Two years after the shootings on April 16, 2007, state and university officials are working to improve a mental health system many blamed for not stopping gunman Seung-Hui Cho.
Tech has faced criticism for its counseling services in recent times from the recently released book "No Right to Remain Silent" authored by alumni distinguished professor Lucinda Roy. Roy, who for a short period tutored Cho, describes frustrations in pursuing psychological treatment for Cho. Among other complaints, Roy discusses staffing inadequacies at Cook Counseling Center and road blocks she encountered while trying to get Cho help.
Rick Ferraro, assistant vice president for Student Affairs and supervisor to Schiffert Health Center and Cook Counseling Center, is content with Tech's counseling services in the time since the shootings.
"We're pretty well placed right now," Ferraro said. Ferraro noted a recent hire of a psychiatric nurse in combination with the transition of a university psychiatrist from a part-time to full-time position, a rarity in a university setting. Tech also increased its number of counselors to 16, up from 10 prior to the shootings.
With 29,316 total undergraduate, graduate and professional students enrolled for the spring 2009 semester compared to 27,350 in the spring 2007 semester, the increase of counselors changed the ratio from 2,735 students per counselor in 2007 to 1,832 students per counselor in 2009. Ferraro noted that more counselors would make the center more effective.
"We'd like more, but one has to be realistic in times of budget cuts," Ferraro said. The location of Tech and the Cook Counseling Center creates additional challenges in working with individuals with mental illnesses.
"One of the things we're confronted with is most of the time psychiatric services are concentrated in big cities," Ferraro said. "It doesn't take a genius to see that Blacksburg is not a major metropolitan area. As a result, the outside psychiatric services are limited." Ferraro added that college counseling centers were first created to assist the academic mission and to assist with student's personal growth.
"Those were the traditional two missions," Ferraro said. Now, the center has the additional mission of student crisis management and working with other agencies such as community service boards to provide patients proper mental health care.
A major frustration for Roy was the inability for her to force Cho to seek treatment.
"I wanted to require Seung (Hui Cho) to see a counselor," Roy writes. "Weren't there times when students were unable to ask for help even though they might need it?"
Ed Spencer, vice president for Student Affairs, said that counseling someone against their will was not an appropriate course of action.
"Most counseling centers are not going to take someone who's required to take counseling," Spencer said. "There has to be a desire to be there." However, the university can require a student seek a mental health assessment.
"If we feel that an individual is in special need, we're always able to demand a mandatory assessment," Spencer said.
According to the Virginia Tech Review Panel's report, Cho was triaged three times by Cook Counseling Center over the course of 15 days from late November to mid-December 2005. After sending what his suitemates considered to be a suicidal instant message on Dec. 13, 2005, Cho was taken by the Virginia Tech Police Department to the New River Valley Community Services Board, which evaluated him as an "imminent threat to self or others" and issued him a temporary detaining order. Cho was then transported to St. Alban's Behavioral Health Center of the Carilon New River Valley Medical Center.
The following morning, an independent evaluator and a staff psychiatrist at the center evaluated Cho, and both found him not to be a danger to self or others. After a special judge ordered follow-up treatment for Cho, he was released noon of Dec. 14, 2005. A few hours later, Cho went to Cook Counseling Center where he had an appointment for that day. That appointment would be the last contact between the center and Cho.
According to Ferarro, the biggest challenges for Tech's counseling services come from a limited number of its patients.
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