The Emerson Counseling and Psychological Services extended its hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to 7 p.m. from its usual 5 p.m. closing time.

Students tend to be more available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Director of Counseling and Psychological Services Elise Harrison said based on her observations. Last semester, ECAPS extended hours to once a week, but for this semester the office decided to continue to expand to two days per week to be more accessible to students, Harrison said.

“We know that students are really busy,” Harrison said. “We want students who want to come for counseling to have access, which is what has driven us to add evening hours.”

Harrison said not many students currently use these extended hours. Students must get used to these new hours for ECAPS to gain a proper understanding of how successful they are, according to Harrison.

Once ECAPS understands student utilization of the extended hours, the department can decide whether to keep the hours or even possibly expand further. However, Harrison said that adding even more hours is unlikely with the current staff.