Scope of Care

Scope of Care

The Mines Counseling Center invites all students to make an initial appointment to meet with one of our counselors and discuss their concerns. During this initial meeting, the counselor, in collaboration with the student, will recommend services within the Counseling Center or the community and assist students in obtaining the appropriate services to meet their needs. Request initial phone consultation.

In order to serve more students and utilize its resources most effectively, the Counseling Center employs a short-term model of therapy to assist students in addressing issues common in a college setting. Counselors are generally able to meet with students every 2-3 weeks during the course of a semester.

Some of the issues that are commonly addressed in short-term counseling at the Counseling Center are as follows:

• Personal Issues: Stress and anxiety, depression, anger, loneliness, guilt, low self-esteem, grief.
• Relationship Issues: Romantic relationship difficulties, roommate problems, family issues.
• Developmental Issues: Identity development, adjustment to college, life transitions.
• Academic Concerns: Performance anxiety, perfectionism, low motivation, career indecision.
• Other Issues: Effects of trauma, sexual assault, abuse, body image, healthy lifestyle choices.

Students may also be referred to services other than individual counseling within the Center. Alternate modalities of assistance may include Skill Building Series, group therapy or other educational programs on the relevant presenting concern. Such options will be discussed with the student as appropriate.

Short-term, solution-focused counseling

The Counseling Center provides short term, solution-focused counseling. If there are issues that seem amenable to assistance within a brief time frame, they are appropriate to be seen at the Center. If it appears that long-term care or specialized services are indicated, Center staff will assist students in locating referral sources in the community that match their needs.

Students whose needs cannot be accommodated within short-term counseling are referred to community resources. Similarly, students whose needs require a particular type of expertise that is not found in the Center are also referred into the community. The Counseling Center provides referral services either after the initial session or as these factors become more apparent during the course of services.

Referral Services

Some of the issues that are commonly addressed through referral to services outside the Counseling Center are as follows:

• A desire to be seen more frequently or for long-term therapy, or a need for such as indicated by one of the following:
  • History of multiple hospitalizations
  • Chronic suicidality and/or self-injury behaviors
  • History of repeated suicide attempts
• Indication that short-term therapy may be detrimental or non-beneficial.
• Evidence or risk of progressive deterioration in mental or emotional functioning, requiring intensive intervention.
• Manifestations of psychotic symptoms without willingness to remain on medication for stabilization of symptoms.
• Inability or unwillingness to provide the necessary information to thoroughly assess symptoms.
• Students who need specialized services not available through the Counseling Center as indicated by the following:
  • Presence of significant drug and/or alcohol problems.
  • Presence of significant or long-standing eating disorder that may pose a medical danger.
  • Request for psychological evaluation or learning disability assessment.
  • Request for documentation to support accommodation requests.
  • Services to fulfill students’ court-mandated assessment or treatment requirements.
  • Students who engage in inappropriate, harassing, menacing, threatening, or violent behaviors towards counseling staff