Services
What is Counseling?
Counseling is a process by which individuals learn to make better decisions, improve personal skills, develop increased confidence, and acquire a keener awareness or appreciation of their needs and those of others. A wide variety of concerns can be discussed in counseling such as improving communication with parents or friends, changing behavior patterns, learning effective time management, overcoming depression, or coping with anxiety.
What do we offer?
Here at the Student Counseling Center, we offer individual, group, and couple counseling, crisis intervention, alcohol, and other drug counseling as well as referrals. We also provide a wide variety of outreach presentations on mental health topics for student organizations, residence halls, and the university community.
If you are interested in receiving services with us we ask that you call the front desk at 301-687-4234 to get scheduled. At this time we currently offering appointments both via Telehealth and In Person.
Intake
If you would like to speak to a counselor about meeting regularly or have an issue that you would like to discuss but is not a crisis you will be scheduled for an intake appointment within the next 10 business days.
Once scheduled, the day of your appointment you will receive an email from the administrative assistant providing you with a link to complete your appointment paperwork. We ask that you provide yourself at least 15-30 minutes to complete the Intake Paperwork, your paperwork must be completed before your appointment or you risk being rescheduled. A few minutes before your session is scheduled to begin your counselor will email you a link to your session. You will click on the link and download the Vidyo Desktop program or meet over Microsoft TEAMS. If this program does not work on your computer or phone, don't hesitate to get in touch with your counselor or the main desk so that other arrangements can be made. Once you are in the video session you will be able to see and hear your counselor.
Your counselor will review our Informed Consent and answer any questions you have about our policy and procedures. Your counselor will spend the rest of the session getting to know you. They will ask about your presenting concerns and also gather some background information. You will then discuss treatment recommendations and goals. You will also make any agreed-upon follow-up appointments.
Individual Counseling Session
Once scheduled, the day of your appointment you will receive an email from the administrative assistant providing you with a link to complete your follow-up appointment paperwork. We ask that you provide yourself at least 15-20 minutes to complete the Follow-Up Paperwork, your paperwork must be completed before your appointment or you risk being rescheduled. Closer to your appointment time our counselor will send you an email with the link to your session. Click on the link and you will be able to see and hear your counselor.
Crisis
If you or someone you know is experiencing an acute crisis (e.g., serious suicidal thoughts, severe depressive symptoms, paranoid thinking, functional impairment, etc.), the Student Counseling Center offers crisis services.
Crisis services are available to students both during and outside of our business hours. If you call the Student Counseling Center during our business hours, our administrative assistant will gather some information from you and contact you with the crisis counselor. If you are in crisis outside of our business hours, call University Police at 301-687-4223. The dispatcher will gather information from you and you will be contacted over the phone by the crisis counselor.
Group
Student Counseling Center offers group therapy for students, which is often more effective than individual therapy for certain issues. Group sessions are facilitated by one or two therapists and provide an opportunity for you to meet with other students who share similar challenges and interests. In most cases, potential group members need to schedule a 30-60 minute session with the group leader to get more information and answer a few questions to ensure the group is a good fit. Groups will meet weekly and last approximately 60-90 minutes. Group size is generally between 6-10 students and sessions are currently being held on TEAMS.
Outreach Presentations
Student Counseling Center provides presentations on a variety of mental health topics. Our Outreach presentations are designed to raise awareness, provide information, and address the stigma involved in seeking mental health treatment. Outreach presentations may be requested by student groups, academic departments, FSU staff, faculty members, and others in the FSU community. Programs are being conducted virtually at this time. There is no fee for an outreach presentation and you do not need to be a client with the Student Counseling Center to participate. If you are interested in a presentation, we ask that you complete the Outreach Request Form at least 2 weeks before the desired date.
Psychiatric Services
To provide optimal care for our students we have a nurse practitioner on staff with us part-time. Our nurse practitioner provides medication management services to students actively engaged in counseling with the Student Counseling Center. Students may benefit from psychotropic medications to help relieve symptoms related to their mental health. Students must be seen by a staff counselor first who can give permission to schedule an initial appointment with the nurse practitioner.