For Students

Individual counseling is provided in a safe and non-judgmental atmosphere at no cost to the student. In individual counseling, you will meet privately with a counselor to talk about the personal problems you are having. A counselor will listen, clarify, and help you sort out your problems and work collaboratively with you to set goals and address your needs.

Common reasons why students seek counseling include (among others) loneliness and adjustment, depression or anxiety, sexual orientation and identity issues, family or relationship difficulties, grief, sexual assault, substance abuse, eating disorders and body image.

Scheduling an Appointment
The initial intake appointment for counseling is approximately 90 minutes; follow-up counseling sessions are 50 minutes. Students may call our office and usually see a counselor within a week. In urgent situations, they can be seen sooner. 

Cases are assigned to the first available clinician with consideration of the student’s requests regarding schedule, treatment needs, clinician’s specialty and gender, and other specific requests whenever possible.

To schedule an appointment, call the Student Counseling Center at 401-598-1016, or stop by our Downcity office, located on the 2nd floor of Wales Hall. Before you visit, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with our preliminary documentation: About Our Services (70K PDF), About Medical Withdrawals (40K PDF) and Confidentiality Statement (70K PDF).

Group counseling
Group counseling is a form of psychotherapy that usually involves 4-10 clients and one or two experienced group therapists. Most therapy groups meet every week at the same time for 1-1 1/2 hours. During a session, therapists and group members work hard to make it a safe and confidential place to explore relationships.

Confidentiality Information shared in a group or individual counseling session or through testing will be treated by our staff with strict confidentiality and is protected to the full extent of the law. Even the fact that someone comes to the Center is held in confidence. Exceptions to confidentiality occur as a safeguard against danger to oneself or to others, including child abuse, or in the case of a court order.

Consultation services
Faculty, staff, student, friends and parents are encouraged to consult our staff with any psychological concerns.

Crisis intervention
The Counseling Center provides coverage throughout the day so that students in crisis may be assisted immediately. Consulting with a staff member at this time may prevent the situation from developing into a more severe problem.

After business hours, crisis services are accessed by calling Safety and Security at 401-598-1103. Depending on the nature of the crisis, they in turn may page an on-call counselor or other emergency services.

Educational Programming
Members of our staff are available to provide a variety of presentations for student groups, residence halls, classes, etc. Topics include (but are not limited to) stress management, relationships, alcohol and/or drug abuse, and coping with depression.

We've just launched a suicide prevention training program called “Question, Persuade and Refer” (QPR). Each 2-hour session focuses on effective, timely intervention strategies to assist a student in distress.
 

Mental Health Screenings To help determine whether or not professional consultation might be helpful to you, MentalHealthScreening.org provides free, anonymous screenings for a range of mental health issues. These screening tests are simple to take and completely anonymous.

Marijuana Use Assessment Concerned about your marijuana use? eCheckup to Go is a free, confidential screening tool to help you assess your usage. It takes 10-15 minutes to complete, is self-guided and requires no face-to-face contact with a counselor or administrator. Answering each question truthfully and accurately will give you helpful feedback regarding your use and how it might be affecting your relationships, life and career goals, and overall health.

Online screening is not meant to replace the need to consult with a health care professional. If a screening test raises concerns, we encourage you to follow up by using the free and confidential services of the Center. Contact us at 401-598-1016.

Disclaimer: These screening sites are owned, operated and maintained by an outside organization. They are provided as a resource and should not be construed as an endorsement by Johnson & Wales University of the content or views expressed within the linked materials.