Referring Students
This guide is intended to answer some of the frequently asked questions about referring students to CAPS. The suggestions presented are addressed to faculty, staff, resident hall staff, friends, and students who refer.
Whom to refer
CAPS can help with a variety of concerns that are commonly experienced in college such as relationships, adjusting to college, homesickness, classroom related stress, and feelings of depression.
Below are some additional times that you may wish to refer to CAPS.
For faculty:
- The student is missing more than an
ordinary number of classes.
- The student comes to class, but is
more than ordinarily inattentive. The student sleeps in class or stares
into space.
- The student is unusually emotional,
sad, tearful, irritable, excited, etc. You notice a significant change
in mood.
- The student comes to class under the
influence of alcohol or drugs or is hung over from substance abuse.
- The student is in unusually
prolonged grief over the death of a parent or friend or the loss of a
relationship.
- The student exhibits a dramatic drop in academic performance.
For RAs, staff, or others, you find yourself saying:
- The student requires excessive time or attention.
- You are starting to feel nervous or even angry around him/her.
- You are in over your head and want to help, but don’t know what to do.
Top
When to refer students for counseling
Whenever students indicate an interest in talking to someone about their concerns you can suggest speaking to a therapist as one of his or her options. Sometimes people feel their problems must be severe in order to receive counseling. This is not true. It is better to deal with concerns before they become more serious.
How to refer
- State your concern.
- State your own limitations.
- Make your own suggestions.
Example: "We have talked about your concern before and you seem unhappy (anxious, angry, etc.) about it. Talking to someone trained to deal with these kinds of concerns helps clarify your experiences and choices."
Here are some of the objections to counseling students might raise and suggestions of how to respond:
Q: Do you think I'm crazy?
R: Counseling is for the purpose of talking about your distress and figuring out what you need.
Q: I'm too embarrassed.
R: It's not unusual to feel embarrassed at first, and counselors are prepared for people feeling that way.
Q: I can't afford it.
Counseling for Seattle University students is available without charge. If you prefer to go off campus or you need a special focus not offered here, you may receive referral information in person or by telephone. Or you can call the Community Information Line at 461-3210 or the 24-Hour Alcohol Helpline at 722-3700. There are many other services including low-fee services available in the Seattle area.
Q: I can't go on campus; it's too small a community.
R: All services are confidential. Information cannot be released without your written permission.
Making An Appointment.
You may tell the student to call us at 206-296-6090 and make an appointment or to drop by the Student Center Pavillion in person. You are welcome to come with students to help make an appointment if you think that would be helpful. Sometimes students feel supported by your presence if you let them make the appointment from the privacy of your office. Others prefer to do this on their own.
Urgent Care Hours
There are times when a student needs to be seen within a day's time and not wait several days for an appointment. We have two Urgent Care Hours for this purpose: Mon-Fri, 11am and 3pm. Since these times are for students with very pressing needs (that are not predictable), there may be times when these hour need to be shared by more than one student. It also means that a student may need to miss a class or some work in order to be seen in this particular instance. However, if the need is so great as to interfere with the student's functioning in class or work, he or she may choose this option as a priority. The student can also decide to use another Urgent Care Hours later in the week.
How does confidentiality apply?
Confidentiality is an essential part of counseling. If you call or inquire in person ("I suggested that X come over and see you. Did the student ever show up?"), you will be told that we cannot reveal that information. This limitation can be frustrating to the referrer, but confidentiality is essential in fostering the student's trust—and it is the law. There are times when students request that we release information to an instructor or a residence hall director to confirm that the student has come in for counseling. If you want to confirm that the student was seen in counseling, we suggest you discuss this matter with the student who must authorize permission to the release and/or exchange of information. Other than by written consent, we only release a student's counseling information when required to do so by law.
Top
|
