ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A text messaging-based mental health app will soon be offered to Rochester Institute of Technology students living at one off campus housing complex.

What You Need To Know

  • Text messaging-based mental health app "Counslr" will soon be offered to offered to residents of The Marshall, which houses students of RIT

  • Counslr connects students with a certified counselor via text message any time day or night

  • The housing building owner, Aptitude Development, is providing the service at no additional charge

Sixty percent of college students meet the criteria for at least one mental health problem, according to the National Education Association. That's nearly a 50% increase in the last decade.

The issue is impacting enrollment too, with four in 10 college students recently considering withdrawing from college.

One organization is teaming with a campus housing company at a handful of campuses, including two in New York state, to offer a new option designed to help. 

It’s called “Counslr,” and it’s an app aimed at helping students before they reach the point of giving up by meeting students where they are.

Bennet Stutzman and Brandon Schultz live at The Marshall off-campus housing facility and attend the RIT.

“The people that I think will use it will be able to get the most out of it,” said Stutzman, talking about Counslr.

Counslr is a text messaging-based mental health app that will soon be offered to all residents at The Marshall. 

“Some people have trouble talking face to face, so being able to talk about their issues in a way that they’re texting could help,” said Stutzman.

“Say a student is stressed about finals and they could really benefit from talking to someone, all they have to do is open up the Counslr app, press the chat button and they can text with a counselor to share what’s going on in their head and what’s on their mind,” said Counslr founder and CEO Josh Liss.

He recently teamed with Aptitude Development’s co-founder, Jared Hutter. The company built The Marshall student housing complex near RIT.

“The focus for us on all of our buildings has always been health and wellness,” said Hutter. 

The Marshall residents can access the app 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

“We’re always looking for ways on how we can best serve our tenants and what else we can provide to them. So, this really just seemed like a natural fit, looping in Counslr for all of our residents,” said Hutter.

Data shows there’s a clear need for more mental health services for college students. A national survey shows that rates of depression and anxiety among college students are at historic levels. In the Healthy Minds Survey of 96,000 U.S. college students at 133 campuses during the 2021-22 academic year, 44% reported symptoms of depression, 37% said they experienced anxiety and 15% said they have seriously considered suicide.

“I know that a lot of people could use better forms of help,” said Stutzman. “...having more options is a great thing.” 

“Our hope and expectation is if we can help people prioritize their mental well-being along the way, there will be less crisis situations as a result of addressing these issues while they’re ‘small’ so that they can stay small,” said Liss.

Liss says the app is not a replacement for therapy and nobody will be diagnosed or prescribed medication through a text message.

A licensed counselor will be responding providing coping strategies and support.

Aptitude Development plans to roll this out at campus housing locations across the country.