The Campus Mental Health Problem Isn't Capacity - It's Access!

The prevailing response to the student mental health crisis has been to expand clinical capacity: hire more therapists, reduce wait times, increase funding. We challenge this assumption. Through a two-part study with students (n=154) and CAPS providers (n=9) at a large US university, we found that physical and mental health were considered a lower priority towards overall wellbeing. Addressing other stressors that can influence students’ experience is key. We also found that universities already offer a range of wellness resources beyond traditional therapy, yet students are largely unaware of them. Rather than a supply shortage, the core problem is fragmented access and limited visibility. We argue that institutions should focus on building aggregator platforms that help students discover and navigate existing support which considers holistic wellbeing beyond just mental health. This reframing has implications for how universities allocate mental health resources and how HCI researchers design campus wellness interventions.