On January 17, students who were using Talkspace through Saint Xavier’s Counseling Center were notified that the school was no longer partnering with Talkspace’s services and their subscriptions would end on January 31.
The university partnered with Talkspace in April of 2022 and less than a year later, their services are no longer available for Saint Xavier students.
SXU never explicitly told their students that they would not be able to access the service through the university. Instead, the email came directly from Talkspace, stating their “services are no longer covered by your organization as of Jan 31, 2023”.
Talkspace, founded in 2012, was created to give users access to a broad network of licensed therapists online for those who may not be comfortable with traditional therapy or those who do not have the time for in-office appointments.
The decision came as a shock to students who used the service, because they were notified on relatively short notice and with no explanation from Saint Xavier.
Dr. Keina Winters, the Director of Counseling, told the Xavierite the reason the partnership was canceled was because just 42 students were using the service. Only 1.12% of enrolled students, based on total enrollment numbers on SXU’s website.
As said in this week’s news article about Talkspace, the university “wanted to be able to provide students with as much care as the University could afford to make sure that there was no cost to the students”.
Although this was surely a hard decision for the school to make, Saint Xavier should have at least given the users an explanation if not given the students access to the services through the end of the semester.
Despite the lack of student use, the Xavierite editorial board agreed that the decision to end the partnership with Talkspace, and their lack of explanation to users, was not in the best interest of the students.
One board member noting the decision could leave students in the dark.
“By disabling it, this potentially could’ve harmed students and given them nobody to talk to”.
Another board member argued that it is “unfair to suddenly deprive students” of therapy and psychiatric help with little warning.
Talkspace offers cheaper counseling rates than most in-person or online counseling centers, but it is still an expensive service. It is understandable why Saint Xavier did not think it was worth paying for the service with just over one-percent of the student body using Talkspace.
Former Talkspace user, sophomore Natalie Chibe, initially thought the email meant she had to reapply for their service every year.
When she emailed the Counseling Center expressing her concern and confusion, they told her that she could apply for an in-person counselor or pay for the service herself.
On top of being a full-time student with a job, Chibe is a commuter, so she does not have time for in-person counseling, which is why SXU’s partnership with Talkspace was so beneficial for her and other users.
The convenience of the service and reliability of therapists was the reason Chibe needed the service.
“I thought that Talkspace was the only way that I could receive the help I needed, when I needed it”.
Free, online counseling services are hard to come by and they are extremely beneficial to the people who have access to it.
For a generation who often asks for better access to therapy services, why was there so little interest in free, online therapy?
Dr. Winters also told us that 103 students signed up, but only 42 of them were using the service.
Possibly part of the problem with lack of students using Talkspace, was that they didn’t know Saint Xavier offered their services through the counseling center. Half of our editorial board had not heard of the service until after it was announced that the partnership was ending.
If lack of advertising was the problem, why didn’t SXU and the Counseling Center take initiative to promote Talkspace more?
On the other hand, if lack of student interest was the problem, what is the reason for that? Do students not want to use therapy services through the school? Do they not feel comfortable with online therapy either?
There are several factors that went into why the Saint Xavier and Talkspace partnership failed, and the reason the university canceled the services is legitimate and justifiable.
But with the students’ best interest in mind, Saint Xavier should reconsider bringing back Talkspace by speaking with students in focus groups to better understand their thoughts about the online service.
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