Q. How do I make an appointment?
A. Call our office at (631) 632-6720 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (4 p.m. during intersession, summer and spring break) or walk in and say you’d like to make a first appointment. The triage counselor will talk with you briefly about your needs and the options for counseling. Depending on what fits best for you, the next step may be an intake appointment at the Counseling Center, or could be a referral to another service.
Q. What if I have an emergency?
A. During Center hours, (M-F, 9-5) call (631) 632-6720, and tell the receptionist you have an emergency. She will connect you with the triage counselor who will consult with you about the best plan, which will often be to come to the UCC. You may also come here on a walk-in basis.
After hours and on weekends, if you are living on campus you should contact your Residence Hall Director or Quad Director, call the University Police at 911 -- or (631) 632-3333 from a cell phone -- or go to the University Hospital Emergency Room. (The University Police can transport you to the hospital).
If you are living off campus, the safest thing to do is to go to the nearest hospital emergency room or call the Police at 911.
Q. What if my friend is in a crisis?
A. Similarly, during Center hours, (M-F, 9-5) call (631) 632-6720 or walk over and tell the receptionist you need immediate help for a friend. Our receptionist will connect you with the triage counselor who will consult with you about your friend and recommend the best plan, which will often be how to help your friend come to the UCC or occasionally how to get your friend to the nearest hospital. The triage counselor can arrange for you and your friend to be transported there if necessary.
After hours and on weekends, if you are living on campus you should contact your Residence Hall or Quad Director, call the University Police at 911 -- or (631) 632-3333 from a cell phone -- or go with your friend to the University Hospital Emergency Room. (The University Police can transport your friend and you to the hospital).
Q. What if I want to talk with someone afterhours, but I don’t have a real emergency? It’s just that I feel lonely, worried, upset, or angry, or can’t stop crying?
A. In addition to seeking out a residence hall staff member, you can call (anonymously) the Response Hotline, available 24/7, at (631) 751-7500 for support and consultation. A Response Hotline counselor is also available to "talk" with you online M-F, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at: http://www.responsehotline.org/hear2help.html.
Q. Is there a fee at the Counseling Center?
A. NO, there is no fee for our services, including psychiatric services, for students taking 6 or more credits. Students who are not currently enrolled for 6 credits may ask for a consultation for a referral to an outside therapist or psychiatrist.
Q. Are there charges for medications?
A. YES. You may pay for your medication or use your insurance. Please read your insurance policy to learn about your medication coverage. Many of the prescription medications our psychiatrists prescribe are carried in the Student Health Services pharmacy, with the exception of controlled substances. Prescriptions may also be filled at pharmacies near campus.
Q. Is the number of sessions of therapy limited?
We offer brief therapy (up to 10-12 sessions a year as needed depending on the time of the semester). If longer term therapy is indicated, we will provide referrals to local clinicians we recommend who accept your insurance. Occasionally, when an outside referral is not appropriate or cannot be worked out, we will provide longer term treatment when it is medically necessary.
Q. Will my academic records indicate I’ve been in therapy? Will any of this show on my transcript?
A. NO. Therapy records, academic records and transcripts are completely separate. Your legally protected confidentiality prevents disclosure of any counseling information to academic offices or personnel.
Q Are my counseling sessions confidential?
A. It is important that all student know that their sessions are confidential—strictly between you and your counselor, with other UCC or Student Health staff involved only as needed for consultation, e.g., regarding medications or a crisis. The only exceptions to confidentiality occur:
- if you request, by means of a written, signed release that you want your counselor to reveal information to others who you name, such as to an outside therapist
- when we have a concern about your immediate safety or the safety of another
- in cases involving physical and/or sexual abuse of a child
- where requested by subpoena or mandated by court order of state/federal law.
Q. Will my parents find out about my counseling?
A. NO. By law we cannot tell anyone, including a parent, if a student is in counseling except when we have a concern about a student’s safety or the safety of another. When the student is legally a minor (under age 18, unmarried, without children of his/her own, and has not been legally emancipated) informing parents is not automatic and will be discussed with you first.
Q. What if I need more than 10-12 counseling sessions?
A. There are several options:
- You and the counselor decide this right away and help arrange a referral to an outside counselor for long term counseling.
- You and your counselor plan to use some individual sessions at UCC initially and arrange for you to join a therapy group or meditation group at the UCC.
- You and your counselor use some individual sessions at UCC to continue to assess your needs and then help you arrange to see an outside therapist.
- Occasionally, when an outside referral is not appropriate or cannot be worked out, we will provide longer term treatment as medically indicated.
