AA/EO Institution
WesternWashingtonUniversity
CounselingCenter
540 Old MainHours: Monday-Friday 8:30-4:30 360-650-3164
What kinds of concerns do students bring to the center?
WesternWashingtonUniversity’s CounselingCenter staff is available to assist you with the life problems and emotional concerns that may arise while you are a student here at Western. We are fully experienced with common psychological concerns such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, attention deficit disorder, and eating or body image issues. Students also use the services of the CounselingCenter to help improve their lives through healthier relationships, better communication, greater understanding of self, strategies for self-care, and in making choices that are more consistent with their educational and personal goals.
What are the services of the CounselingCenter?
We provide a variety of services free of charge to any WWU student who is enrolled for 6 or more credits.
Within our short-term counseling model we find clients are usually best served with a combination of services tailored to their specific needs. A counselor can help you define your goals and give supportive guidance as you develop the insights, skills, and behaviors which can help you make desired changes in your life. Counselors are also available for consultation and referrals. For many students, participating in our workshops, groups, or skills classes will be a part of their counseling plan. Groups and skills training workshops and classes are offered on a variety of topics each quarter and are listed on our website.
Couple’s counseling can help spouses, romantic partners, or roommates enhance communication, gain understanding of themselves and each other, and work on areas for change. Both members of the couple must be enrolled at Western and eligible for services at the CounselingCenter to receive couple’s counseling.
Self-help materials include books, audiotapes, CDs, videotapes, and DVDs. These may be checked out by students to expand or practice what they are learning in counseling. Additional self-help information is available through our website.
Coordinated services with the StudentHealthCenter provide medical assessment and care, including the prescription and management of medications. Coordinated services with the Prevention and Wellness Program offer health and wellness education, alcohol and drug consultation and assessment (ADCAS), and Consultation and Sexual Assault Support Services (CASAS).
Crisis services are available to students with urgent mental health needs. Information on accessing those services is on the last page of this document.
When I request counseling, what happens first?
You may either visit or call the CounselingCenter to request counseling. You will be scheduled for an initial assessment session so that together we can gain an understanding of your concerns and decide with you the most appropriate resources for assisting you, either within the CounselingCenter, through other services at WWU, or in the Bellingham community. If it is determined that the CounselingCenter provides the most appropriate services for your concerns, the counselor you see for assessment may schedule a follow-up appointment with you or may refer you to another counselor within the CounselingCenter. We also maintain current information on psychological services in the Bellingham community for students who request extended counseling or services by a therapist with particular expertise.
WHAT ARE THE LIMITS TO THE SERVICES PROVIDED?
The Counseling Center provides short-term individual counseling. We also offer on-going opportunities for students to participate in groups and skills training classes to further support students in making their desired changes. For long-standing or more complex issues or issues requiring specialized services, we can assist you by making appropriate campus or community referrals. The Counseling Center does not provide court-mandated services, assessments, documentation, or reports. We can assist students in finding off-campus referrals for these services.
In working with your counselor you may mutually determine that your goals for counseling have been met and you no longer wish to be a current client of the CounselingCenter. You may return to the Counseling Center at any time in the future if you meet the eligibility requirements.
What do I do if I have to miss an appointment?
If you have to miss your appointmentcall the Counseling Center to cancel or reschedule. Itis very important for you to cancel 24 hours in advance if at all possibleso that we can use that appointment hour for another person in need of services.If youmiss your appointment and do not call within the next five working days, wewill assume that you no longer wish to be a current client of the Counseling Center.
Are counselors professionally trained?
Members of our permanent staff are licensed mental health counselors or psychologists who have masters or doctorate degrees and many years of experience working as therapists. We also have graduate trainees on our staff. These trainees are completing their master’s or doctoral degrees from psychology, counseling, or social work programs. They are supervised by licensedpermanent staff of the Counseling Center. You and your assessment counselor will discuss preferences and options for placement with a counselor if you desire individual counseling.
What rights do I have as a client?
