Student Counseling Services
Stress, anxiety, and a range of other emotions are normal reactions to the demanding programs and college life. Sometimes, these emotions become difficult to deal with alone and it is often helpful to talk to someone or to reach out and ask for help. Student counseling provides the opportunity for students to benefit from working on personal concerns with experienced professionals.
Henderson Student Counseling Services (HSCS) offers individual, couples and/or family counseling to Nova Southeastern University students at the NSU Center for Student Counseling Services and Well Being (CSCW). Examples of what a student can focus on in counseling include but are not limited to: Academic & Career Development, Relationship Challenges, Adjustment to Student Life, Depression, Stress & Time Management, Problem Solving & Goal Setting, Test and Seminar Anxiety, Eating and Body Image, Anxiety, and Substance Abuse.
Student Counseling Triage Screening Process
Student Counseling uses a triage screening process to ensure that services are easy to access and student needs are addressed in a timely fashion. Triage / Screening appointments are available M-F, although appointment times vary by day. Please see the instructions below to get started.
Getting Started – The SCREENING Process
- Complete information required for registration here.
- At the bottom of the portal page you will be asked to submit 3 documents, your submission will not work unless you complete the 3 uploads:
- Government Issued ID (ie: driver’s license, ID, passport)
- School ID
- Copy of official school schedule – must be a screen shot from WEBSTAR that includes your name and N#
- At the bottom of the portal page you will be asked to submit 3 documents, your submission will not work unless you complete the 3 uploads:
- Within 1 business day you will receive a phone call to be scheduled with a Triage/Screening appointment. Triage/Screening appointments can be made up to 24 hours in advance and the available times for appointments varies by day and location. ** The best time to call is at 8:30am**
- Henderson Student Counseling Services are provided at the NSU Center for Student Counseling Services and Well Being located on the Davie Campus in the Student Affairs Building on the 3 rd Floor.
- Show up on time for your triage appointment (if you show up more than 10 minutes late you will forfeit your appointment and have to reschedule).
- Please be prepared for up to a 45-minute variance on your appointment time for the screening appointment.
- Your Triage/Screening session will last for 30 minutes. Please be prepared to complete a few forms prior to the start of the session.
- IMPORTANT – If you schedule for 2 screening appointments and then do not show up for them, in order to access services, you will be required to attend an in office walk-in session that will be held once a month on a Friday.
- Cancellations – If you are unable to attend your triage screening appointment, please call us as soon as possible at (954) 424-6911 so that we may provide the time to another student as well as to avoid a no-show.
**Please register through the portal to make yourself eligible to schedule your Triage Screening Appointment.
Student Counseling Office Hours **
Monday: 8:30am – 6:00pm***
Tuesday: 8:30am – 8:00pm***
Wednesday: 8:30am – 8:00pm***
Thursday: 8:30am – 6:00pm***
Friday: 8:30am – 5:00pm***
***Office Hours and Triage Screening hours will be altered during holidays and school vacations, please consult the office staff
The Counseling Process Overview
- Following the screening appointment, the counselor will get you set up with one of the following appointments:
- Post Screening Appointment – to check in due to level of need- you will come back within 10 days to meet with the same counselor for an additional 30-minute screening session prior to assessment;
- Assessment appointment- you will meet with your assigned counselor for a 60-minute session in order to complete an in-depth assessment and help you determine the goal(s) you wish to focus on during counseling;
- Psychiatric Evaluation – you will meet with the psychiatrist to establish medication management services.
- Counseling Services – student is able to utilize his/her allotted 10 sessions for free within the following year.
- Psychiatric Services – student is able to engage in medication management services for the entirety of their enrollment, there is no session limit. A nominal fee applies; covered by most insurance plans.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
How does counseling work?
A student counseling professional will help you to clarify problems, set goals and take steps to achieve the goals. The assessment gives your counselor a picture of not only the way you think and feel but also helps them to understand your past history and background that has contributed to how you perceive your surroundings and environment. It is important to know that counseling is a very individual process and the length of services (regardless of number of allotted sessions) will vary based on a person’s needs.
How many sessions do I get?
All full and part time students receive 10 free sessions per year, plus the Triage Screening Session and the Assessment. The service years begins on the day of your first Triage Screening Session and this date becomes your anniversary date. On every anniversary date, you will once again be given 10 free sessions to be utilize within the following year. The remaining sessions from the previous service year do not roll over into the new service year.
Will my information be kept private?
Information you provide to a student counseling professional will be kept private and confidential unless you give written permission to release information in ways that benefit you. There are some exceptions that allow information to be released without permission but these exceptions will be described to you before you begin services.
How do I access the Video Counseling for Regional Campus Students?
You will access the registration option through the portal and then you will be set up to participate in services on your campus. Video services are offered via a video counseling room located on each Regional Campus. How do I request a letter? All letter options are based on the individual’s needs, so you will need to speak to your clinician to discuss letter content. Please keep in mind that following your completion of the Authorization to Release Information, it will take 7-10 business days for your letter to be completed and available for pick.
What information do I need when seeing the psychiatrist?
- Psychiatric services are provided for a nominal fee that is covered by most insurance plans. The front office staff will work with you to determine costs and coverages and if needed, we do provide a sliding fee scale based on income and ability to pay. As the dedicated psychiatric provider, we will work with every student to so that he/she is able to see the doctor.
- If you have had previous therapeutic care, psychiatric care, or psychological testing, we will request your previous treatment records be provided for review. If you can bring them in yourself, we will ask you to do so. If you are unable to do so, the office staff will work with you to obtain the records for the psychiatrist to review prior to your first appointment as this will allow our doctor to provide continuity of care.
What is the Center for Student Counseling and Well Being’s Emotional Support Animal Protocol?
To provide students receiving services at the center the required clinical documentation requested to justify the need for an emotional support animal.
- Student is an established patient engaged in therapeutic services and is also receiving psychiatric services for a minimum length of stay to include at least 4 psychiatric visits.
- Student is engaged in current on-going treatment without interruption.
- Student qualifies as a person with a disability (i.e., has a mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities); and that the emotional support animal may be necessary to afford the student an equal opportunity to use and enjoy specific environments and/or activities (i.e. that the animal would provide emotional support or other assistance that would ameliorate one or more symptoms or effects of the disability).
- Psychiatrist believes the prescription of an emotional support animal is an appropriate option for treatment.
- CSCW Psychiatrist must be the prescribing doctor in order for any letter to be initiated by this office.
- Emotional Support Animal documentation will only be provided on an annual basis contingent on the student being in on-going treatment, without interruption, for the previous 12 months
- Student will be required to sign a document that states he/she recognizes that the emotional support animal will be utilized as set forth by college/university/community entity and that this accommodation does not supersede restrictions set forth in other environments.
- In the event student discontinues treatment after receiving the accommodation, the accommodation may be reviewed for revocation.
- If Emotional Support Animal documentation is requested for an airline, there will be a $25 charge per letter.
