Counseling Services

Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) 
Samaritan Helpline: 1-877-870-HOPE (4673)
Text a Crisis Counselor: 741741

General College Student Mental Health Resources

• Active Minds, Student Mental Health Advocacy and Education
• Mindful Eating, Strategies for healthy eating
• Apps for Mental Health

Emotional Health and Suicide Prevention Resources

• The Jed Foundation, The nation's leading organization working to promote emotional health and prevent suicide among college students.
• Half of Us, MTV's mental health campaign to address depression and combat suicide among American youth
• How to Support Someone You Know Who is Suicidal
• MCLA CARE Team Info Sheet
• Recognizing Warning Signs in College Students
• Supporting Grieving Students
• Tips for Talking About Suicide

Race-Based Traumatic Stress and Psychological Injury

• Black Girls Smile Inc.
• Black Virtual Therapist Community
• Loveland Therapy Fund
• The Steve Fund

 

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Campus Connect was developed by the Syracuse University Counseling Center and has been used across higher education. Campus Connect is a gatekeeper training program for college faculty, staff, and students. This experientially-based training is designed to enhance participant's knowledge, awareness, and skills concerning college student suicide.

Specifically, Campus Connect aims to increase participant's knowledge about suicide statistics, risk and protective factors, warning signs, and referral resources; to increase empathetic listening skills, communication skills, and the ability to ask individuals if they are thinking about suicide; and to increase self-awareness concerning the potential emotional reactions gatekeepers may experience when interacting with students in crisis.

Campus Connect is highly interactive, with gatekeepers participating in multiple exercises throughout the training to increase both their skills and awareness concerning the emotional intensity of responding to suicidal college students. The two-hour training culminates with a role play when gatekeepers are given the opportunity to practice the skills they are taught during the course of the training.

After training, participants will have:

• Increased knowledge of suicide warning signs and referral points for students at risk for suicide
• Increased skills to respond to college students at-risk for suicide.
• Increased self-efficacy regarding their ability to respond to a student at-risk for suicide.

For more information about or to schedule a Campus Connect training for your student club, organization, or department please contact Heidi Riello, Director of Counseling Services via email at Heidi.Riello@mcla.edu or phone at 413-662-5331.

 

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MCLA Counseling Services is committed to providing quality services to enrolled students. As college mental health professionals, we recognize that for many students, personal, developmental, or psychological challenges may arise during their time at MCLA, and may jeopardize their ability to fully benefit from their educational experience. Our staff aims to help and support students as they struggle with these challenges.

We know that for most students, parents continue to play an important role in their lives. While the college years typically present significant changes in the relationship between parent and child, research (as well as our own experience) suggests that those students who maintain positive and trusting relationships with their parents experience fewer struggles in the areas of college adjustment and self-esteem, and tend to make better behavioral choices while at school.

We believe that the college years ideally encourage increased independence and autonomy for students, however we also recognize and respect the ongoing role you will play in the upbringing and welfare of your child. To this end, we offer the following information in the spirit of hoping that you will assist us in our efforts to be of service to your student.  

Recognizing the Signs of a Potential Problem: As a parent, you may have access to "information" that may be relevant to your student's psychological well-being. The following verbal and behavioral signs may be suggestive of a potential problem:

• Aggressive or threatening behavior
• Social withdrawal, or other marked change in social habits
• Marked changes in personal hygiene
• Preoccupation with weight, food, or exercise
• Dramatic weight loss or gain
• Excessive crying or mood changes
• Marked changes in energy level (e.g., listlessness or hyperactivity)
• Noticeable changes potentially associated with drinking or drug use
• Increases in pessimism, hopelessness, or helplessness
• Change in academic habits (e.g., a historically hard-working student who seems not to care about academic performance anymore)
• Bizarre behaviors (e.g., paranoia, strange speech patterns)
• References to suicide or death
• Any other behaviors or symptoms which represent a distinct departure from the behavior you've always seen from your child

Some general guidelines for how to respond to your concerns:

• Don't "put off until tomorrow." Bring up issues and concerns with your student as soon as you begin to notice problems. Ignoring disturbing behavior is unlikely to "make it go away."
• Have a caring, concerned, nonjudgmental discussion in private, at a time and place that is conducive to a meaningful conversation.
• Listen to your student at least as much as you talk to them.
• Avoid the tendency to be critical or judgmental.
• Avoid the temptation to offer easy solutions to problems, or to "take care of everything" for your student; rather, problem-solve with them regarding specific actions they may take to confront their issue(s).
• Know your own limits. Parents are an incredibly powerful part of a student's life, but sometimes deferring to professional help is appropriate and called for.

Making a Referral for Counseling Services: In many cases, your student may be hesitant regarding seeking professional help. They may need to know that you don't see them as a "failure" or as "weak" for doing so. If, indeed, you have decided to recommend to your student that they seek our services (or other professional mental health services), be prepared to give specific information regarding cost (free), location (MountainOne Student Wellness Center, 2nd Floor), and how to make an appointment (by calling 413-662-5331). You might suggest that your student "give counseling a try" by attending one session. Finally, be realistic; sometimes a seed or two needs to be planted before a student "hears" others' concerns and actually follows through with a counseling referral. If, however, there is clear and imminent danger to your student or somebody else, respond more aggressively by contacting your local hospital emergency room, your local police, or MCLA Department of Public Safety at ext. 5100.

Understanding Confidentiality: You and your student should understand that as required by state and federal law, as well as professional ethical codes, mental health professionals are obligated to protect the privacy and confidentiality of their clients and their disclosures. There are exceptions to confidentiality (outlined more extensively on the Confidentiality Page of our website), which typically involve imminent danger to self or others, but in general, students expect (and we honor) protection of their confidences. These confidentiality requirements remain in effect even when a parent has made the referral for their student to counseling services. Please understand that while we will respect our students' confidences, and comply with the law, we will certainly listen to concerns about a student from interested parties, including, of course, parents. 

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Basically anything that is important to you - no problem is seen as too big or too small.  Some things students discuss with their counselors include feelings of depression, low self-esteem, anxiety (including test anxiety), suicidal thoughts, family problems, relationship problems, sexual orientation, disability issues, past sexual assaults, substance abuse, family or parental alcoholism, abusive relationships, eating disorders, learning disabilities, anger management, loneliness, grief and loss.

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If it is urgent and you need to be seen right away, we may meet with you for a same-day emergency appointment. Same-day emergency appointments are usually 15-20 minutes and can be used for evaluation, to talk something over with a counselor, or to obtain a referral to an off-campus provider.

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All visits to Counseling Services and conversations with staff are considered confidential unless you have specifically given your consent for us to share information with a particular person. State law and professional ethics protect your privacy as a client; however there are exceptions to this. In general, all contacts are confidential unless we determine that you are at risk of hurting yourself or another, you inform us of child abuse or elder abuse, or under rare circumstance, if a court of law orders that we provide certain information. Please visit our Confidentiality page for more information on this topic.

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Absolutely. We can assist you to identify if there is a problem, to decide what you should do, if anything, and provide you with support.

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