The law amended this language and gave counselors the legal ability to diagnose their patients.

“This new law will ensure that more than 150,000 Michiganders can still access critical mental health care,” Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement, "It will protect 10,000 professional counselors from losing the ability to practice as they currently do. We must continue to work hard to ensure every Michigander has access to critical mental health care, and this is a step in the right direction."

The law helps relieve Michigan State's health providers, Counseling & Psychiatric Services, or CAPS, Director Mark Patishnock said.

"It's really a question of what would not have happened if that bill didn't passed," Patishnock said. "Essentially what this means is that it allows our licensed professional counselors to continue to practice," Patishnock said.

CAPS is the mental health department of Olin Health Center, MSU's primary health care facility.

Patishnock said the law doesn't change existing health care provisions.

"What this does is solidifies that licensed professional counselors and those who have the qualifications to get that license in the state of Michigan can continue to diagnose and to provide treatment," Patishnock said. "If you don't have a license ... to allow diagnosis then how can you provide treatment?"

According to Patishnock, four out of the five licensed counselors working for CAPS would have been unable to diagnose MSU students if this bill did not pass.

"Functionally, they would no longer be able to provide service to (students)," Patishnock said.

"It would have had just as much, if not even a more profound impact to our ability to help students when we connect them or refer to them into the community, because there are just countless licensed professional counselors in our local community who we refer to," Patishnock said.

CAPS is located on the third floor of Olin Health Center at 463 E. Circle Drive. Students that wish to use CAPS services are encouraged to check in at the desk and schedule an appointment.