Referring Students for Counseling

In many instances you may be the right person at the right time to make an intervention that brings about an improved situation for your student. He/she may seek you out because they trust your judgment and support. Your timely help in problem solving may be just what is needed.

If however, the student's concerns are chronic or severe or overstep your time boundaries or limits of expertise, a referral to the Counseling Center, or to an appropriate student support service may be in order.

There are two ways to access the Counseling Center.
We have drop-in hours Monday and Wednesday 9:30 - 11:30 and Tuesday and Thursday 1:30 - 3:30. During these times a counselor is available to meet with students to explore counseling needs. If these times do not work, a special appointment can be made.

Explain your concerns to the student and say why you think assistance would be helpful. By having students call or drop-in for a counseling appointment themselves, you increase their sense of responsibility. However, offering to help the student schedule an appointment as a gesture of support may be useful. It may also help if you give us a "heads up" on what to expect.

There are times when it is more advantageous for you to make an appointment for the student and to accompany him or her to the appropriate office.