Let’s Talk History and Philosophy
History and Philosophy of Program
Let’s Talk is an outreach program designed to engage students by providing informal walk-in conversations with clinician at sites outside of the counseling center across campus.
Let’s Talk was developed in 2006 at Cornell University to reach students in distress who might be unlikely to seek traditional mental health services. Currently, over 50 other counseling centers are engaging in Let’s Talk programming.
This service is called “informal conversations” and is different from formal counseling. One difference relates to its accessibility. There is no paperwork to fill out (other than short informed consent), no formal intake, no appointments, and no fees. All conversations occur outside of the counseling center in buildings where students, who may be less likely to attend traditional counseling, visit for other services. Students are encouraged to drop by and talk about whatever is important to them, much as they might talk with a TA, residence hall director, or academic adviser. Students are also allowed to meet anonymously if they prefer and meetings have no set time length.
Another difference is the goal of a Let’s Talk conversation. The goal of a conversation, and the primary goal of Let’s Talk in general, is engagement. The clinician listens, empathizes, problem-solves, provides mental health and general health information, conducts informal needs assessments, offers advocacy and referrals, and—most importantly—plants the seeds of a relationship to facilitate the student seeking additional help if necessary. It is akin to the kind of pre-counseling conversation one might have with a student after giving an outreach presentation on campus. As such, it is not considered a “clinical” service.
A number of students are served by a one-time conversation. Others benefit from intermittent, as-needed visits. Some may be referred to CAPS for treatment following a brief assessment. Having made a positive, informal first contact with a clinician is usually sufficient to mitigate any lingering barriers to accessing mental health services at CAPS.
Though Let’s Talk is designed to be a short-term intervention, occasionally a student may visit more than once or twice when barriers are robust. For example, some students need more help than one visit can provide but find accessing services at CAPS very uncomfortable. They may need multiple visits at Let’s Talk to be ready to accept a referral. However, Let’s Talk is not a substitute for regular counseling and should not be treated as such.
Though the primary mission of Let’s Talk is to reach students who do not conventionally seek mental health services, many other students come simply because of the convenience and immediacy. A Let’s Talk consultation can often head off a crisis before it happens, facilitate a quick referral to CAPS, and, in many cases, prevent the unnecessary use of CAPS intakes for students who need a simple, brief intervention.
The Let’s Talk program at the University of Georgia is modeled on the “Let’s Talk” program at Cornell University and the University of Kentucky. We feel gratitude to our colleagues at Cornell for the name, idea, access to their materials and for sharing their expertise and experience.
Let’s Talk is an outreach program designed to engage students by providing informal walk-in conversations with clinician at sites outside of the counseling center across campus.
Let’s Talk was developed in 2006 at Cornell University to reach students in distress who might be unlikely to seek traditional mental health services. Currently, over 50 other counseling centers are engaging in Let’s Talk programming.
This service is called “informal conversations” and is different from formal counseling. One difference relates to its accessibility. There is no paperwork to fill out (other than short informed consent), no formal intake, no appointments, and no fees. All conversations occur outside of the counseling center in buildings where students, who may be less likely to attend traditional counseling, visit for other services. Students are encouraged to drop by and talk about whatever is important to them, much as they might talk with a TA, residence hall director, or academic adviser. Students are also allowed to meet anonymously if they prefer and meetings have no set time length.
Another difference is the goal of a Let’s Talk conversation. The goal of a conversation, and the primary goal of Let’s Talk in general, is engagement. The clinician listens, empathizes, problem-solves, provides mental health and general health information, conducts informal needs assessments, offers advocacy and referrals, and—most importantly—plants the seeds of a relationship to facilitate the student seeking additional help if necessary. It is akin to the kind of pre-counseling conversation one might have with a student after giving an outreach presentation on campus. As such, it is not considered a “clinical” service.
A number of students are served by a one-time conversation. Others benefit from intermittent, as-needed visits. Some may be referred to CAPS for treatment following a brief assessment. Having made a positive, informal first contact with a clinician is usually sufficient to mitigate any lingering barriers to accessing mental health services at CAPS.
Though Let’s Talk is designed to be a short-term intervention, occasionally a student may visit more than once or twice when barriers are robust. For example, some students need more help than one visit can provide but find accessing services at CAPS very uncomfortable. They may need multiple visits at Let’s Talk to be ready to accept a referral. However, Let’s Talk is not a substitute for regular counseling and should not be treated as such.
Though the primary mission of Let’s Talk is to reach students who do not conventionally seek mental health services, many other students come simply because of the convenience and immediacy. A Let’s Talk consultation can often head off a crisis before it happens, facilitate a quick referral to CAPS, and, in many cases, prevent the unnecessary use of CAPS intakes for students who need a simple, brief intervention.
The Let’s Talk program at the University of Georgia is modeled on the “Let’s Talk” program at Cornell University and the University of Kentucky. We feel gratitude to our colleagues at Cornell for the name, idea, access to their materials and for sharing their expertise and experience.