In an effort to improve access to mental health services for veterans in college, the six four year colleges in Washington would be required to have a counselor on staff who specializes in issues veterans commonly have.
“Those who have given the highest level of service should receive the support and care of their community,” said Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, the bill’s prime sponsor. “Many veterans are on their way to starting new careers and areas of study after their service. They deserve to have the veteran-specific mental health services they need to manage the transition to a happy and successful civilian life.”
The bill also requires the veterans counselors to coordinate with the veterans service center and other outreach centers to find veterans who need the services and make sure they get them.
Some veterans may not seek out help due to the obstacles they face to get to it, Wilson said. Although many mental health and counseling services are offered to veterans, they are scattered through different providers.
Universities and colleges offer counselling services to all students. But veterans may have different issues requiring specialists.
“What we are hoping to do is get these counselors in there to deal with those issues,” Wilson said. “There are services out there, it is getting them to it.”
Having counselors who specialize in veterans issues such as PTSD treatment would help veteran students and non-veteran students, said Natalie Shanke, the assistant director of student care and community standards. Although Clark College is not a state college and would not be affected by the proposed legislation, it offers counseling services and has a sizeable veteran population.
“I think veterans are people coming back to college or going to college after they’ve had considerable life experience,” Shanke said. “The more support we can give our special populations the better.”
Wilson was approached by two college students, one from Central Washington University and the other from the University of Washington, who were concerned about the services offered to veterans on campus.
