Student Counseling Services

Counseling is a process of self-discovery and growth that will take time, hard work, and patience. Counseling is most effective when you are open, honest and willing to change. The time you spend in counseling will consist of talking about your concerns and/or discussing what is needed to resolve these concerns with your counselor. There will likely be some balance between talking about your current experiences, as well as discussing how past experiences or future concerns may have contributed to these concerns and learning new skills to help you manage or resolve these concerns. The exact focus and balance of your counseling experience will depend on the issues you bring into therapy and your counselor's perspective. In order to get the most out of your counseling experience, you may potentially be assigned "homework" and be asked to apply the techniques or changes you have discussed in session in your life outside of session.

Student Counseling Services counselors will help provide a safe place for you to express your thoughts and feelings and help you work toward resolving your concerns. Your counselor will provide an unbiased and non-judgmental perspective on your concerns and experiences. While counselors are unlikely to give you direct advice and cannot directly solve your problems for you, your counselor may explain certain concepts and/or equip you with skills or tools to help you address your concerns.

Your counselor's goal is to help you increase your resilience while decreasing your need for counseling support.

For more information about the Student Counseling Services Counselors.

Due to confidentiality, Student Counseling Services maintains its own records separate from the university. The information collected is important to your counselor and should be available for your counselor to review prior to the start of the counseling session.

Students are expected to complete their paperwork at least 1 hour prior to their scheduled appointment.

All paperwork must be completed in one sitting on the day of your appointment. 
*excluding annual pre-appointment paperwork completed upon scheduling first appointment

Upon scheduling your first Student Counseling Services appointment, you will receive an outlook calendar appointment with instructions as well as the link to access our online paperwork system and the Microsoft teams link for the appointment.

Ongoing Services Paperwork

If new to Student Counseling Services or returning for start of a new academic year

• Please complete Pre-Appointment Paperwork including 2 Collaborators/emergency contacts. This should take approximately 15-25 minutes to complete.
• On day of screening appointment or first session at least 1 hour in advance please complete the CCAPS 62. This should take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.

Students returning for ongoing sessions fill out CCAPS 34 prior to each appointment at least 1 hour in advance indicating your psychological symptoms and concerns over the last two weeks. This should take approximately 3-5 minutes to complete.

Crisis Services Paperwork

To request a crisis session, please call Student Counseling Services during office hours to speak with our front desk staff at (386) 822-8900. The link to access our online paperwork system will be sent to you. Please complete the Request for Immediate Service paperwork for a crisis appointment. An appointment is usually scheduled within 24-72 hours.

Immediate Crisis support is available 24/7 by calling 386-822-8740 to be connected to the Volusia County Crisis Response Team.
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or others, select option 1. For all other mental health needs, select option 7.  

If new to Student Counseling Services or returning for the start of a new academic year

• On the day of your crisis appointment at least 1 hour in advance please complete Crisis Walk-In paperwork including 2 Collaborators/emergency contacts. This should take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete.
• When you return for your next appointment, please complete the Crisis Follow Up paperwork. This should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

Students returning for Ongoing sessions fill out CCAPS 34 prior to each appointment at least 1 hour in advance indicating your psychological symptoms and concerns over the last two weeks. This should take approximately 3-5 minutes to complete.

Students who are interested in setting up an appointment must personally call or email Student Counseling Services during regular office hours. Scheduling by a third-party is strongly discouraged; however, you can show support by calling Student Counseling Services with someone if they wish.

To schedule an appointment, please call (386) 822-8900 or email [email protected] during office hours: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed daily from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch).

Students who are new to Student Counseling Services, or who have not attended counseling within the last year, will be asked to evaluate which service best fits your needs through one of the four levels of consultation appointments. The more specific you are about specifying your reason for seeking counseling, the easier it will be for us to get you scheduled. We understand your situation is unique, cannot be fully described and that a feeling of emergency or crisis is defined by you. In our effort to best serve each student, we will respond according to your description of your consultation need (see levels below):

Level 1: Emergency Consultations

This level is for students experiencing a crisis and in need of an immediate consultation with a clinician.
Examples:

• I intend to kill myself.
• I intend to harm myself or someone else.
• I am currently seeing things or hearing voices others are not.
• My immediate safety is at risk.
• I have recently been sexually or physically assaulted.

