Support For...

Faculty, Advisors and Staff

The Counseling Center provides a range of resources for faculty, academic advisors, and staff to support their work with students. Feel free to consult with a Counseling Center counselor about your particular situation by calling x3500.

CONSULTATIONS

The Counseling Center provides consultations to individuals or groups regarding how to help a student in distress, how to make referrals to the Center, how to manage conflicts, and other concerns that come up in the course of working with students. For a consultation, call the Counseling Center at x3500 and ask to speak with a counselor. Please be aware that the Counseling Center is prevented by law from sharing confidential information about a student's contact with the Center without the student's permission. A Counseling Center counselor will be happy to consult with you about the nature and limits of counselor/student confidentiality.



FAQs ABOUT ON-CAMPUS COUNSELING

The answers to some questions about on-campus counseling most frequently asked by faculty/staff/advisors can be found at:
Frequently Asked Questions About On-Campus Counseling

One frequently asked question is who counsels students at the center. A student's first appointment will always be with a counselor at an advanced level of clinical training -- either a member of the core staff (a licensed clinician holding a doctorate or clinical social work degree) or a clinical intern (an advanced doctoral student completing clinical licensure requirements). If a student continues in ongoing counseling at the Center beyond a first appointment or short-term intervention, the student may be assigned either to a member of the core staff or to a graduate-student trainee. The core staff makes careful matches between students and counselors and all trainees are closely supervised so as to ensure that each student receives appropriate and sufficient care. Students who require more immediate, extensive, intensive, or specialized care than is available at the Counseling Center are provided with assistance in connecting to appropriate services off campus.



HELPING A STUDENT IN DISTRESS

The following handouts offer guidelines for advisors, faculty, or staff with regard to helping students in distress. They are also available in hard copy from the Counseling Center.
How to Help a Student in Distress
Helping a Student Get Help
You may also look at our Web page: Worried About Someone?


"SUPPORT SERVICES" BLURB FOR YOUR HANDOUT OR SYLLABUS

If you would like to let your students know about the support services available to them, you can include this blurb in your course syllabus or program handout:

The Counseling Center (x3500, MGC 214) offers counseling and consultations regarding personal concerns, self-help information, and connections to off-campus mental health resources.

This blurb, and other helpful information, is also available from the AU Center for Teaching Excellence.


GUEST LECTURERS, EXTRA-CREDIT WORKSHOPS

Counseling Center staff members are available to supplement your course or program by providing a guest lecture, presentation, or workshop for your students. A variety of topics relevant to student development and mental health are available (see our Be Your Best page which covers issues of interest to college students.) Many of the topics are relevant to particular coursework or student activities, and participation in a workshop can be required for your class/program or offered for extra credit.



HANDOUTS AND WEB INFORMATION ON TOPICS RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Handouts and pamphlets about mental health and human development can be found in our Self-Help Library, located in the Counseling Center reception area. Additional information is available on our on-line Self-Help site. Topics include depression, anxiety, procrastination and perfectionism, relationships, eating disorders, trauma, and other issues of interest to you and your students.

Two of our most-requested handouts can also be accessed on line:
Do You Have Travel Anxiety?
A Sudden Terrible Event



REQUESTS FOR RELIEF FROM ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

Faculty, other university personnel, or students may request that the Counseling Center provide information about a student's contact with the Counseling Center related to a student's request for relief from academic requirements (e.g., a request for a deadline extension, make-up exam, etc.). Please keep in mind the following guidelines when requesting such documentation.

--Counseling Center counselors generally suggest that a student begin by speaking directly with the relevant faculty/advisor/staff to convey the nature of their academic difficulties and work together towards arranging whatever support or relief might be appropriate.

--The Counseling Center does not document or arrange accommodations for psychological disabilities as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This function is served by the Disability Support Services office. The university is committed to ensuring accessibility for all qualified students with disabilities to university programs and activities. Students with a psychological disability may contact DSS to arrange for documentation of a disability and for appropriate accommodations.

--DC confidentiality laws require a student's written permission in order for the Counseling Center to share administrative or treatment information with anyone, including university personnel, regarding a student's contacts with the Counseling Center. This includes both verbal and written communications. Authorization forms are available at the Counseling Center.

--Counseling Center counselors do not adjudicate academic matters, such as whether a student should or should not be granted academic relief -- that decision is made by the relevant faculty/advisor/staff in accordance with university policies. The counselor can only provide, with the student's permission, to whomever the student designates, administrative and treatment information related to the student's contacts with the Center.

--Counselors typically require several days to a week in order to produce a letter, but will certainly try to accommodate last-minute requests.