Health & Counseling Services operates on a stepped-care model.  Students are seen for a same/next-day consultation during business hours, and then referred to the appropriate level of care based on their needs.  

Many students will be referred to one of our skill-building workshops to help address common issues like adjustment, stress, interpersonal conflict, and anxiety.  After completing these evidence-based workshops, most students find they do not need to seek regular counseling.

We also offer confidential, time-limited bi-weekly individual counseling sessions. Students work collaboratively with their therapist to determine the frequency of visits and session length. There is no-cost for services provided by our counseling staff.

If a student needs to be seen for more than one semester, or are in need of weekly intensive therapy, they will typically be referred to one of our excellent providers within the Rochester community.  Fees associated with off-campus services will be dependent on the student's health insurance carrier. 

Counseling Services staff are available for both consultation and crisis management. The college also has a Crisis Response Team under the auspices of the President and senior staff of the University, which is activated as necessary.

For immediate assistance, please contact Campus Safety on-campus or 911 off campus.

Health & Counseling Services can help students with their psychiatric medications in a number of ways.  Our Family Nurse Practitioners are experienced in prescribing medications for anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions. They will also work with students' home providers to help ensure continuity of care while the student is at Nazareth. Lastly, for more complex psychiatric cases, students may be referred to an off-campus psychiatric specialist if needed.

Faculty and staff can call or email to speak with a clinician if they have specific concerns about a student.  Below are some tips for handling common student issues.

Addressing a student distress problem

• Speak with the student in private, specifically stating your reasons for concern. Mention concrete behaviors and observations rather than speculations about what the student might be thinking or feeling.
• Listen carefully, avoiding criticism, labels, and judgment. Offer support by expressing interest in the student's experiences and feelings. For more guidance about how to approach the conversation, contact us.
• If you feel the student would benefit from coming to Counseling Services, convey this to the student. When you do so, normalize help-seeking by letting them know that seeking help is courageous and that many students come to Counseling Services. Tell them what you know about our services and staff.  Feel free to walk them over to speak with a counselor at Health & Counseling. 

Unsure what to do? Contact us with questions.

The goal of the process is for you to end up working with someone you feel comfortable with who is well-equipped to support you. Just like with any relationship, some therapists are a good fit for some clients and some aren't. Some people speak with multiple therapists on the phone before deciding and others meet with a few in person. Feel free to share that you are speaking with multiple therapists to find a good fit. Therapists are accustomed to this. They also use the first interaction whether it's a phone consultation or a first visit to figure out if they are a good fit for you. Every therapist has a different set of experiences and abilities, and they are ethically bound to only work with clients they can support effectively. If a therapist tells you they aren't a good fit for your needs it just means that they think that someone else is going to be better-suited to support you.

Leaving a voicemail

• When you call a therapist you will likely need to leave a voicemail. Here are some things that are helpful to include:
• Your full name. Spell out your name if needed.
• That you are an undergraduate or graduate student and at what school
• The name of your health insurance company
• Your phone number (say it twice slowly enough for them to write down)
• Give them some convenient times to call you back and let them know if you are ok with them leaving you a voicemail
• Some therapists are willing to arrange appointments by email. If you are comfortable with them emailing you you can leave your email address. Again, spell out your email and speak slowly so they can write it down.

Sample voicemail

Hi my name is John. I'm an undergraduate student at Nazareth University with Blue Cross insurance. I'm looking for a therapist and am interested in learning more about your practice. You can reach me by phone at phone number on day around time or day at time. Again my name is John and you can reach me at number. Feel free to leave a voicemail if I don't pick up. Also feel free to email me at email. That email again is email. Thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing back."

What to expect when a therapist calls you back

• The therapist will likely want to learn a little bit about you and share a little bit about their practice so both of you can decide whether you might be a good fit for each other.They will likely want to know:
• What insurance do you have and what benefits do you plan on using? (In-network vs. out-of network benefits)
• Why are you interested in therapy? What challenges are you facing? What are you hoping to get out of therapy?

