Counseling and Wellness Frequently Asked Questions

Counseling is a voluntary relationship in which a professionally trained psychologist, social worker, psychiatrist, or counselor meets with the student to discuss some issue or conflict. Counseling is a process by which change is sought through the expression of thoughts and emotions in a safe, supportive, non-judgmental forum. Counseling gives a student the chance to speak to a non-biased professional who is not affiliated with the student’s friends or family.

The goal of counseling is to help the student better understand thoughts, feelings, and relationships, by looking at patterns of behavior. The student can expect a counselor to be someone who is available and interested in listening to the student’s concerns. The counselor’s role is to help the student develop effective strategies for coping with whatever is bothering him or her. The counselor should be focused on the student, and not on himself or herself or others.

Anyone who is:

• feeling depressed, anxious, stressed, overwhelmed, or lonely
• having difficulty relaxing
• worried about the future
• noticing changes in eating or sleeping habits
• gaining or losing weight
• having difficulty adjusting to college life
• having trouble attending classes, concentrating, or studying
• having problems with friends, roommates, or family
• having difficulty making or keeping friends
• worried about a friend and is unsure what to do
• anyone who just wants to talk.

• Individual Counseling is treatment for one student, who meets with one therapist. This offers the most attention to the student’s individual concerns.
• Groups are formed to create supportive forums for people with similar issues. In group counseling, 3-10 individuals meet at an assigned time with one or two group leaders usually on a weekly basis. Members talk about what is currently going on in their lives and what may be troubling them. Group leaders and other group members are available to give support, offer alternatives, and feedback to members of the group. This treatment offers the student the opportunity to interact with others and learn from them as well as study their own relationship style. Students often encounter some social anxiety in starting group therapy; however it offers an ideal environment in which to challenge and overcome these feelings.
• Couples Therapy is conducted with a couple in a marital or “significant other” relationship. Its purpose is to assist the couple to work together as partners to communicate, love and solve the problems of daily life. The establishment of realistic, adult expectations is usually an important goal.
• Psychiatry services are available on the Garden City campus to Adelphi students. Our psychiatrist is available by appointment only to students who are in ongoing individual counseling. Psychiatry often uses psychotropic medications to manage emotional, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms. Medication is prescribed by a psychiatrist only after a thorough evaluation indicates that medication may be helpful to the student. Ongoing medication management is implemented in conjunction with ongoing individual counseling and is aimed at treating the underlying causes of the condition.

If you’re considering getting counseling at the SCC, you can call us at 516.877.3646. During the Fall and Spring Semesters, we are open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 am to 7:00 pm, and on Fridays from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Over Winter, Spring, and Summer Breaks, we are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Whether you call or stop by our office, you will be asked if you are interested in scheduling ongoing counseling. If you have questions about the services the SCC provides, you can ask to speak with the Director or Associate Director who will be happy to answer your questions. If you know you want counseling, you will be asked to fill out some paperwork. The paperwork takes an average of 20 minutes to complete.

Once you fill out the paperwork, the person at the Front Desk (our Office Manager or Administrative Assistant) will schedule you for a Triage with a counselor at the SCC. This is like an intake session that lasts 20 – 30 minutes. After the Triage, you will be assigned to your regular counselor who will meet with you for ongoing sessions. Sessions are usually weekly and last 45 minutes.

In some cases, the SCC might determine that you need services we are not able to provide. In these cases, an SCC counselor will meet with you to discuss our specific treatment recommendations and offer concrete support to help you access those services.

This depends on when you first contact the SCC. The beginning of the Fall and Spring Semesters are a great time to contact us. We usually have many openings at these times and can often schedule you to see the Triage Counselor in the same week. Later in the semesters as counseling spots fill up, you may have to wait up to two weeks to meet with the Triage Counselor. We understand that students don’t always know if and when they will need counseling and we do our best to accommodate your needs in a timely manner.

If you’re experiencing a crisis, simply come to the SCC and tell the person at the front desk that you are having a crisis and need to see a counselor immediately. An available counselor will meet with you. We know that crises cannot be scheduled, so you don’t need to make an appointment when you have an urgent need to speak with a counselor.

No. There is no cost to see the counselors or psychiatrist at the SCC, and we do not bill your insurance company if you have insurance. As long as you are enrolled at Adelphi (whether part-time or full-time), you have access to our services at no cost.

Only the people who work at the Student Counseling Center will know that you came here, and the people you choose to tell. We offer confidential services and are firmly committed to maintaining your privacy.

No. Unless you sign a written request asking us to speak with your parents or professors, we will not even acknowledge that we know you if they call us to ask about you.

You can receive two full semesters of counseling at the SCC, and they don’t have to be consecutive. For example, you can start in the Fall 2020 semester, choose to take a break at the end of that semester, and then return any time after that to receive another semester in counseling. We are also available over Winter and Spring Breaks, so if you’re local and want to come then, you are free to do so.

When you are close to reaching the time limit for counseling, your counselor will ask you if you want to be referred to a provider outside of the SCC to continue counseling. There are two counseling options on campus (the Derner Institute and the Postgraduate Psychotherapy Center) and many other options off campus for low-cost mental health services. Your counselor and / or other SCC clinical staff will offer any assistance you need in finding counseling services elsewhere.

Yes. We have a psychiatrist who meets with students on Monday mornings and Friday afternoons. But, you have to be engaged in counseling either at the SCC or elsewhere to meet with the psychiatrist. In addition, you have to provide evidence that you are in counseling if you’re not seeing an SCC counselor. You can see the SCC psychiatrist for as long as you are enrolled at Adelphi. However, you need to be in counseling somewhere in order to continue to meet with the psychiatrist, even after you max out on the time limits for counseling at the SCC.

We have a highly experienced and skilled coordinator of substance abuse counseling and prevention programming who can provide ongoing substance use counseling for any students who need this service. The coordinator is also trained in general mental health counseling, so you can address issues other than substance use problems with as well. Simply contact the SCC and ask to speak with the Director or Associate Director who can set this up for you.

The first step in getting counseling at the SCC is to meet with our Triage Coordinator, an experienced clinician who will talk to you to get a sense of who you are and what type of help you’re looking for. Then the Triage Coordinator meets with the Associate Director to discuss which SCC counselor would be the best match for you. After this decision is made, you are scheduled to meet with that counselor for an intake and ongoing sessions.

Sometimes we make mistakes in trying to find the best counselor for you. If that happens, simply contact the Associate Director who will talk with you to figure out what’s not working and offer some options, including a transfer to a new counselor if necessary.