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Student Conduct

Frequently Asked Questions

How does counseling work?

A student counseling professional will help you to clarify problems, set goals and take steps to achieve the goals. The assessment gives your counselor a picture of not only the way you think and feel but also helps them to understand your past history and background that has contributed to how you perceive your surroundings and environment. It is important to know that counseling is a very individual process and the length of services (regardless of number of allotted sessions) will vary based on a person’s needs.

To make your first appointment CLICK HERE.  Read through the FAQ and at the bottom of the portal page you will be asked to submit 3 documents, your submission will not work unless you complete the 3 uploads:

i. Government Issued ID (ie: driver’s license, ID, passport)
ii. School ID
iii. Copy of official school schedule – must be a screen shot from WEBSTAR that includes your name
and N#

Within 1 business day you will receive a phone call to be scheduled with a Triage/Screening appointment. Triage/Screening appointments can be made up to 24 hours in advance and the available times for appointments varies by day and location. The best time to call is at 8:30am.

 

If coming into the office, there will be a comfortable, therapeutic environment where you can explore your current challenges. A counselor who is professionally trained and licensed will discuss with you the reasons you chose this service. Your counselor will be respectful and attentive, will listen and ask questions, and will address your concerns with you.

Should you participate via the HIPPA compliant telehealth option, please make note of the following:

You will need a computer, laptop, or smartphone with a microphone, speakers, and a camera for audio and/or videoconferencing. You will need to use a reliable and secure internet connection rather than public or free wifi. You will need to have space that ensures your privacy (you are alone in the room and others cannot hear you), has enough lighting, and is free from distractions and/or interruptions.

Individual, couples, family and group counseling are provided for all full and part-time enrolled students. Service delivery utilizing a brief therapy model is used and each student is eligible for 10 counseling sessions per year at no cost. If seeing a psychiatrist, students are charged a nominal fee that may be covered by many insurance companies and the Office Manager will assist to determine eligibility and fees. The counselor’s goal is to build upon the student’s current skill sets for positive behavioral change. Services are provided by licensed counselors and a psychiatrist.

A 30-minute Screening / Triage Session is available daily for all new students and students returning for services after being discharged. During the Screening Session, students will meet with a counselor and collaboratively determine a plan to best address their need(s). Treatment services will then be scheduled based on the option agreed upon.

REGIONAL CAMPUSES: Your first appointment is a 60-minute assessment that will either help you manage your current circumstances, or it will be utilized to determine your treatment moving forward.
All full and part time students receive 10 free sessions per year, plus the Triage Screening Session and the
Assessment. The service years begins on the day of your first Triage Screening Session and this date becomes
your anniversary date. On every anniversary date, you will once again be given 10 free sessions to be utilize
within the following year. The remaining sessions from the previous service year do not roll over into the new
service year.
Information you provide to a student counseling professional will be kept private and confidential unless you
give written permission to release information in ways that benefit you. There are some exceptions that allow
information to be released without permission but these exceptions will be described to you before you begin
services.
You will access the registration option through the portal and then you will receive a link via email to participate in services through an encrypted, HIPAA complaint video telehealth platform. Should a student not have access to technology that allows video services, please notify the counseling center, in order to request possible accommodations.
Tampa Bay Regional Campus: There is a designated counselor available by appointment for telehealth or in person services, based on availability.
All letter options are based on the individual’s needs, so you will need to speak to your clinician to discuss letter
content. Please keep in mind that following your completion of the Authorization to Release Information, it will
take 7-10 business days for your letter to be completed and available for pick.
Psychiatric services are provided for a nominal fee that is covered by most insurance plans. The front office staff will work with you to determine costs and coverages and if needed, we do provide a sliding fee scale based on income and ability to pay. As the dedicated psychiatric provider, we will work with every student to so that he/she is able to see the doctor. If you have had previous therapeutic care, psychiatric care, or psychological testing, please bring them in for review. If you are unable to do so, the office staff will work with you to obtain the records for the psychiatrist to review prior to your first appointment as this will allow our doctor to provide continuity of care.

To provide students receiving services at the center the required clinical documentation requested to justify the need for an emotional support animal.

1.      Student is an established patient engaged in therapeutic services and is also receiving psychiatric services for a minimum length of stay to include at least 4 psychiatric visits. 

2.      Student is engaged in current on-going treatment without interruption. 

3.      Student qualifies as a person with a disability (i.e., has a mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities); and that the emotional support animal may be necessary to afford the student an equal opportunity to use and enjoy specific environments and/or activities (i.e. that the animal would provide emotional support or other assistance that would ameliorate one or more symptoms or effects of the disability).

4.      Psychiatrist believes the prescription of an emotional support animal is an appropriate option for treatment.

5.      CSCW Psychiatrist must be the prescribing doctor for any letter to be initiated by this office.

6.      Emotional Support Animal documentation will only be provided on an annual basis contingent on the student being in on-going treatment, without interruption, for the previous 12 months

7.      Student will be required to sign a document that states he/she recognizes that the emotional support animal will be utilized as set forth by college/university/community entity and that this accommodation does not supersede restrictions set forth in other environments.

8.      In the event student discontinues treatment after receiving the accommodation, the accommodation may be reviewed for revocation.

9.      If Emotional Support Animal documentation is requested for an airline, there will be a $25 charge per letter.

Mission and Philosophy

College is an exciting transformative time, but along with these changes often comes a variety of challenges and concerns that are new and unique to the student population.  Stress, anxiety and a range of other emotions are normal reactions to the demanding school programs and transition to college life.  When these emotions become difficult to deal with alone, Student Counseling Services provides the student with an opportunity to benefit from working on personal issues with experienced and licensed professionals. 

 

Henderson Behavioral Health, serving the Center, is the higher learning institution’s primary behavioral health provider for its students and/or campus community.  The mission of the program is to collaborate directly with students to reduce barriers that stand in the way of the definition, implementation and accomplishment of their educational, personal, and or career goals.  The center staff will provide students with an opportunity to develop personal insight, identify and solve problems, and implement positive strategies to better manage their lives both academically and personally.  They will be sensitive to issues of cultural diversity including but not limited to age, race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality and religion.  In addition to working directly with the student, the program’s mission will be realized through outreach, partnerships, and consultation initiatives with faculty, staff, parents, and other university/college entities.

 

Students are afforded privacy and confidentiality when seeking counseling, however, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) permits a covered entity to disclose patient health information, including psychotherapy notes, when the covered entity has a good faith belief that the disclosure: (1) is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of the patient or others and (2) is a person(s) reasonably able to prevent or lessen the threat. This may include, depending on the circumstances, disclosure to law enforcement, family members, the target of the threat or others who the covered entity has a good faith belief can mitigate the threat.

In Case of Emergency

If there is an immediate threat to self or others, you are strongly encouraged to

contact 911 or Public Safety 954-262-8999.

The NSU Center for Student Counseling and Well-being Henderson Behavioral Health has a 24/7 on call crisis service available for students in need of immediate emotional support by contacting 954-424-6911

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