Nolan Alexander (Host): Welcome to Conversations with MIT Health. I'm Nolan Alexander. And I'm here with Dr. Haleh Rockni, a psychiatrist with Student Mental Health and Counseling at MIT Health. Today, we're talking about getting started with Student Mental Health and Counseling, what services are available, how you can access them, and what students can expect when they reach out for support.

Dr. Rockni, thank you so much for joining us. How are you today?

Haleh Rokni, MD: I'm good. It's very nice to be here.

Host: It's certainly our pleasure, and let's get to it. For a student who's never tried counseling at MIT before, how do they even get started?

Haleh Rokni, MD: It's very straightforward. You can just give Student Mental Health and Counseling a call at our main number, or you can request a call back using our web form online, and that's all it takes.

Host: Well, for someone interested, I want to go ahead and get that number. What would be the number they could jot down right now?

Haleh Rokni, MD: Yeah, it is 617-253-2916. And when somebody calls, they can expect to get a call back either that day or within a day or two.

Nolan Alexander (Host): That's excellent. So, somebody's taken the first step forward. They've made that call, and now they're curious about that first appointment, maybe they're anxious. Can you pull the curtain back a little bit? What's that first appointment like?

Haleh Rokni, MD: Sure. So, the first appointment we call an intake appointment, and the clinician in that appointment will ask a whole range of questions and gather a range of information. So, what brought the person in, a prior history of mental health issues and treatment, medical history, developmental history. And usually, that first meeting lasts about 50 to 60 minutes. You're certainly talking about what brought you in, but it's mostly a session not to get deep into that question. It's more a history-gathering kind of a meeting. And at the end of that visit, the clinician may recommend some additional sessions to better understand the issues and make a plan for treatment, or they might have some recommendations at the end of that first meeting about treatment options.

Host: So fact-finding, it sounds like that first meeting is a lot of answering questions.

Haleh Rokni, MD: Yes, that is true. And then, what happens after that is you start to focus more on what brought you in, what you want to work on moving forward, goals, getting support, those sorts of things.

Host: Putting myself in a student's shoe, we've all been there before, probably worried about cost. How does cost work?

Haleh Rokni, MD: Yeah. The good news is that it's free for MIT students and it's confidential. So, there's really no financial barrier to getting support at the Student Mental Health and Counseling Service.

Host: Wow, Dr. Rockni, free and confidential?

Haleh Rokni, MD: Yes, absolutely.

Host: So what kinds of things do students typically come in for?

Haleh Rokni, MD: Reasons very much vary. Often students are stressed. They can be anxious, depressed, dealing with relationship things, with family difficulties, difficulty sleeping, feeling overwhelmed. it's really a whole range of things, and we're really here to consult and to try to understand what's going on and figure out ways to help the student feel better and move forward.

Host: That seems like a pretty wide range of topics to come in for. So, students really shouldn't feel hesitant about, "Oh, maybe this doesn't fit when I call in for counseling"?

Haleh Rokni, MD: That's absolutely right. We really like students to come in for anything. And if for whatever reason we're not the right place, we can give guidance about what that would be. But we work with students on a whole range of concerns.

Host: So if someone's unsure whether they need counseling, that's okay?

Haleh Rokni, MD: Absolutely. They can come in and just talk over their concerns and we can help them figure that out.

Host: So you've shed light on what an appointment looks like, that first appointment, even the step before that of, of how to make a phone call. So beyond that, are students limited to one-on-one sessions or do other options exist?

Haleh Rokni, MD: No, absolutely not. We have a lot of options here. We do have individual counseling. We also have group counseling sessions that are actually quite popular, and we have brief consultations as well. And if somebody needs longer-term care or specialized care, we can help connect them with that as well.

Host: Oh, that's interesting. So, why are group sessions popular?

Haleh Rokni, MD: You know, we have a lot of different groups here. We have skills-based groups. We have support and therapy groups. And, you know, they're really places for students to learn different kinds of skills and also to give and get support. And the people who facilitate them are lovely. You know, our students really enjoy these group meetings.

Host: I also imagine there are times when someone feels a sense of urgency. What happens if someone needs help right away in a dire situation?

Haleh Rokni, MD: Yeah. We have help available 24/7 for urgent situations. So, somebody can always call. And outside of hours, the phone will kind of direct you about who the appropriate person is. But somebody could call for an urgent situation even after business hours.

Host: That is really reassuring. So, what would you say to someone who's still hesitating?

Haleh Rokni, MD: Yeah, I would just say reach out. We are here for people. It doesn't have to be a big thing or intimidating. We're really here to just support people at whatever place they are and to help people not feel alone.

Host: Can you please reiterate the benefits of MIT Health for our audience today as far as understanding the unique needs of the MIT community?

Haleh Rokni, MD: Here at the Student Mental Health and Counseling Service, we have a lot of providers who are very experienced at counseling and working with students here at MIT. So, we are really able to talk with students to understand various kinds of concerns and experiences. We're very familiar with the dorm life, with fraternities and sororities, with the academic environment. So, we often are really able to provide students at MIT with the support they need in order to really be successful at MIT and to function effectively.

Host: Dr. Rockni, thank you so much for spending time with us and helping us become more informed about mental health counseling at MIT. We appreciate your time today.

Haleh Rokni, MD: It's my pleasure. Thank you so much.

Host: That was Dr. Haleh Rockni, a psychiatrist with Student Mental Health and Counseling at MIT Health. And that concludes this episode of Conversations with MIT Health. Head over to our website at health.mit.edu for more information and to get connected with one of our providers. Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review Conversations with MIT Health on Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Spotify, and Pandora.