Making an Appointment

Please provide us with days and times that you are available for appointments. Please remember that email is not a private or confidentially secure means of communication, so limit the information you provide to us. In order to ensure your confidentiality and protect your privacy, clinical counseling sessions cannot be provided through email.  Please consider this as you communicate with us through email. Additionally, the Counseling Center staff does not maintain 24-hour access to their email accounts and may not check their email accounts on a daily basis.

Initial appointments typically last 60 minutes. During the appointment, you will discuss your current issue with a counselor and he or she will then make a recommendation for assistance. This recommendation may include a referral to our services such as workshops, group counseling, or individual counseling. Individual follow-up counseling sessions may last 30-50 minutes in length encompassing one and up to eight sessions in an academic semester. Group counseling is 90 minutes.

The information you share in a counseling session will be treated with the highest regard for confidentiality. This means that information will not be disclosed to any outside persons or agencies without your written permission, including whether you have used our services.

The only exceptions to confidentiality occur when you request a release of your information to third parties or when your counselor is required by law to reveal particular information. The exceptions to confidentiality are as follows:

• There is reason to believe that a student poses a serious threat to health and safety to self and/or others, at which point appropriate medical or law enforcement personnel will be notified to ensure the safety of the student and the community.
• There is reason to believe that a child is being abused or neglected or an elderly person or dependent adult is being subjected to abuse, neglect, or exploitation, requiring notification of proper authorities.
• A court has ordered a subpoena requiring the Counseling Center to release information contained in your records or requiring a counselor to testify in a court hearing.
• You have requested and signed a written authorization allowing us to disclose information to parties you designate.

When you request services at the Counseling Center, time is reserved on a counselor’s schedule for your appointment. Thus, missed and canceled appointments prevent valuable, limited staff time from being offered to other students in need. Please email your counselor or call the counseling center if you will be late or need to cancel or reschedule an appointment. We would appreciate as much advance notice as possible, preferably, at least 24 hours prior to your appointment time. The Center may terminate counseling services if two consecutive or three total appointments are missed (i.e., not canceled 24 hours prior to the session). Services may also be terminated if an excessive number of sessions are canceled.

We are located on the first floor of Racey Hall in the Wilkins Wellness Center. All appointments must be in advance by calling (540) 665-4530 or email counseling@pubfish.net.

The Counseling Center is free to all matriculating students who are enrolled in degree-seeking programs. Distance learners are provided teletherapy, however, due to state licensure laws, students must be physically present in the state of Virginia at the time of their session to be eligible for counseling electronically through Zoom. Clinicians will be happy to consult with online SU students residing out of state to provide appropriate resources.

For Faculty and Staff requiring counseling services, please check with Human Resources at 540-665-7393 about their EAP program.