As the term begins to culminate and we quickly approach exam week, student anxiety is reaching its peak for the semester as is expected of wait times for appointments at Student Counselling Services (SCS) to cope with this stressful time. Last year’s State of College Counseling and Health Services report put together by Trinity College Dublin Student Union (TCDSU ) addressing the long wait times year round identified that historically wait times rise before exams and decline after exams.
As of early November, nearly 1,200 students have accessed SCS services during the 2024–25 academic year, with students typically waiting less than a week after their initial SNAP (Support and Needs Assessment Planning) appointments to be matched with a counsellor. Emergency consultations are available immediately for those in crisis, ensuring urgent needs are met without delay, according to Chuck Rashleigh, who organises statistical reporting SCS.
In 2023-24, students waited an average of about 8.6 days for assessment and 28.8 days for counselling. Previously, average wait times for assessments were 10.8 days in 2019-20, 9.6 days in both 2020-21 and 2022-23, and 10.3 days in 2021-22. For counselling, wait times were significantly longer, averaging 23.5 days in 2019-20, peaking at 41.8 days in 2020-21, followed by 27.9 days in 2021-22 and 24 days in 2022-23.
Shorter Wait Times and New Models
Rashleigh said the improvements were achieved through several measures devised during the summer, including the new “3 sessions & review” model, intended to ensure “equity of access for students in need throughout the entire academic year.” This approach provides students with an initial block of three counselling sessions, with the option to extend in increments based on their progress and needs.
The model does not include emergency sessions or Student Learning Development (SLD) sessions, which may be the most appropriate forms of support during times of academic stress, according to SCS Director Trish Murphy. Counselors are committed to assisting students during peak pressure periods, regardless of the service model in place, she said.
This year, drop-in SNAP appointments (Support and Needs Assessment Planning) were introduced to make SCS support quicker and more accessible. Unlike last year, when SNAPs were only available through online bookings with wait times of up to two to three weeks, students can now walk in on weekday mornings to receive same-day support on a first-come, first-served basis, significantly increasing accessibility. As of early November, the wait times for a SNAP appointment booked online were one to two weeks max and zero working days for a drop-in.
The appointments are limited to two students per day because SCS only has enough resources for one counsellor to work drop-ins each morning. This limited availability may present challenges for the large student body of over 22,000, potentially leaving many students unable to access timely support. However, Rashleigh said both of these SNAPs have been booked most mornings so far, and there have been very few days where more than two students have arrived seeking them.
Students who are in immediate crisis can request an emergency consult every weekday with zero wait time.
“The challenge for all counselling services is ensuring there is capacity to serve clients throughout the year, especially during peak demand times,” Murphy said.
Other College counselling centres face similar challenges. University College Dublin’s (UCD) SCS Information Sheet states students may have to wait “a number of weeks” for an initial counselling appointment. Similarly, University College Cork’s (UCC) Counselling and Development website says it may take two to three weeks on average before an appointment is available.
This is reflective of a nationwide dilemma, with 44% of people in Ireland encountering one or more issues accessing mental health services in comparison to an EU average of 25%, according to a Eurobarometer poll.
Staffing Challenges
With low staffing also a concern in last year’s report, the staffing levels for 2024-25 remain largely the same as the previous year, with 5.17 administrative staff, 2.58 assistant psychologists, 13.82 counsellors, one director, and 3.26 sessional counsellors. However, a reduction of 0.5 in the number of assistant psychologists has occurred, though this is expected to be resolved later this month, Rashleigh said. Additionally, sessional counsellors starting in September this year, instead of October as in previous years. These counsellors work one to three days a week during busy times to support the core counselling team.
The SCS staffing numbers are reported in Full-Time Equivalents (FTE), which account for part-time and seasonal roles. For example, a full-time employee working five days per week for the entire year equals 1.0 FTE, while part-time or sessional staff working fewer days or months contribute smaller fractions. This explains why decimals appear in the staffing figures.
SCS has international accreditation from the International Accreditation of Counselling Services (IACS), requiring it to have a ratio of one counsellor to every 1,000 – 1,500 students, which SCS has met, Murphy said. The current student-to-counselor ratio at many colleges in Ireland is approximately 1:2,240, which exceeds the internationally recommended ratio of 1:1,000 to 1,500, according to the Union of Students in Ireland.
In a USI press release, Colette Murphy, USI Vice President for Welfare, argued that the current student-to-counselor ratio is insufficient given “the struggles young people currently face.” A survey from Jigsaw and UCD School of Psychology’s found that 58% of higher education students were outside the normal range for depression and anxiety, with college, finances and the future being the top three stressors. According to USI, some students are hesitant to use mental health services because they believe counselling centers may be too busy.
“Exams increase stress and anxiety, and this has a pressure or triggering effect on many students and so they struggle intensely at these times,” Murphy said. “This can naturally drive the rates of students seeking help upwards during those times of the academic year. Our advice to students is to seek help early rather than wait until the time just before exams, so we can better assist them with their needs.”
