth counceling accreditation help provide necessary student support. 
When LSMSA students, faculty and staff were forced to leave campus mid-March, everyone expected the stay-at-home order to be temporary -- two to four weeks, max. So when school administration had to make the tough but necessary decision to shift to distance learning through mid-April then close out the semester early, students’ well-being was top of mind.

“We were doing all we could to keep students and faculty healthy physically by complying with the stay at home order,” said LSMSA Executive Director Steve Horton. “The next step was making sure we offered those invaluable mental health services, too.”

LSMSA personal counselors Erin King, M.A, NCC, PLPC and Kim Cain, M.A., NCC, LPC had a user-friendly telehealth platform in mind as soon as the state’s Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC) Board of Examiners rescinded telehealth restrictions for mental health services and allowed counselors to meet with clients virtually.

Through the generosity of donors, the LSMSA Foundation quickly acquired necessary software to allow students, faculty and staff to continue meeting with the school’s personal counselors around the same time online classes resumed. And although the LPC did not require it, King and Cain each took a 12.5-hour course for telehealth counseling accreditation, ensuring that they can continue virtual teletherapy counseling in the fall, if needed. 

“Going home with no definite return date was stressful for the LSMSA community,” said King. “In not knowing when we’d return to campus this semester, Kim and I wanted to provide mental health support for our students as they were leaving the familiarity of campus -- classes, dorms, friends – and returning home where mental health support may not be readily available or accessible.”

Because of the generosity of donors, the ability to purchase the telehealth platform wasn’t an issue. The LSMSA Foundation quickly acquired necessary software to allow students, faculty and staff to continue meeting with the school’s personal counselors around the same time online classes resumed. And although the LPC board did not require it, King and Cain each took a 12.5-hour course for telehealth counseling accreditation, ensuring that they can continue virtual teletherapy counseling in the fall, if needed.

“Habits and coping skills that we build can bring a sense of normalcy during crisis. That’s why offering seamless counseling services was so important,” said King. “Because donors believe in LSMSA and give to the school, we were able to provide students with the option of continuing to meet for counseling sessions as a way of supporting their mental health during a critical time.”
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