CSCW FAQs

Where is the Center for Student Counseling and Wellness located, and what are the hours of operation?
The Center for Student Counseling and Wellness is located in Jenks 201 & 202. These offices are accessible from the entrance along the campus road near Barrington, or from within Jenks on the second floor after the restroom/break area. The waiting room is in Jenks 202.

Our hours of operation are:
Monday – Thursday 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Friday 8:00 am –1 pm

If you are in crisis, please contact your RD or Gordon Police at 978.867.3333 For other matters, you may contact the Center for Student Counseling and Wellness at [email protected] or leave a message at 978.867.4301. Please be aware that counselors are in session throughout the day and are unable to be reached for immediate assistance. Your RD can help facilitate a same-day Crisis Walk-in appointment when appropriate. We offer a Crisis Walk-in appointment each day from 10:15-11 a.m., on a first-come, first-serve basis.

What is Stepped Care?
Stepped Care is a system of delivering and monitoring mental health treatment so the most effective, yet least resource-intensive treatment, is delivered first. Program intensity can then be either “stepped up” or “stepped down” depending on the level of client need. For example, less intensive treatments include self-help approaches or peer support, and more intensive treatments can include individual therapy or psychiatric consultation. Throughout the process, mental health indicators are monitored to give both the counselor and the student feedback on their progress and to empower the student to participate actively in care options, decisions and delivery. The Stepped Care Model is founded on the belief that people shouldn’t have to wait for psychological services, people require different levels of care, and finding the right level of care often depends on monitoring outcomes.

What can students expect?
Our new Stepped Care Model will allow us to...

• Provide timely access to mental health care and education
• ​Create nuanced, customized treatment plans in response to specific needs and requests
• Utilize a strengths-based approach by supporting client autonomy
• Provide opportunities for connections with other campus resources and supports
• Provide opportunities for students to connect in new ways with each other
• To provide mental health resources using new technology in effective, flexible and expedient ways
• To increase the number of students we are able to serve while decreasing wait times
• Provide mental health services in a variety of ways in order to accommodate student comfort levels and preferences

How Does it Work?
Any student seeking support services should fill out the online intake and assessment forms by clicking on “Request Wellness Services.” Our intake coordinators will respond within 1 business day to schedule an in-person appointment for the Initial Screening.

How do I make an appointment?
Click on the “Request Wellness Services” button below to fill out the online intake form,

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT

How quickly will I be scheduled for an appointment at the Center for Student Counseling and Wellness?
Our intake coordinator will respond to your request for an initial screening within 1 business day to let you know we have received your intake. Appointments are typically scheduled within 7 business days. If you are requesting a specific counselor or have limited availability, this time may be longer. We know that it takes courage to seek support, we will do our best to get you in as soon as possible. In the meantime, click here for recommendations on how to care for yourself while you wait for your appointment. If you are in crisis, please go to your Resident Director, or contact Gordon Police at 978-867-3333.

Is counseling confidential?
Yes. All communication you share with the Center for Counseling and Wellness is confidential and protected by the law if you are over the age of 18. If you are under the age of 18, parental/guardian-signed consent is required. Information about your attendance at the CSCW and any information you reveal in sessions cannot be discussed with others (including all Gordon faculty, staff, students or parents) unless you have given consent. Counselors cannot confirm that a student is receiving services without consent.

By law, there are exceptions to this rule. Exceptions include the following:

• If you present a clear and present danger to yourself or someone else.

• If you are being perpetrated against in a physical, sexual or violent manner, or if you are perpetrating against another person.

• As consistent with standard professional practice, your counselor will consult with the Counseling and Wellness Center staff regarding your treatment. In such circumstances, your privacy will be safeguarded by not disclosing identifying information.

• Counselors sometimes function in other roles at the College, including the classroom. To protect your confidentiality, we will not acknowledge any relationship with you should we see you or interact with you outside of the Wellness Center offices.
   
• To protect the confidentiality, Counselors are not able to engage in social media relationships (such as IG, FB and LinkedIn) with students.

