Counseling Services

The STU Health & Wellness Center does not offer psychiatric services or long-term, intensive, or specialized treatment generally required for substance abuse, eating disorders, or severe emotional difficulties. If you need or prefer long-term or weekly counseling, you may utilize the Virtual Care Group app, which is free for current active students to speak to an online therapist or find an off-campus counselor through your insurance’s website.

Many issues can be addressed within the short-term counseling provided at STU. If the counselor determines other services are better suited to your needs, STU will assist you by providing referral services with appropriate off-campus providers.***STU employees can receive counseling through EAP or their health insurance provider.

Counseling often involves the disclosure of sensitive and personal information. Professional ethical codes and state laws consider the personal information discussed between a counselor and client (18 years and older) to be strictly confidential. This means that the information that you share in counseling, including the fact that you have used our services, will not be disclosed to anyone (including university officials, faculty, staff, parents, or outside agencies) without your written permission. Also, counseling records are not kept as part of your academic or administrative records. While a student is a minor, parents have rights to discuss her/his counseling with her/his counselor. Student under 18 years of age will need written parental consent before receiving counseling services, unless they are in crisis.

Exceptions
There are a few exceptions to confidentiality that you should know about before you begin counseling:

Abuse/Neglect of a Child or Elder — Counselors who know or reasonably suspect that a child under the age of 18 or elder is being abused or neglected are legally obligated to report this information to appropriate state agencies.

Harm to Self — If there is evidence that a student poses clear and imminent danger of harming themselves and they are unwilling or unable to follow treatment recommendations, a counselor may seek their involuntary admission to a hospital.

Harm to Others — If a counselor has reason to believe that a student is threatening physical violence against another, they may be required to take action to ensure that the other person is protected. Such action may include contacting the police, notifying the intended victim, and seeking involuntary hospitalization of the student.

Court Subpoena — A court-ordered subpoena can require our staff to release information contained in records or to testify in a court hearing.

Staff Consultation and Supervision of Trainees — STU counselors and medical staff operate as a team to provide the best possible service to students. At times, your counselor may consult with other professional staff for the purpose of best practices. These consultations are for professional and/or training purposes only.

Counseling often involves the disclosure of sensitive personal information. Any information a client shares with STU Health & Wellness staff members is protected by professional ethics and state law. Therefore, the information shared in counseling will not be disclosed to anyone (except in circumstances which would result in clear danger to the student or others, or as may be required by law) without a student’s written permission. The center will not even disclose whether a student has used our services. It is certainly understandable that you may wish to be involved when your son or daughter seeks counseling. Often, the best source of information for parents about their counseling is from the student. If more information is desired, the student (if they are 18 years or older) must sign a written release specifically permitting us to communicate with parents. While it is not legal or ethical for counseling or medical team to provide parents with information that their child reveals in counseling, parents are always welcome to call the Center and provide us with information or share concerns about your child. For more information, visit our confidentiality page.

Counseling offers both benefits and risks. It requires active and cooperative effort from both the client and the counselor. Counseling can lead to improved emotional and mental health, positive changes in behavior and coping abilities. However, during the counseling process and while discussing personal concerns, you may experience increased emotional distress at times. Additionally, positive changes you make may affect your relationships, such as forming new relationships, strengthening existing ones, losing relationships, or feeling more distant in relationships.
If you have any concerns about your progress or the outcomes of your counseling, we encourage you to discuss them with your counselor at any time.

Clients are responsible for adhering to their counselor’s treatment recommendations. Best practices may involve a psychiatric evaluation. Services may be terminated if clients fail to comply.Clients are expected to treat all personnel with respect. Failure to do so may result in termination of services.

Due to safety considerations and limited space, it is not feasible to bring children to counseling sessions. The presence of young individuals may interfere with our ability to effectively help you. For unusual or special circumstances, clients are recommended to directly consult with the counselor before the session.

Only service animals are permitted in the Health & Wellness Center. Emotional support animals are not recognized as service animals. Clients are asked to refrain from bringing emotional support animals to the Health & Wellness Center.

This policy has been established to help us serve you better and efficiently schedule appointments with our clients. If you miss two individual counseling sessions without cancellation, you will be unable to schedule additional appointments for the semester unless you are in a crisis situation. No-shows and late cancellations cause disruptions and delays in providing mental health care to other clients, some of whom may be in crisis. A “no-show” is defined as missing a scheduled appointment.

If you cannot make an appointment, please call to cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled appointment. A “late cancellation/reschedule” refers to canceling or rescheduling an appointment without providing us with at least 24 hours’ notice before the appointment start time. We understand that situations such as medical emergencies may occasionally arise, preventing adequate notice. Such situations will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Late cancellations
Please note, if you arrive after the start of your session, you will be considered late. It is at your counselor’s discretion whether you can be seen for the remaining time or if the appointment needs to be rescheduled.