Sacred Heart University and Uwill Collaborate to Offer Premier Teletherapy Solution to Graduate Students

FAIRFIELD, Conn., Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Sacred Heart University today launched a new initiative designed to enable on-demand mental health access for its graduate student population, both on-campus and remote. Developed in partnership with Uwill, the leading teletherapy platform focused on college students, the program will provide more than 1,250 Sacred Heart graduate students with immediate, 24/7 ongoing access to a licensed counselor of their choice, based on their preferences — by video, phone, chat or message.

“Counseling and therapy can have a transformative impact on students’ ability to persist and succeed in their education,” said Larry Wielk, dean of students at Sacred Heart University. “Emerging technology like Uwill is helping us provide our graduate students with real-time, personalized support that meets them where they are.”

Sacred Heart is launching the initiative in response to growing demand for mental health support at higher education institutions nationwide: even before the pandemic, graduate students were significantly more likely to experience anxiety than the population as a whole. Over the past year, the need for counseling has only grown more urgent: according to recent research, reports of mental health challenges among graduate students have spiked since spring 2020.

“The past year has underscored the critical importance of mental health for students at every point in their educational experience,” said Michael London, founder and CEO of Uwill. “We’re helping colleges tackle the campus mental health crisis by bringing counseling directly to students, without friction, and providing them with greater choice and flexibility throughout the process.”

Designed to empower students by enabling them to evaluate and select mental health professionals of their choosing, Uwill is the only secure, student-focused teletherapy platform to offer all communication modalities, including video, phone, chat and messaging. Uwill works with a diverse cross-section of institutions, including the Massachusetts State School System, Stevens Institute of Technology and American Public University to expand their mental health and counseling offerings.

About Uwill
Uwill has become the leading teletherapy solution for colleges and students. Utilizing their proprietary technology and counselor network, Uwill offers an immediate match to a diverse team of licensed therapists in all 50 states and more than 20 countries and facilitates a secure environment with video, phone, chat, and messaging options. Uwill provides the most cost-effective way to complement a college’s mental health offering and has worked with leading institutions including Boston College, University of New Hampshire, and Bay Path University. Uwill is the exclusive education teletherapy partner for NASPA. For more information, visit uwill.com.

About Sacred Heart University
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland and offers online programs. More than 9,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Social Work; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; the Dr. Susan L. Davis, R.N., & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 386 Colleges–2021 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best Business Schools–2021 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theatre. www.sacredheart.edu