Yale defends mental health, withdrawl policies after Washington Post article

‘What if Yale finds out?’

Before the story was published last week, Yale officials repeatedly declined to discuss the university’s withdrawal and reinstatement policies or address any of the accounts offered by students and former students.

On Wednesday, Salovey said the article “misrepresents our efforts and unwavering commitment to supporting our students, whose well-being and success are our primary focus.”

In the story, more than 25 current and former students described their frustrations with a university flush with a $41.4 billion endowment, yet beset by what they said are inadequate services and policies for those in mental crisis.

Some recounted seeking help and never hearing back. Others were given limited, 30-minute-long therapy sessions because of staff constraints. Many said they learned to hide mental problems and suicidal thoughts to avoid triggering withdrawal policies that they believe are designed to protect Yale from lawsuits and damage to its reputation.

And those pressured to withdraw said they were given 72 hours or less to leave campus — with one student being met by campus police upon discharge from a psychiatric hospital and given two hours to pack her possessions and vacate her dorm.

“To be clear, the health and well-being of Yale students are primary university priorities,” Salovey wrote. “The Washington Post article does not reflect Yale’s efforts to foster student wellness. The article fails to acknowledge the support, processes, and policies in place or the positive outcomes associated with our work.”

Salovey said the university plans to take action in coming months to improve mental health services and explained the efforts it has already made in recent years to make the reinstatement process less onerous and expensive.

In the coming year, the university will open a new counseling site. Salovey said a committee has been meeting in recent months “to continue the review of our withdrawal and reinstatement policies. This group is poised to roll out policy changes in stages that will continue to support students.”

Two other Yale administrators — Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis and Paul Hoffman, Yale’s director of mental health and counseling — also wrote a letter to the editor Tuesday, alleging the article ignored the “complex and nuanced endeavor” of addressing student mental health and said it “could put more students at risk” by leaving them with the impression they should stay in college at the expense of their well-being.

In an interview Thursday, Lewis said the university plans to hire nine additional mental health clinicians in the coming…