Level 2: Urgent Consultations

This level is for students experiencing significant distress or psychological difficulties in need of an urgent consultation with a clinician.
Examples:

• Someone close has recently received a serious diagnosis or died.
• I have recently experienced a significant trauma trigger
• I have recently been discharged from a psychiatric hospital and need help finding follow-up care in the community.
• I have been referred by a Faculty or Staff member to help me find follow-up care in the community.
• I have recently experienced a bias incident.

Level 3: Initial Screening appointment

This is the most common level of need for students seeking counseling services. This appointment will allow for brief information-gathering in order to determine the best-recommended care for the individual student. The counselor who conducts this appointment may not necessarily become the student's primary counselor. Depending on their needs many students will be referred to one of our counseling groups.
Common concerns bringing students to an Initial Screening include, but are not limited to:

• I am experiencing anxiety and/or stress.
• I feel depressed and/or have low mood/energy.
• I am concerned about my alcohol and/or drug use.
• I am having difficulty adjusting to a recent change.
• I am having relationship(s) problems.
• I am unsure about something significant in my future.
• I have been referred by a Faculty or Staff member for behavioral, academic, or personal issues not putting me at immediate risk for safety.

Initial Screening Appointment Times

All Initial Screenings are a 20-minute appointment with the screening counselor.

Screening appointments are available:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 10:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Friday at 11:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Appointments are usually scheduled in advance. However, you can contact our office at (386) 822-8900 or email [email protected] to see if an Initial Screening appointment slot is available for the same day.
All initial screenings will be offered via teletherapy using Microsoft Teams.

Note: Students are expected to complete their paperwork at least 1 hour prior to their scheduled appointment.

Level 4: Single Session Consultations

If you are unsure about your need for on-going counseling but want assistance for the following reasons (please indicate the reason for the appointment when you call):

• I have a specific emotional concern or question that can probably be resolved in a single appointment.
• I need to make a major decision in the next 2-3 days.
• I am concerned about someone else (a friend, roommate, etc.).
• I am seeking a referral for medication or counseling elsewhere.

Unsure of how to schedule ongoing sessions? Our services map explains how it all works.

Consultation

Consultative services are available for faculty/staff members, parents, friends of students, etc. who are concerned about a Stetson University student. Consultations consist of confidential phone calls or virtual meetings with a counselor to discuss the individual's concerns. Guidance, helpful resources and referrals may be provided so that the student may be supported.

Group Screening Appointment

If a student is referred to a group, the next step in the process is to complete a group screening appointment which is approximately 20 minutes in length. During the group screening appointment, you will meet the facilitator(s), learn about the group and have the opportunity to discuss any concerns, ask questions, and determine whether or not the group is a good fit for you and your needs. For more information about available groups.

Group Counseling

Groups of 6 to 10 individuals meet weekly to provide peer connection and group support regarding a specific topic.

For more information about group counseling

Individual Counseling

Individual counseling is a 45-minute confidential meeting with a counselor to discuss the student's concerns. The goal of individual counseling is to provide short-term support to help the student gain insights and skills to build personal and academic resilience. The process may include assessment of the problem, brief solution-focused counseling and support with difficult events or circumstances. The counselor may also suggest a referral to additional resources on campus or in the community.

Couples and Relationship Counseling

When appropriate, Couples and Relationship Counseling focuses on the challenges of our interpersonal connections regardless of whether it concerns romantic partners, friends or roommates. If a student interested in this type of counseling is already working with a counselor, they may discuss this option with their counselor.

Note: Both individuals in the relationship-seeking counseling must be enrolled students of Stetson University.

Crisis Counseling

Crisis counseling may be needed when a student is experiencing distress related to a recent loss of a loved one or traumatic events, such as a serious threat to safety, as well as a recent assault or bias incident, or a disaster.

Crisis support is available at any time or location by calling 386-822-8740 to be connected to the Volusia County Crisis Response Team. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or others, select option 1. For all other mental health needs, select option 7. 

Note: Office appointments should be requested/made during office hours. The Volusia County Crisis Response Team is not a proper channel for requesting an appointment with Student Counseling Services.

Who provides the After-hours Crisis Support?

