Counseling Info for Charlotte Families

Support your Student

Counseling Services acknowledges the vital support that parents and family members provide for students.

We strive to assist students in personal, emotional, social, academic and career growth.

For many students, this growth also means moving toward a position of independence and autonomy.

We encourage families to show support to students in ways that foster autonomy. In doing so, parents and family make a “vote of confidence”—reinforcing in students that they have the ability to manage by using appropriate channels.

Preparation for College

Families can do many things to smooth the transition to college life for their students. If you know that your student has special needs or will require more than short-term counseling, preparation is especially important. Some find it helpful to:

• Contact us to obtain referrals to providers in the Charlotte community
• Learn about the student insurance and how it may impact care
• Devise a plan for refilling medications
• Explore transportation options for services
• Email us if we may be able to help with preparations

Consultation

Family members often know a student best and have special insight into their lives. We value greatly the care and concern families show. While we welcome your questions and invite you to consult, we are limited in the nature of information we can share. In the eyes of the law, college students are considered adults and therefore client communications are protected by confidentiality.

Generally, we will be neither able to confirm nor deny that your student is seen in counseling without written consent. However, we will hear your concerns about the student and may be able to offer general information and other suggestions.

Students 18 and over are legally considered adults. Therefore, we request that the student schedule their own appointments. While we can talk with you about your concern for your student, ethical and legal requirements for confidentiality require that we would only be able to share specific information about your student’s attendance at sessions, issues or treatment recommendations only if they have signed a written release allowing us to do so.

Easing the Transition to College Life

There are many things you can do before college to ensure your student’s successful transition to university life. Counseling Services does not provide long term care. If you have concerns about your students mental health, or if there are ongoing psychiatric issues that require long-term counseling, contact us in advance for referrals for local psychiatry, community counselors or other treatment providers.

Additionally, it may be helpful to:

• Plan ahead for medications and refills
• Learn about the school student insurance and its limitations with regards to prescriptions, refills and benefits
• Inform your student of any other insurance coverage
• Counseling cannot be mandated or required for students. For counseling to be effective it must be voluntary. In life-threatening situations, authorities at JWU may require a safety assessment for a student. We do not provide court-ordered treatment or counseling that is involved with litigation.

Crisis Intervention

If you become aware that your student has been making references of harm to self or others, or has been acting out-of-touch with reality, please seek assistance immediately. Counseling Services provides crisis intervention 24 hours a day during the regular academic year.

After clinic hours (evenings, weekends, & breaks), we provide crisis intervention through an on-call system. To initiate crisis response, call the Safety & Security office below

Depending upon the nature of the crisis, officers may contact the counselor-on-call and/or other emergency service personnel.