About Student Counseling Services

Mission

As members of the staff of Student Counseling Services, we support the mission and values of the university and that of the Division of Campus Life and Student Success. We promote the holistic wellness, self-exploration and personal growth of our students through confidential counseling, outreach and programming, consultation, crisis response and connection with campus and community partners. We assist students in defining and accomplishing their personal and academic goals, daring them to lead a life of significance.

Vision

Student Counseling Services makes a significant contribution to the Stetson University community. We provide a proactive, responsive and effective service for students, faculty and staff. The staff of Student Counseling Services is committed to providing ethical, competent and current services consistent with national best practices in professional counseling. We continually meet the changing needs of our growing and diversifying student population while helping to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and help-seeking behavior. We are proud to provide professional counseling services, free of charge, to Stetson University's students.

Student Counseling Services realizes its mission and vision by:

• Delivering individual, couple, group counseling services, crisis response, threat assessment, consultative guidance, as well as outreach and educational programming;
• Providing a safe, welcoming, inclusive and caring environment where concerns of any nature may be shared freely and confidentially;
• Employing evidence-based, culturally sensitive, clinical practice consistent with student concerns;
• Facilitating students' self-exploration and awareness and fostering intrapersonal and interpersonal development and growth;
• Connecting students with additional resources and services in support of the whole person;
• Empowering students to develop and maintain resilience, autonomy and self-advocacy; and
• Promoting awareness and integration of the dimensions of wellness to support a healthy and diverse learning community.

Student Counseling Services staff are trained in building their own cultural competence to be able to work with students of different identities, ethnicities, values and beliefs, by providing an unbiased and non-judgmental perspective. We strive to promote equity and inclusivity through our work with students, and by providing support and advocacy for their diverse needs.

The staff follows the ethical and multicultural standards set forth by the American Counseling Association and other professional organizations of which each individual counselor is a member.

While the dynamics of systemic racism may have finally registered in the mainstream national consciousness, this awareness does not eradicate the pain these dynamics have caused, and continue to cause, the African-American community. Therefore, following a thorough review of constructive feedback regarding how Student Counseling Services (SCS) can better support our students of color during this period of increased distress, we have added a bias-incident option to our Request for Immediate Services form. Additionally, we have increased our availability for daily walk-in/log-in counseling appointments.

To create lasting systemic change, we have created a departmental plan which includes the following commitments:

• Compare department and campus-wide demographic data annually to actively close any gaps in our service to historically marginalized groups.
• Gather feedback from students on barriers and perceptions of counseling annually.
• Offer a Diversity Support Group focused on racism in collaboration with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
• Offer advocacy and support to students experiencing bias.
• Require graduate counseling trainees to receive diversity, equity and inclusion training.
• Update our Mission, Vision, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement.
• Continue to use inclusive language on our website and forms and audit regularly.
• Complete an organizational self-assessment of cultural competence as part of our external review process.
• Continue to learn, grow and listen.
• Add to this plan as new opportunities arise to address systemic racism and support our students.

While it is necessary to keep records of services in order to comply with standards of care and fulfill legal and ethical requirements, you can be assured that no record of counseling is ever part of your academic or any other university file. No information about your counseling will be communicated to anyone without your written authorization except under the following circumstances:

• If you are under 18 years of age, your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) may have access to your records and may authorize their release to other parties.
• If you are determined to be in clear and immediate danger of harming yourself or someone else.
• If you disclose sexual misconduct by a therapist.
• If you disclose abuse or neglect of children, the elderly or disabled persons.
• To qualified personnel for certain kinds of program audits or evaluations.
• In criminal court proceedings.
• In legal or regulatory actions against a professional.
• In proceedings in which a claim is made about one's physical, emotional or mental condition.
• When disclosure is relevant in any suit affecting the parent-child relationship.
• Where otherwise legally required.

The professional staff at Student Counseling Services confer with one another in order to provide the best possible care.