The Counseling Center offers a range of free professional services to students wanting help with personal concerns. We work with psychological problems, relationship and family issues, academic and personal stress, and crisis situations. Students are initially seen by an individual counselor. Continuing services, if needed, may be offered in the form of individual, couple, family, or group meetings, depending on what best matches the student's need. We also provide consultation to friends, faculty, and parents concerned about a student in distress. Please feel free to explore our site using the menu located on the left side of the page.

The Counseling Center is accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services, Inc.

Response to Flat Hat article “Students Criticize College’s Treatment of Depression”
published April 25, 2008

This letter is intended for any students who are considering counseling but are concerned about comments made in the above referenced article.  We certainly respect the opinions of the two students quoted in the article but are concerned that the article intended to portray their experiences as being representative of how the Counseling Center and the College deal with issues of depression and suicidality.

This past week, we have responded to a number of students who are upset that the article is not representative of the treatment they have received.  They have requested that we write this message for fear that other students in pain may not access services due to the article. 

Please consider the following information:

• For each entering class, we will see over 1/3 of that class before they graduate for an average of 10 sessions.
• 75% of the students who use our services report feeling moderately to severely depressed.
• 30% of the students who use our services report having suicidal thoughts; they remain on campus and are engaged in treatment at the Counseling Center.
• Almost 90% of the students assessed during on-call emergencies remain on campus and are engaged in treatment at the Counseling Center.
• Average wait time for a student to be scheduled to see a counselor for non-emergencies is 1 ½ days; for crises, the student is seen the same day.
• 89% rated our services highly; 90% indicated the services helped them deal more effectively with their problem; 95% said they would recommend the Center’s services to a friend; 60% reported our services played an important role in them remaining at school.
• The College’s intervention program to deal with student crises (Medical Emotional Emergency Protocol) is regarded nationally as one of the best and most therapeutically effective intervention programs and has been emulated by many universities.  We receive calls on a weekly basis to share our College’s protocol.
• We receive letters each year from students who express appreciation for our emergency protocol as an important step in their recovery, often claiming that it saved their lives.

This information, as well as a full three pages of additional information, was provided to the Flat Hat over two weeks before the article was published.  It included access to full information about the College’s emergency protocol and our services, the individualized approach we take to managing the complex dynamics of depression and suicidality, and an offer to further discuss these issues.  This information was not used in the article and the article was published in the final issue of the year when there was no opportunity to clarify inaccuracies.  When it comes to mental health services, our community’s media has an important responsibility to communicate accurate information because the consequences are too serious and too tragic.

If you are a student who is considering counseling but have questions about our services, please schedule a consult with one of us.  We will answer your questions openly and honestly so that you can make an independent decision as to whether our services are right for you.  We will also help connect you to community resources if you prefer.  It is not a failure of self-sufficiency to reach out for help.  In fact, we believe one of the most self-sufficient, independent things students can do is to utilize supportive resources available to them.  On a daily basis, we are inspired by students who are courageously working through important personal issues.  We want you to consider us a safe, inclusive, supportive resource.

The Counseling Center Staff