Scope of Practice and Services

Scope of Practice

St. Lawrence University’s Counseling Center’s goal is to help you with personal mental health concerns you may have during your time at St. Lawrence University. The counseling center provides solution-focused individual therapy, crisis intervention, emergency and general consultation, preventative mental health outreach, and group therapy. The Counseling Center utilizes a short-term therapy model to meet the high demand for services. Generally, students are seen biweekly, however the counselor and student will discuss the frequency and duration of counseling as needed. Often times therapeutic goals are accomplished within 6-8 sessions. Counseling services are available to enrolled students who are residing on campus or in the local community during the academic semesters.

Students who require specialized treatment or long-term therapy may be referred to community resources or tele-counseling specialized services. The Counseling Center may provide referral services during the initial session, or at any time during treatment where the need becomes apparent.

Some of the concerns that are commonly addressed through a referral to services outside of the Counseling Center include:

  • History of multiple hospitalizations
  • Frequent and disruptive self-injurious behaviors, or history of repeated suicide attempts
  • Evidence or risk of progressive deterioration in mental or emotional functioning that requires intensive intervention
  • Need for intensive substance abuse treatment/detox
  • Evidence of an eating disorder that poses a medical danger or that requires more intensive treatment.
  • Request for formal psychological or psychoeducational evaluations.
  • Clear indications of a need for more intensive or specialized services

 The above listed examples are general guidelines to assist in treatment decisions. Students’ presenting concerns are evaluated individually with the mental health provider and the Health and Counseling team to guide appropriate care.

Services:

Individual Counseling

This service provides an opportunity for self-focused exploration of feelings, attitudes, and behaviors in a collaborative process between you and your counselor to address the issues that are concerning you. Our goal is to provide an open, supportive, and confidential environment to facilitate your exploration of your personal and interpersonal life. Counseling sessions are generally biweekly and are focused on a brief therapy model. 

Substance Misuse Counseling

Substance abuse counseling is available for students needing or wishing to learn more about harm reduction strategies related to alcohol and other substances. A brief model of care is utilized for any substance misuse concerns. An assessment completed at the first session may involve short term follow up at the SLU counseling center or a referral to community resources when longer term support or intensive services are needed.

Support Groups

Groups offer the experience of interacting meaningfully with others in a supportive environment. They may be arranged around a common issue or topic and vary from semester to semester.

Psychiatric Consultation

We are an integrated center and work closely with health center providers around medication management for mental health. We have a consulting psychiatrist for limited hours for students that require a higher level of medication management. A referral to our psychiatrist is required through a health or counseling provider at SLU.

Education and outreach

Counselors are available for small group workshops centered on education of mental health topics and stress management skills. If your club, organization or student group is interested in having a counselor provide a workshop please contact us. This service may be unavailable during our peak periods of service in the semester. We recommend contacting the counseling center early in the semester to schedule a workshop.

Faculty/Staff Training

QPR (1 hour)

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer – the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. People trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help (QPR Institute).

Identifying and Assisting Distressed Students (1 hour)

Learn about common struggles of college students and ways to recognize students who may need more support. Learn tips for communicating with students of concern.  Gain awareness of available resources and how to encourage students to connect with support services at SLU.

After hours urgent and crisis support (315-229-1914)

SLU 24/7  crisis and  counseling helpline is nationwide, international and is available for all enrolled St. Lawrence University Students. If you or a friend are experiencing a mental health crisis, or need in the moment support please contact: 315-229-1914

If there is a concern for someone’s immediate safety please call security at: 315-229-5555

Other crisis resources:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988

Crisis text: 741-741
Reach Out: 315-265-2422

The Trevor Helpline (LGBTQ): 1-866-488-7386
Renewal House: 315-379-9845
Advocates Sexual Violence Hotline: 315-244-5466