You in turn might ask them or confirm:

• Are they in-network for your insurance? If not what is their rate? Would they submit for reimbursement to the insurance company or would you?
• Do they offer sliding scale rates? (Do they lower their rate based on financial need?)
• What might their approach be for working with someone facing the goals or challenges you've described to them?
• Is there a type of client they are particularly well-suited to support?
• Is there a type of client they are not well-suited to support?
• Are they accepting new clients?
• What days and times are they available?
• For care via video sessions, find a provider licensed in the state where you'll be located when receiving care. Providers are typically allowed to work with clients who are located in states where they are licensed. For example, if you are currently located in New York and that's where you'll be receiving care via video sessions, you should look for a provider who is licensed in New York. Some providers are licensed in multiple states and can typically work with clients in any state where they are licensed.

Paying for Therapy

We'll explain the terms you need to know to understand your specific health plan's benefits.

The Basics

• Health isurance companies offer health insurance plans to members who use their plans' benefits to access care from providers, including mental health services like therapy and psychiatry
• Your specific plan's benefits determine how much of the cost of a given service you pay for yourself and how much is covered by your health insurance company
• Therapists and psychiatrists are often called providers or clinicians
• Providers who choose to enter into an agreement with your health insurance company to offer care to members of your plan are in-network for you and if you see them for care what you pay is determined by your plans in-network benefits. Before you go for a first visit you should confirm that a given provider is in-network by calling and asking your insurance company.
• Providers who do not have an agreement with your health insurance company to offer care to members of your plan are out-of-network for you, and if you see them for care how much you pay is determined by your plan's out-of-network benefits. Some plans don't have out of network benefits which means that you would need to pay out of pocket.

What you pay to see a clinician depends on your insurance plan's mental health benefits including:

• In-network vs. out-of-network benefits
• Your deductible and if it applies to mental health services
• Your copay and/or coinsurance
• Any limits on the number of sessions that insurance will cover
• Your annual out of pocket maximum
• The date that the calendar year begins for insurance purposes

Research your health plan benefits

Call the member's services phone number on your insurance card to ask these questions to confirm your benefits:You might begin your call with something like: "Hello I'm a member and I'm interested in understanding my mental health benefits for outpatient care." You can then ask the following questions:

• What is my deductible? How much have I currently paid toward my deductible?
• Does my deductible apply to in-network mental health services?
• Does my deductible apply to out-of-network mental health services?
• What are my in-network mental health benefits?
• Do I need to pay a copay for each visit? If so how much is the copay?
• Is there a limitation on the number of visits I am allowed? Does the copay change after a certain number of visits?
• What are my out-of-network mental health benefits?
• Do I need to pay coinsurance for each visit? If so how much is coinsurance?
• How can I find the "allowed rate" or "usual customary reasonable" (UCR) rate to know how much I will be paying in coinsurance?

Your health insurance plan likely links to a document on their website called the "benefits summary," which describes all the benefits of your plan including mental health benefits.Note: When navigating your insurance plan's benefits documents you may notice that they differentiate between inpatient and outpatient care and that you potentially have different benefits for each. Outpatient care means going to see a clinician in their office for a visit. Inpatient care most often means being admitted to a hospital and staying overnight.

Talk about billing concerns with your prospective therapist

When you speak with a provider tell them how you intend to pay and whether you intend to use your in-network out-of-network benefits or pay out of pocket. They are often willing to help you navigate the process.

Glossary

Annual Deductible

The amount you are responsible to pay each plan year before the insurance company starts paying. Depending on your plan, your annual deductible may not apply to mental health services at all, it may apply only to out-of-network mental health services, or it could apply to all mental health services.

In-network

A provider is in-network for you if they have an agreement with your insurance company to provide care to members with your plan. When seeing an in-network provider, your in-network benefits apply.

Out-of-network

A provider is out-of-network for you if they do not have an agreement with your insurance company to provide care to members with your plan. When seeing an out-of-network provider, your out-of-network benefits apply. Some plans do not have out of network benefits.

Copay

A fixed amount you pay when you receive care that is subject to a copay. Copays often range from $0-30 and are most often required by plans when using in-network benefits.

