TU's Counseling Center director discusses mental health awareness, self-care
Herman, who started as director this summer, has been with TU since 1994
By Kyle Hobstetter on September 26, 2022
Note: This story was updated from its original publish date of September 5.
When Mollie Herman started at Towson University Counseling Center in January of 1994, she never dreamed that she would one day be interested in being the director.
Before coming to Towson University, Herman had just earned her Ph.D. and was living in the area, doing private practice and even teaching at local universities. But she was interested in doing Counseling Center work.
That’s when a friend told her about a part-time position as a staff psychologist at the TU Counseling Center. Since, she’s had numerous positions at the Counseling Center, including the Director of Training, Assistant Director of the Center and has served as the coordinator of the Center’s doctoral internship program.
After serving as interim director for the latter half of the spring semester, Herman was thrilled to accept the position full-time, and started the role on June 29.
“Through my many years here, I have witnessed the evolution of the Counseling Center along with the evolution of the campus,” Herman says. “I realized that being the director would allow me to continue to contribute to the university in increasingly meaningful ways.”
With Mental Illness Awareness Week being marked October 2-7, Herman discusses promoting positive mental health and self-care on TU’s campus.
What are you most excited about in becoming director of the Counseling Center?
These are both exciting and challenging times for students, for universities and really for all of us! I am so grateful for the immense support that the Counseling Center has enjoyed from the university as it invests in campus mental health and wellness.
We have already made significant changes in recent years, making our services more accessible to students and structuring our services to allow all students to find help in ways that fit for them personally and takes their cultural background, needs and preferences fully into account.
We also have a wonderful team here of creative and dedicated professionals. There are many job options out there right now for clinicians and educators. Our staff is here because they choose to be working in college mental health. I am most excited to have a great staff and consistent support from the university at a time when our services are so critically needed and can make such a big difference in the lives of students.
What made you want to go into psychology and work with college students?
I was initially drawn to the field of psychology for the opportunity to make a positive difference in people’s lives. I wasn’t sure at first whether I wanted to go the academic route or the direct service route, seeing lots of opportunity in each direction to help people who are experiencing mental health challenges, though in very different ways.
In fact, after I finished graduate school, I was still open to pursuing either career. My work at the Counseling Center cemented for me that my primary passion was being able to work directly with people in need. While this is, of course, challenging and difficult work, there are also days that are so rewarding that I can’t believe I’m actually getting paid to do this work.
I have always been drawn to working with college students because college is such a pivotal time in life. College students tend to be navigating significant life transitions often simultaneously with such mental health challenges as depression or anxiety. And college is a time when a person’s life direction can really take shape. It’s a critical period that presents the opportunity to make an enormous difference in someone’s life.
What are some initiatives that you’re hoping to accomplish during your time as director?
While we have made many changes to the Center over the past two years, I am hoping to consolidate and expand on those changes in the coming years.
Three important foci are (1) increasing accessibility; (2) addressing the needs of students with minoritized identities; and (3) expanding collaboration with campus partners. We have made concerted efforts to expand access and responsiveness to all students through same-day appointments, online scheduling, and the opportunity for virtual services.
I hope to make our new resources widely known and widely used across campus. I also hope to both continue and expand our efforts to provide targeted support to students with minoritized identities. For example, we are aware of the disproportionately devastating impact that COVID-19 has had on communities of color.
We are also aware of the ways in which cultural stigma can be a barrier for many students to seek help, and the concern that many students with minoritized identities may have that nobody at the Counseling Center can truly empathize with and help them. I plan to continue our efforts to challenge stigma, normalize help-seeking, and publicize our staff diversity and the wide variety of treatment options available that can meet everyone’s needs.
Relatedly, I look forward to continuing our work as a group to nurture equity and inclusiveness in our work environment for staff and students alike. Finally, I am very excited to build and deepen our collaborative relationships with campus partners to support a focus on overall health and wellness for all students.
What message do you want to share with the Towson University community?
I want to make sure that our community knows about the many types of resources we offer and how easy they are to enjoy.
Accessing us has never been easier through online scheduling or calling us to get an appointment. You will be seen the same day that you schedule the appointment. In that meeting, your counselor will work collaboratively with you to identify how we can be most helpful, whether that means continuing to drop in or schedule counseling appointments as needed, participating in one of our many groups or workshops, utilizing online resources, or having us help you find a provider in the community.
We offer 24-hour support with an after-hours crisis line. We also strongly encourage students to create an anonymous account with Togetherall to access 24/7 digital peer-to-peer support, and to register with Kognito to get a quick course in how to best support your peers and to engage in your own self-care.
I am humbled and honored to be in the role of director of our wonderful Counseling Center. I am deeply committed to continuing and deepening our support of the mental health and wellness of all of our students.
Be sure to check out our website because there is so much more that I would like everyone to know about our center than what I can include in this article!