Take care 24/7 with TimelyCare 

The Counseling Center at UTRGV offers students free, 24/7 access to virtual care services for mental health and well-being with TimelyCare.

UTRGV, in partnership with TimelyCare, offers an app designed for college students with no need for insurance to access the services.

Seli Fakorzi, director of mental health at TimelyCare, said the Texas-based company is the most trusted resource for virtual health.

“We serve over 2.3 million students and over 350 campuses nationwide,” Fakorzi said.

The Counseling Center also offers free counseling services with licensed professional counselors to address mental health concerns and personal growth to enrolled students, according to its website.

There is also a crisis line at 665-5555.

Christopher Albert, director of the Counseling Center, said the partnership with TimelyCare was funded through the University of Texas System.

It is part of a $16.5 million data-driven investment from the UT System Board of Regents over the next five years, according to a UT System news release issued last fall.

The partnership is a new mental health initiative.

“The UT System comes up with what are called initiatives, meant to address issues that are brought up through the years to provide certain types of resources,”Albert said.

He said TimelyCare was chosen because it originally started as a service company for counseling students.

“When students utilize TimelyCare, in a sense, it can be thought of as an extension of our counseling center,” Albert said.

Jade Mendieta, an engineering technology senior, said she has been to UTRGV’s Counseling Center before.

“It was really nice just having someone who can talk to you,” Mendieta said.

Mia Nuñez, a visual communication design major, said making an appointment with the Counseling Center is “easy.”

“I’m glad it was very easy for me to have access to that,” Nuñez said.

TimelyCare offers different types of online services to students.

Fakorzi said the app’s mission is to improve health and well-being for college students by making the services accessible.

One of the services available is TalkNow, a 24/7, on-demand emotional support via phone, video or chat.

Students across the country can access the service.

“We know that a number of our students also are, maybe, from another country and, especially, from Mexico and so they would have access to that,” Albert said.

Fakorzi said students can access resources via phone, video call or online chat.

Students have nine visits per year with scheduled counseling and appointments with health professionals, according to the website.

Health coaching helps students develop healthy lifestyle behavior.

“It’s focused on physical health, diet, exercise, stress management, those types of things,” Albert said.

TimelyCare also has peer support where students can connect with other students online and safely, according to the director of the Counseling Center.

Mendieta said the services TimelyCare offers are “cool,” and she would “benefit from something like that.”

Nuñez said such services are “amazing” and to “prioritize mental health.”

“Honestly, I might give it a try now too, because there are days where it’s just more difficult than the rest,” she said.

The Rider asked Albert why it is important to have this service available for students.

He replied that it is known there is a need in the campus community.

“Fifty percent of students at some point in the past year felt overwhelmed or very lonely,” he said.

The students interviewed said it is important for education.

“So, like, for students, I think the most vulnerable have to have that service,” Mendieta said. “It really helps.”

“Even though school and everything like that is very important, you can’t do school right unless mentally you are right as well,” Nuñez said.

The Counseling Center will offer counseling groups for students on both campuses and online this month.

For more information, contact the Counseling Center at 882-3897 in Brownsville and 665-2574 in Edinburg.