Coinsurance

An amount you pay that is a percentage of the "UCR" (Usual, customary, reasonable) or "allowed" rate for the care you receive. For example, your health plan might decide that the "UCR" for a 60-minute psychotherapy session is $100. If your out-of-network mental health benefit is 20% coinsurance and the provider's fee is $100, then you pay $20 per visit and your insurance company pays the remaining $80. If the provider's fee is $200, the insurance company still only covers 80% of the UCR (80% of $100), so they would cover $80 and you would be required to cover the 20% coinsurance (20% of $100 = $20) in addition to the difference to meet the providers fee ($100). So in total, in this example, you would pay $20 + $90 = $110 per visit.

Sliding Scale

A sliding scale fee "slides" to try to meet the needs of clients who are unable to pay the full fee. Details can be discussed upon consultation with a provider. 

Have you ever wanted to try out one of the Counseling Center's groups?  Workshops are a great way to ease into the idea of group therapy without feeling like you will be expected to share. They are time-limited and journal-based, meaning you will not have to participate out loud any more than you feel comfortable!

Anxiety Toolbox

This workshop focuses on helping you understand anxiety symptoms and build skills to manage these symptoms. The three sessions are divided into content that builds upon itself. The sessions include modules dedicated to (1) understanding anxiety, (2) introducing a method for slowing down and disentangling the experience of anxiety, and (3) developing alternative responses to anxiety. By the end of the workshop, you will have your own individualized plan for managing anxiety. 

Tuesdays 12:10-1:05 p.m. (with IPAW-assist from Orion the therapy dog!) beginning September 24 in YWRI 127

Please email Kathryn DeVinney kdevinn2@naz.edu if you are interested!

The Nazareth University Health and Counseling Center would like to acknowledge and thank our colleagues at Counseling Services, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo for generously sharing their Anxiety Toolbox program with us.  We would also like to thank The University Counseling Services at California State University, Northridge for working with us to implement this program.  

Trauma-Informed Self-Defense

We all know that the world is messy and often unpredictable. Learning the fundamentals of keeping ourselves physically safe is critical for ensuring a deeper sense of peace and safety in our day to day lives. If you'd like to learn, please join our trauma-informed self-defense class so you can learn to live well and fight The Good Fight.

Topics include mindfulness of surroundings, preventative planning for safety, and defending against a multitude of situations including wrist grabs, bear hugs and head locks. All exercises and drills will be optional, trauma-informed, and slow-paced to ensure physical and emotional safety. Our goal is effective learning, having fun, and growing together. Please wear clothing in which you feel comfortable moving around.

Tuesdays 1-2 p.m. in the Shults Group Fitness Room (in the Shults basement, to the right of Mail Services) beginning September 17

Self-Esteem Workshop: TBD

If you would like to be on the priority list for attending this workshop, please email kdevinn2@naz.edu

This group is for female-identified students who have experienced sexual assault and/or sexual abuse who are looking to manage the impact of that trauma in community with others.

If you meet the above criteria and it has been at least a year since you engaged in self-harm, substance abuse, experienced active suicidal ideation, or were hospitalized for mental health reasons, please reach out to Kathryn DeVinney kdevinn2@naz.edu. 

A full screening before participation is required to ensure safety of all group members.

A group to help learn coping skills to manage feelings of anxiety, sadness, or isolation and to process with others.

Fridays 1-2 p.m., YWRI 127 beginning September 20

This group is for students struggling with time management, executive functioning, and procrastination. Learn skills to help manage and share your successes! Open to students with or without an official ADD/ADHD diagnosis.

Tuesdays 10:30-11:30 a.m. in YWRI 127 beginning September 24

SMART Recovery is an evidenced-informed recovery method grounded in Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), that supports people with substance dependencies or problem behaviors to:

1. Build and maintain motivation
2. Cope with urges and cravings
3. Manage thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
4. Live a balanced life

If you are looking to make changes to your substance use, please join us!

Thursdays 1:30-2:30 p.m. in YWRI 127 beginning September 26