Counseling concerns Students face issues with appointments

BY ISABEL RAVENNA AND TRISHA ANAS

It's a couple of minutes before midnight as Pierce College student Khushi Bhasin patiently waits in front of her computer screen. Her heart is beating a bit faster than it does normally. She's hoping to get an appointment with a counselor.

“It’s really hard to get a hold of honors counselors online because there’s basically only one, or at most two counselors,” said Bhasin in a phone interview. “They get pretty full very quickly. If you have any concerns about honors, you have to wait for weeks to make an appointment.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many obstacles for individuals worldwide in 2020 and Pierce College students interacting with their counselors this fall has been no exception. Bhasin said that she misses being able to have access to the walk-in appointments.

“If you wanted to meet briefly, and if they had time in their schedule maybe because a student cancels, you could talk to them,” Bhasin said. “I think especially during these times of COVID, when everyone is at home or maybe they’re living alone, they just want to talk to somebody.”

According to Bhasin, it was frustrating and off-putting to try talking to counselors online when most of their statuses read either “away” or “offline.” zramirez.roundupnews@gmail.com tanas.roundupnews@gmail.com

“I was in need of Pierce counseling, I was doubting my career goals, and you know you don’t have a lot of people to talk to,” Bhasin said.

Montevirgen said spring classes will likely be similar to the fall semester. “We do have the essential infrastructure, the same type of courses that we have been able to offer in a limited capacity in person, we will continue to do so in the spring,” Montevirgen said.