Ashland University offers immense resources on campus to nurture the minds and bodies of students at home.  

Psychological Counseling Services on campus are a major way Ashland works to take care of students’ minds, and they are also free for all AU students.  

“I think it’s an additional support for them to have the best four or five years or however long they’re here. It gives them the support to have a great experience here,” said Licensed Professional Counselor Hunter Edwards, who works with Ashland’s Psychological Counseling Services.  

Especially with winter approaching, seasonal depression is a big issue for students, and Psychological Services has tangible signs of its hard work for students’ mental health. 

“We have a supply of happy lights that we can give to our students that kind of mimic UV rays,” said Hunter Edwards. “We try to provide just a sense of stability for them in this time of the seasons changing and the business of finals approaching,” he continued. 

Edwards further touched on the flexible nature of appointments.  

“We offer one-on-one counseling, where it looks like it could be different activities we do within the session. It could be just more of that talk therapy,” he said. “We have all kinds of different resources that we use during the session. We meet anywhere from, you know, 45 minutes to an hour. We offer weekly sessions every other week. We try to cater our services to the students’ busy schedule,” he said. 

Services are offered for specific issues individual people are going through, and online appointments are also available.  

Outside of aiding students’ mental health, the university also offers health resources to AU students. 

The Ashland Health Center works as an Urgent Care or doctors’ office stated Nurse Patty Owens with the center. 

“We can draw blood, we can order x-rays, order MRIs,” Owens said. 

Outside of Owens the center has a registered nurse, nurse practitioner and doctors. 

The staff commonly sees a lot of respiratory illnesses with students who visit their center; however, Owens finds students can combat this before they contract this illness. 

“Hand washing is the number one way to decrease the spread of germs and vaccinations would be another,” Owens said.

She finds that vaccines, such as the flu vaccine, are beneficial to combat any illnesses students’ contract while on campus along with COVID.

There are also viruses that are harder to combat; however, if the student gets strep throat then the health center can give antibiotics since its bacteria explains Owens. 

Despite a student being in good health the center also offers preventative measures such as physicals with complete head-to-toe assessments. 

“Just like what you would get at your doctor’s office,” Owens said.  “Blood pressure screenings, things like that.” 

The center urges students to utilize them first because they don’t have bill insurance or the student. 

“We like for the students to come here first because we don’t want them to pay co-pays and getting a big bill wrapped at an urgent care or ER,” Owens said. 

Access to the health center is via appointment through their email [email protected] and phone number 419-289-5200.