Counseling Services
Fall & Spring Semester Hours: Monday - Thursday, 8am-4pm, 4-6pm by appointment only
Friday, 8am-4pm
If interested in mental health services, students should call the Counseling Center (610-436-2301) or come to the Counseling Center to schedule a triage appointment. Triage hours are Monday-Friday, 1-3pm. We encourage students to schedule their triage appointments earlier in the day, as the appointments are scheduled on a first come, first serve basis and tend to fill up quickly. If your call is not answered, please leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible.
Triage appointments will be occurring via phone and students will either be sent an email with forms to complete or complete the forms in the office. These forms must be completed in order to participate in the triage phone call.
During the triage session, students will discuss their concerns and options for counseling moving forward. Options may include: short-term individual counseling (either virtually or in-person) with a Counseling Center counselor, group therapy at the Counseling Center, or obtaining off-campus referrals for longer-term or specialized counseling via our referral specialist.
The Counseling Center's services are confidential, this includes any reports of sexual misconduct. Please be advised that due to licensure rules, we may be limited in our ability to provide virtual counseling to students who will be located outside of Pennsylvania.
If a student is experiencing a mental health emergency during business hours (Monday – Friday from 8 AM – 4 PM) and they need to talk to someone immediately, please call the Counseling Center (610-436-2301) or come to the Counseling Center office in Lawrence 241.
A mental health emergency is defined as:
- Suicidal thoughts with plan and intent
- Homicidal thoughts with plan and intent to harm another
- Survivor of a recent traumatic event (e.g., victim of a mugging, sexual assault, recent death)
- Experiencing hallucinations (visual or auditory)
Other resources if you are experiencing a mental health emergency:
- Call 988
- Crisis Text Line: text “HOME” to 741741
- Domestic Violence Hotline: call 1-800-799-7233 OR text “LOVEIS” to 22522
- Crisis Resources by County
Referring a Student to the Counseling Center
There are various reasons why you might want to refer a student for counseling . Some examples include:
- The student's problems are interfering with their academic work and experience in your class.
- The student's well-being is suffering, they are struggling socially, with self-care, in school, etc.
- Observations of the student's personal behavior raises concerns.
- When you believe a student's problems go beyond your own experience and expertise.
- When you feel uncomfortable helping a student with some issue.
Students experience stress differently and sometimes their concerns can be relatively transient. If you are uncertain or have questions on how to respond to a situation, consult with a counselor in the Counseling Center about how to evaluate the situation and follow the most appropriate steps.
When encouraging a student to seek counseling:
- Summarize to them what you are hearing from them and how you understand their difficulty (For example, "It sounds like you are feeling really overwhelmed by all of your stressors and it's making it difficult to get to class.").
- Talk about resources and how the Counseling Center may be helpful (For example, "I have found that other students who felt that way have been helped by talking to a counselor at the Counseling Center.").
- When talking about counseling, it is important to keep in mind some of the concerns a student may have to the idea and be ready to discuss them.
- It can be helpful to explain what happens when they come to the Counseling Center and that counseling is confidential (parents/family/friends won't know and it doesn't show up on their transcript!).
NOTE: Limits to confidentiality include danger to oneself or others, in which case proper authorities must be notified for the student's safety.
Counseling Center Charges
- There is no charge for counseling appointments with the Counseling Center Counselors.
Individual Counseling
Personal Counseling consists of a one-to-one counseling experience where the focus is upon:
- resolving personal conflicts,
- resolving conflicts with others, and
- improving your expertise at making personally meaningful choices.
It may also help some people to avoid decisions which restrict their personal growth and undermine their well-being.
Note: The Counseling Center ascribes to a brief therapy form of treatment. Once you have had a triage appointment and if assigned to a counselor, you will work in conjunction with that individual to determine your level of need. Having well-defined goals in therapy often leads to better treatment outcomes.
Group Counseling
Each semester a number of Counseling Center counselors and doctoral-level trainees lead (or co-lead) groups. The groups vary depending on the needs of the students and the special interests of the group leaders. In the past, groups have been offered with a particular focus on stress and anxiety, relationship issues, problem-solving groups, and loss and grief issues. View our current list of group counseling services offered for more information.
Group Counseling is a form of treatment that focuses on the interpersonal relationships and social interactions that are a fundamental part of a group experience. Groups meet at regularly scheduled times and typically consist of 6 to 8 members.
