Referrals

Referrals

When students require inpatient treatment or more intensive outpatient treatment than can be provided through Counseling Services, counselors will conduct an initial assessment, make referrals, and facilitate obtaining appropriate services elsewhere.

Eligibility for Services

To be eligible for services during fall and spring semesters, students must be registered for current classes.  To be eligible for services during summer semesters, students must be registered for current classes or must have been registered for the prior spring semester and pre-registered for fall classes.

Acceptance for Services

Acceptance of a student for services at Counseling Services is determined by the clinical judgment of the counselor who conducts the initial assessment or any counselor to which the student is subsequently assigned.  If a counselor determines that a student’s needs are beyond our ability to meet, that counselor will refer the student to an outside resource which can better meet the student’s needs.

 
Referral Reasons

Below are common reasons why a student may be referred to an outside resource:

 The student is likely to require emergency intervention, crisis services or extensive case management.

• The student is likely to involve staff other than the primary counselor due to case management difficulties (emergency care, multiple contacts from other individuals, etc.).
• The student is likely to need 24-hour coverage.
• The student has had multiple past hospitalizations.
• The student is unwilling or unable to contract for safety.
• The student has made a suicide attempt in the last six months or multiple past suicide attempts.
• The student has chronic and/or present self-destructive behaviors that are life threatening.
• The student has an alcohol or drug addiction that requires more intensive treatment than Counseling Services provides.

The student does not appear to benefit from therapy:

• The student does not provide evidence of motivation to change.
• The student has not clearly benefitted from previous counseling services.
• The student has failed to attend two or more scheduled appointments.

The student is likely to require more than one session per week or would not tolerate extended breaks from therapy (e.g., semester or summer break).

• The student is likely to need therapy more than once per week
• The student is not able to maintain prolonged periods without therapy inherent in the academic calendar of a university counseling center.

The student is likely to require long-term individual therapy.

• The student’s needs are judged to be of a long-term nature, (i.e., more than a calendar year) and are not appropriate for group therapy.
• The student has longstanding or severe pathology (e.g., severe personality disorder, present or chronic psychosis, dissociative episodes).
• The student has chronic or multiple stressors that would impede short-term interventions.

The student is unable to meet the demands of active participation in therapy.

• The student and therapist are unable to arrive at mutual therapeutic expectations.
• The student appears to be unable to form a therapeutic relationship.
• The student will not participate in assessment, including personal history assessment.

The student requires expertise/resources unavailable in Counseling Services.

• The student’s issues require expertise or resources not sufficiently available at Counseling Services.
• The student’s presenting issues may involve legal proceedings requiring a clinician to testify in court (e.g., custody hearing, court-mandated treatment).

Other referral reasons

• The student has essentially withdrawn from school with no hope or intention of salvaging the semester (e.g. not attending classes or completing assignments).
• The student has no commitment to college or ability to succeed in college based on current behavior.
• The counselor fears for own safety or the safety of others in the office/University.

Appeal

 If a student has been referred out by the counselor and would like to appeal that decision, the student can request to meet with the Senior Director or Clinical Director of Counseling Services.