Referral Guide 3 for Staff & Faculty

Counseling Center Procedures for Making a Counseling Appointment

Every counselor at the Counseling Center has scheduled intake and crisis hours. Within a given day, there are many times available for students to come in for first appointments. Students can usually set up an intake appointment within a week of their call to our center. If an emergency, students can be seen on the day of their call in one of our crisis hours.

Students are asked to come in for their initial intake appointment to fill out basic informational forms and then meet with a counselor. The counselor and the student discuss counseling options in this first intake appointment and decisions are made regarding the next steps for the student to pursue. These steps may include: no counseling, counseling at the Counseling Center, a medical evaluation referral, a substance abuse evaluation referral, a referral to a community mental health center or practitioner or, in emergency cases, a determination that the student should be sent to the psychiatric emergency room at a local hospital for further evaluation.

Some Comments on Confidentiality

The counselors at the Counseling Center are under ethical and legal obligations not to release confidential information. We cannot tell anyone that the student is receiving Counseling Center services. Counselors adhere strictly to confidentiality laws for their profession and can only break confidentiality if the student gives direct written permission. One exception, in the case of danger to self or others, involves breaking confidentiality of the student without permission so that the student or others are protected.

If a student tells us that you referred him/her and gives written permission, a counselor will call you to notify you that the student did attend the initial intake appointment. If you would like feedback, you can call us to tell us that you have made a referral and we will directly ask the referred student for permission to contact you. We cannot provide additional information other than the fact that the student did attend the first intake appointment. If you would like more information about a student's contact with the Counseling Center, you can directly ask the student. The student can make decisions about how much he/she wants to reveal to others.

Consultation Services

The Counseling Center provides consultation services to the entire Purchase College community. We are glad to answer any questions that you may have about our services, your concerns about a student, and referral options. Your call will be routed to an available counselor and, if no counselor is immediately available, the secretary will take your number and someone will return your call within the day. Feel free to call and talk about your concerns regarding a student and, if indicated, ways to make an effective Counseling Center referral.

Workshops

The Counseling Center also provides workshop presentations that you may be interested in providing to your class or student group. We offer Classroom Intervention workshops on "Test Anxiety"; "Time Management"; and "Personal Achievement" which can be requested for classes with a maximum of 25 students. We can also design specific workshops for your group based on group needs and interests. If you are interested in these workshop services, please call 251-6390 for more details. We do request advance notice of at least 3 weeks prior to the date that you would like us to present. While we cannot guarantee that all workshop requests will be met, we will make every effort to do so.

Emergency Services

The Counseling Center is open between the hours of 8:30am and 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. When emergencies occur outside of our operating hours, contact:

Public Safety (251-6911) Public Safety can provide assistance if a student is acting strangely or violently. Their officers have experience working with students in crisis and can provide options for further assistance if needed.

Conclusion

The Counseling Center staff strives to provide services to Purchase College students that will enable them to succeed academically, personally, and in life. We know that you are concerned with similar goals and we believe that we can accomplish these goals most effectively the closer we work with each and every one of you. We look forward to hearing from you if you have questions, suggestions, and feedback about our services. We hope that this handbook has provided you with helpful information about the Counseling Center's services, resources, and policies.