Stetson University's Student Counseling Services is partnering with the Volusia County Crisis Response Team to provides 24/7 crisis support to students. When utilizing the after-hours support, students are able to receive support at any time from any location by calling 386-822-8740.

• If you having thoughts of harming yourself or others, select option 1.
• For all other mental health needs, select option 7.

What is considered a crisis?

The term crisis is subjective and everyone defines it differently. If you are dealing with concerns such as thoughts of harming yourself or others, panic attacks, a recent assault or bias incident, trauma triggers and flashbacks, recent loss of a loved one, or any other situation where you may want to speak to someone immediately for emotional support, it's considered a crisis.  In these instances, we would rather you call the Volusia County Crisis Response Team for immediate support instead of waiting for our office to open or schedule an appointment with one of our counselors.  We still encourage you to follow up by scheduling an appointment with someone in our office for continued support. Your emotional wellbeing is important, so please don't hesitate to use these resources.

Referrals

There may be times when a student may benefit from or wish to work with on- or off-campus resources, which may include tutoring and writing support with Academic Success, formal testing (e.g., ADHD, learning disability, etc.), working with an outside counselor or psychiatrist, etc. In these cases, Student Counseling Services may refer students to on-campus resources or provide local resources that students may utilize.

Student Counseling Services does not recommend or refer to any particular provider; the resources given will simply represent local services that may be beneficial to the student.

Educational Presentations or Event Support

A variety of educational presentations may be conducted throughout the academic year. Educational presentations may be presented to faculty, staff, administrators, student leaders and groups. Several available presentations are readily available; others may be developed upon request. DevelopED provides a complete list of educational presentations. The presentations offered by Student Counseling Services can be found in the Wellness category. These presentations can be requested directly from that page.

To request event support please Submit an Event Request online.

Student Counseling Services' Outreach Coordinator will receive your request and will follow-up with you.

* There are many Stetson partners who also provide presentations, training and other programming. Based on the type or content of the request, Student Counseling Services reserves the right to recommend that other campus partners may collaborate with Student Counseling Services and/or fulfill the requestor's presentation or training request. In such a case, Student Counseling Services' Outreach Coordinator will contact the requestor with this feedback, as well as information regarding who the requestor should contact to fulfill their needs.

Ongoing individual counseling are scheduled for 45 minutes. Our standard of care is that ongoing appointments are scheduled every other week. The number of counseling appointments (or length of treatment) will be consistent with the client's concerns, interventions used, and course of treatment. You and your counselor will regularly discuss your counseling progress and your readiness to complete your counseling experience.

Please note that due to a higher volume of appointments during peak times (beginning and end of the semester, and mid-terms), appointment availability may be limited. Please communicate with your counselor regarding any concerns you have about your appointments during peak times.

Arrival Time

For virtual sessions, please arrive at least 1-2 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment. For in-person sessions or groups, please arrive 5-10 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment. Students are expected to complete their paperwork at least 1 hour prior to their scheduled appointment. Doing so will ensure you are seen on time.

Late Arrival

In order to be respectful of your counselor's time, please call Student Counseling Services if you are going to be more than 5 minutes late. Your session will still end at the scheduled time. Students arriving more than 15 minutes late for their session may be asked to reschedule their appointment for another date and time.

Appointment Reminders

Email and text message appointment reminders will be sent within 1-4 days of your scheduled appointment. Note, we do not have the ability to reply to text messages.

Appointment Cancellation

If you will be unable to attend your appointment, please call or email to cancel or reschedule your appointment 24 hours in advance, or as early as possible. Appointments are in high demand and your consideration of calling early will give another student the possibility to be seen in a timely manner.

Physical Illness

If you are sick, we encourage you to tend to your physical wellness, as well as respect your counselor's health and the health of others who access our services and reschedule your appointment. If you are noticing any symptoms of or recovering from illness, let us know and we can convert your scheduled appointment to a telehealth session.

No Excuse Policy

Student Counseling Services discourages student clients from missing any classes or required activities in order to attend a counseling session. Student Counseling Services does not provide excuses for student clients who miss class(es) due to mental health issues/concerns. Student clients who miss class due to mental health concerns or crisis are encouraged to consult their syllabus and notify their faculty if they will/will not be able to attend class.