Counseling Services Services Provided
Services
- Individual Counseling
- Group Counseling
- Couples Counseling
- Outreach Programs
- Crisis Intervention
- Consultation
- Various Workshops & Presentations Available Upon Request
Scope of Services
The Office of Counseling Services (OCS) offers multiple resources and services to help students with personal, academic, and career concerns, including workshops, self-service wellness modules, group and individual counseling, and psychiatry. During the initial appointment, a student and a counselor will discuss what type of service(s) will best help the student resolve their concerns.
OCS provides a short-term model of therapy (a maximum of 10 individual sessions and unlimited group sessions as appropriate) for a variety of concerns. If local community resources or other Old Dominion University departments are determined to be a more appropriate alternative, the student will be provided with referral sources that have found to be effective.
Some students seeking individual services from OCS may benefit from more extended or different types of services; others may not be ready to make a commitment to the demands of counseling despite their request for services. Below are some situations where referral to other services will be considered. OCS provides referral services either after the initial appointment or as these factors become more apparent during treatment.
- Students who need two or more sessions per week for more than a short period of time and/or frequent after-hour phone contact.
- Students who have a history of multiple hospitalizations/repeated suicide attempts.
- Students with evidence or risk of progressive deterioration in mental or emotional functioning, requiring intensive intervention.
- Students with manifestations of psychotic symptoms without willingness to remain on medication for stabilization of symptoms.
- Students returning to the Center who have already received 10 sessions within the year and request additional individual therapy.
- Students who need frequent psychiatric attention.
Statement of Confidentiality
No information, including the facts of attendance, is routinely given to anyone (e.g., family members, University officials, physicians, or friends of the client). Certain limited pertinent information may be given to those with a legitimate interest, provided the free and informed consent of the client is first obtained. In some cases, even when valid consent or authorization is given, we may find that it is in the client's best interest to withhold certain information, to refuse disclosure, or to limit the disclosure of such information. In these cases, complete confidentiality will be maintained. We will notify the requester in writing of the refusal or limitation, and the reasons thereof. In addition, certain psychological testing information, particularly test scores and raw data, will be released only to qualified mental health practitioners.
The only exceptions to this policy are those deemed necessary in emergency situations or disclosures required legally (e.g., child abuse reporting, court order). While parents and legal guardians have rights to information regarding their dependent child (under 18 years old), the nature of the counseling relationship requires that we follow the informed consent procedures outlined below unless it clearly in the best interest of the client not to do so.