The process of "counseling" takes place as group members interact with one another and explore problems with everyone in the group; members gain insight into their own patterns of behaviors while still offering support to others.
The Counseling Center strives to provide a safe and comfortable place on campus where students can work through their problems. An added benefit of group counseling is that it inherently helps students who struggle with social interactions. Most groups are comprised of students from different majors, backgrounds, and life experiences but all of this adds to the wealth of insight that can be gleaned when group members come together to share and focus on problem resolution.
FAQs
Off-Campus Referrals
The Counseling Center has a Clinical Case & Referral Specialist who can assist students with connecting to mental health resources off-campus:
The Clinical Case & Referral Specialist, or Clinical Case Manager (CCM), can assist students who are seeking off campus therapy, medication management, testing/evaluation for mental health concerns, or are interested in services outside of the scope of the WCU Counseling Center (e.g., documentation, court-mandated counseling, etc.). Students can meet with the CCM in person, over Zoom, or choose to receive referrals via email. If choosing to meet either in person or over Zoom appointments are usually 30 minutes to one hour. During the appointments the CCM can assist with reviewing and understanding insurance coverage, different levels and types of care, and support you through the process of getting connected off campus. Whichever option you choose, the CCM will stay connected with you until you are scheduled or decide that you are no longer interested in services.
You can contact the Counseling Center at 610-436-2301 with any questions or to start the process to connect to the CCM.
Thriving Campus
ThrivingCampus is an online directory that allows students to search for an off-campus licensed mental health clinicians and other providers, many of whom specialize in working with college students. Click here to access ThrivingCampus where you can search and contact an off campus provider.
Off-Campus Counseling Resources
Helpful Resources:
- How to Determine Your Insurance Benefits
- Navigating Accessing Mental Health Treatment Off Campus
- How to Make Your First Appointment
Dog Therapy
Crisis Intervention
During the Work Day (Monday - Friday, 8am-4pm)
Students who are in urgent need of mental health assistance may call or come to the Counseling Center and indicate that they are experiencing a mental health emergency.
Click here to help distinguish what is a mental health emergency.
After Hours or When Classes are Not in Session
The mental health crisis service may be accessed by contacting:
National Crisis Lifeline: 988
Valley Creek Crisis Intervention: 610-280-3270
Public Safety Office: 610-436-3311
Psychiatric Services
The Counseling Center has a consulting psychiatrist available to assist in evaluations and follow up where medication may be necessary as an adjunct to counseling. This service is available to students who are in an on-going counseling relationship with a department counselor and may not be accessed independently.
Students who have completed their short-term therapy at the Counseling Center but are still in need of medication must transfer that to a private provider (outside psychiatrist or PCP). The student may work with our Case Manager to find a provider but medication management is up to the student after the therapy terminates at the Counseling Center.
Consultation
Counseling Center counselors are available to consult with faculty, staff, and students via phone. On occasion, university community members call out of concern for another student's mental health. counselors in the Counseling Center will listen to your concerns and assist you in finding ways to deal with the presenting situation.
How to Make a Referral to the Counseling Center
Encourage the student to come to the Counseling Center's Triage Hours. During the Fall and Spring semesters, students come through our Triage hours (Monday - Friday, 1-3pm) to get connected with counseling services. If it is during Winter or Summer Session, the student can call to make a triage appointment.
If you are concerned about the student's safety, you can call the Counseling Center to consult with a counselor or walk the student over to the Counseling Center. It can be helpful to call ahead if you are walking a student in crisis over, in order to give the office a heads up.
The Counseling Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00am until 4:00pm when classes are in session.
Any life-threatening mental health emergencies that occur after-hours are handled by contacting Public Safety at 610-436-3311.
Drug & Alcohol Counseling
We have a Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Counselor on campus in the Counseling Center. Students who are motivated to reduce their alcohol or drug consumption are allowed one-on-one sessions with this counselor. As with all counseling services, interested students should come to the Counseling Center during one of the posted triage times for a brief assessment.
Due to demand and limited resources, the AOD Counselor will not meet with students who have been court-ordered. Those students who have been court-ordered to receive an assessment and/or treatment must use resources outside the school. We will not provide verification of therapy for mandated treatment. Please meet with the Case Manager for assistance.