You may ask to change counselors at any time. Your counselor will be happy to discuss with you his or her theoretical or therapeutic orientation and the proposed treatment, including any risks, requirements, or expectations that might exist. You have the right to receive care that is nondiscriminatory and the right to confidentiality.
We keep a record of the services we provide you. Some of the information you give to us is stored in electronic format or is managed electronically. We strive to protect the security of our records and maintain practices in accordance with federal and state guidelines. We use appropriate firewall protection, data encryption and password protection to insure the privacy of your information. You may ask us for more information about how our records are stored or transmitted or to review your record. You also may ask us to correct that record if you find it to be in error. We will not disclose your record to others unless you direct us to do so, or unless the law authorizes or compels us to do so (see below).If there is a breach of security of your records, you have the right to be informed of that breach.
You may review and receive a copy of your record in electronic or hardcopy version or obtain more information about it by asking your counselor or the Director of the Counseling Center. We have an ethical obligation to give you the opportunity to review your records with your counselor or the Director of the Counseling Center to ensure that you can ask questions or ask for clarification of the content of the record.
We are accountable for our work with you. If you have concerns about your counselor or the course of counseling, we encourage you to discuss them first with your counselor. You also may talk about them with the Director of the Counseling Center, the Assistant Vice-President of Enrollment and Student Services or the Vice-President of Enrollment and Student Services. You may contact the licensing board of the state, the Department of Health, or the ethics boards of any of a variety of professional organizations such as the American Psychological Association, the American Counseling Association, or the National Association for Social Workers. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated you have the right to express complaints to the above offices and organizations and to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Is information about my counseling ever shared or released to others?
Strict confidentiality is maintained except under certain very specific circumstances as required by federal and state law. They are listed below:
1. When your counselor believes that you are in serious danger of a medical crisis or of harming yourself or someone else, it is our legal and ethical responsibility to act to keep you safe, which may necessitate the release of confidential information. Such action might involve notification of Western’s Suicide Prevention Team, appropriate Enrollment and Student Services or Residence Life administrative staff, or public safety officers to ensure your safety and a safe campus environment.
2. When a counselor has reasonable cause to suspect that abuse to a child or dependent adult is occurring, Washington law requires us to report to the appropriate authorities.
3. When a court of law compels a release of information through a subpoena, we are required to comply.
4. Health information may be disclosed to authorized federal officials who are conducting national security and intelligence activities or providing protective services to the President or other important officials. By law we cannot reveal when we have disclosed such information to the government.
5. In order to provide adequate, coordinated care, information is shared between counselors on the staff or with other professional health care providers on campus, including Health Center providers, the university dietician, or Prevention and Wellness service providers such as ADCAS (Alcohol & Drug Consultation & Assessment Services) and CASAS (Consultation & Sexual Assault Services).Washington law and HIPAA also allow us to communicate with other health professionals and with public health authorities as we deem necessary to safeguard both your health and public health.
6. The Counseling Center is accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services, Inc. (IACS), and our files may be reviewed by our IACS site visitors as a part of our review process.
Otherwise, information can be released only if you sign a form that authorizes a release and specifies what is to be released. Under most circumstances the release is valid for 90 days and can be revoked at any time at your written request.
Please feel free to discuss any of this information with your counselor. To indicate your understanding and agreement to the conditions of our services, please sign in the space below. At your request, we will provide you with a copy of the form you have signed.
In an emergency how do I contact the CounselingCenter?
Between 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday, if you urgently need to speak with a counselor, please call the Counseling Center at 360-650-3164 or stop by our office in Old Main 540.The Client Care Coordinator will schedule an urgent appointment for you as soon as possible with one of our counselors.
When we are closed there are several ways to contact someone for after-hours services:
• Totalk with an off-campus crisis counselor, call the Counseling Center main number at 360-650-3164 and choose option 1 to reach our after-hours services.
• For emergency services, call 911.
• You can go to the Emergency Department at St. Joseph Hospital located at 2901 Squalicum Parkway.
• If you are seeing a counselor, he/she can discuss with you other options for after-hours services in cases of emergency.
SignatureDate
Print your name______Student number ______
Rev 9/16/14