What to Expect and FAQ's
When you contact our office, you will be scheduled for an intake appointment. This is a specific time reserved for you. At the end of this intake, appropriate options will be reviewed with you. These could include an appointment at the Counseling Center for an individual appointment and/or a referral to other resources in the community that can help you address your concerns. The counselor who screens you is not always the counselor who continues to see you; we will match you with an appropriate provider based on your needs and available schedule. The Counseling Center offers short-term counseling. The Counseling Center provides services to full-time, currently enrolled undergraduate students. Services are provided via the wellness fee that all undergraduate students pay, therefore there are no additional charges for counseling services.
The following are some frequently asked questions about the counseling process. The information listed below should quell some of your concerns and answer some of your questions about counseling. Feel free to call or stop by the Counseling Center. Along with providing counseling, we are available to answer questions, and provide information and resources about mental health issues.
Students come to the Counseling Center with a wide range of concerns. Many issues are part of the normal development process, such as identity or relationship issues. Others are more specific psychological diagnoses such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, eating disorders, bereavement or substance abuse. Some students are not sure what the problem is. They just know they are having a hard time studying, sleeping or having fun. A counselor can help determine the nature of the underlying problem and empower the student to work toward a solution.
Each of the staff counselors is trained with a Master's or Doctoral degree in counseling, psychology or social work, is certified nationally by the respective certification board and is either licensed or license-eligible in the state of Connecticut. The Counseling Center also serves as a training site for area colleges and universities and uses interns as counselors-in-training under close supervision. We are experienced in working with your medical doctor, psychiatrists or therapist from home, should the need occur.
The Wellness Center has a part-time APRN, who offers evaluations and prescriptions of psychotropic medications to those students who are clients of the Counseling Center. The staff prescriber is free of charge to full-time, undergraduate students and for NEW evaluations only. Any student who is receiving prescriptions from a physician/psychiatrist at home or off campus should continue to do so. The staff prescriber has the resources to treat mild to moderate forms of depression and anxiety. For more complex psychiatric cases or for ADHD medications students will be referred to outside providers.
Every counselor at the Counseling Center is trained and experienced in dealing with issues related to mental health, personal development and relationship issues.
Research shows that the following conditions created by a counseling or therapy session improve mental health:
- Unconditional positive regard from another person.
- Talking about an individual’s strengths and empowering that person to use those strengths.
- De-stigmatizing mental health concerns and normalizing feelings.
- Evaluation for medication in cases of more significant diagnoses.
It is both your right and your responsibility to understand the counseling process fully and to receive a clear and comprehensive explanation. We do want to stress that personal counseling involves a commitment. We encourage you to keep all appointments scheduled with your counselor. If you cannot make your appointment, please call the Counseling Center at 203-371-7955. Other students may be waiting for an appointment, and your time slot may be used productively.
You are entitled to see another counselor within the Counseling Center or to receive information about counseling resources outside of the university. If, for example, you wish to see a counselor of a specific gender, we will try our best to accommodate your wishes.
Each session lasts about 45 minutes. The Counseling Center operates using a brief therapy model, and students typically come for 1-5 sessions. This is determined by each counselor in consultation with the student.
Counselors are available during business hours to consult about a student and provide information and helping strategies. Counselors reinforce that, for counseling to be most successful, students need to WANT to attend. While the Counseling Center may provide consultation, counselors may not confirm nor deny that any particular student is being seen by the Counseling Center or provide specific information about treatment unless the client has signed a written release of information giving permission to do so.
If a student may be a risk to themselves or others, Public Safety should be contacted immediately at 203-371-7911.
It is both illegal and unethical for any counselor to disclose any information about the existence of a counseling relationship or the nature of the counseling process. No information can be released without the informed and written consent of the student, or as noted in the Confidentiality Statement.
For more information regarding Counseling Center services and limitations please refer to our Scope of Practice.