I'm a medical student here at MCW and have had numerous experiences establishing care through Student Mental Health Services. Here, I will shed some light on the process.
First, dial the number to student mental health, which is Carolyn Bischel's line. Every time I've called to make an appointment, I've reached Carolyn's confidential voicemail, so don't worry if she doesn't answer. In my experience, she's gotten back to me within 24 hours. In her voicemail, there are several options listed if you are in an emergent situation. If it is during normal business hours, you have an option to be immediately connected to someone, just dial 0. If it's after 5 pm, she provides the number to request the on-call psychiatry physician be paged. If you are just calling to schedule an appointment, you will leave your name, number and a brief message. I usually state that I'm a medical student looking to establish care.
When you hear back, Carolyn will ask several questions to gauge the type of provider you need. Typically, she asks if you are seeking medication management, psychotherapy, or both. If you aren't sure, that's ok! Additionally, she may ask what you are seeking in a provider, such as a provider's style, gender preference, and other information about why you are seeking out mental health services. She uses this information to find a provider that will be a good fit for you.
After she narrows down a provider, she schedules the first intake appointment. In my experience, I've been able to schedule an initial appointment in 1-2 weeks. There are providers that reserve Thursday afternoons strictly for students to accommodate those on clinical rotations. When I haven't been on rotations, I haven't had an issue fitting appointments into my class schedule. Student Mental Health Services does an excellent job of getting students into providers quickly and working with students schedules.
Next step, head to your intake appointment and meet your new provider.