We do not provide:
Long-term, weekly psychotherapy
Long-term treatment for eating disorders, chronic mental illness, trauma or addiction

As general practitioners, each of our counselors utilizes and is experienced in multiple therapeutic modalities. The most common modalities used across our Stepped Care Model are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Brief Therapy, Insight-oriented Therapy, Process-oriented Therapy, Psychodynamic, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Mindfulness.

As part of our therapeutic approach, we place special emphasis on considering the whole person. We encourage students first and foremost to create and maintain healthy self-care practices in order to ensure they are taking responsibility for their own well-being. College is a time of transition for students as they acclimate to living life away from family and structures they have known their whole lives. It is vital for students to begin creating healthy routines and practices in regard to sleep, diet, exercise, stress reduction, time management and self-assertiveness. We approach all of our work with students through a developmental perspective. During these college years, there is a particularly unique and powerful convergence of changes that occur in a college student’s emotional, social, spiritual and vocational identity. This convergence can make growth and healing during these four years of development a particularly powerful, rich and productive process.

How many individual therapy sessions can I have at the Center for Student Counseling and Wellness?
After a student is referred to STEP 6 Individual Therapy, they are allowed up to 8 sessions of individual therapy per semester. However, students who seek Counseling and Wellness Services will have access to the resources of all seven STEPS throughout the semester (online modules, groups, workshops, etc).

Students are welcome to utilize Counseling and Wellness services at any time while they are a student at Gordon. Many students return at different times during their college careers to seek support.

What is the fee for Counseling and Wellness Services?
All students are allowed an Initial Screening free of charge, once per academic year. After this time a $100 Wellness Fee will be added to their student account one time, per semester.

Students may opt to pay directly through Transact Integrated Payments if they would prefer for the charge not to be credited to their student account. Students may pay directly by clicking here. This fee cannot be billed to your insurance company. A no-show fee of $20 will be applied to your account for missing scheduled appointments.

Can I use my health insurance?
We do not accept health insurance. Our wellness services are designed to address issues that are short-term in nature. If the student feels they would benefit from weekly counseling or would like to see a specialist off-campus, counselors will work with the student to facilitate a smooth transfer to a local professional. Please refer to the Off-Campus Professionals page for a listing of local resources.

What do students come to the CSCW for?
Below is a list that includes many, but not all the reasons students come to counseling:

• Academic Concerns (struggling academically in a class, missing classes, fear of public speaking
• ADHD/Learning Disabilities/Neurological Disabilities&
• Addiction (substances, video games, pornography)
• Adjustment to College (homesickness, difficulty being in an extroverted environment as an introvert, et al.)
• Adjustment Returning from an Off-campus Program
• Anxiety/Panic Attacks
• Boundaries
• Unhealthy Relationships
• Cutting/Self-Injury
• Dating/Loss of a Relationship
• Depression/Mood Swings
• Difficulty with Living Situations
• Divorce/Separation
• Eating Concerns/Body-Image Concerns
• Family Issues
• Grief and Loss
• History of Abuse
• OCD
• Identity Questions
• Perfectionism (pervasive sense of not feeling good enough, need to ensure others see you in a positive light, tendency to over-commit even when feeling overwhelmed)
• PTSD
• Relational Conflict
• Self-Image
• Sexual Assault/Rape
• Sleep Disturbance
• Stress (feeling overwhelmed, can’t keep up)
• Sexuality
• Stress-related to role as an RA, athlete or other campus leadership
• Uncontrollable Thoughts or Feelings

May I seek Wellness Services even if I don’t think my problems are serious in nature?
Yes! If there is any area of your life that you find is disrupting your healthy functioning (eating, sleeping, studying, concentration, relationships, mood), then it is important. It is stressful to be a college student and we want to support you in any way we can. Problems or disruptions in any area of your life can spill over into other areas of functioning, so it is important to address your problems as they arise. Don’t wait until all areas of your life are suffering.

What will happen when I come for my Initial Intake Screening?
Come to the Center for Student Counseling and Wellness waiting room in Jenks 202. Your counselor will greet you when he/she is ready.

You will meet with a counselor to complete a 40-minute assessment and to determine which Counseling and Wellness Center resources are the best fit for your presenting concerns and goals. Through your on-line intake form and the in-person Initial Screening, you’ll share an overview of your concerns and goals. You will be provided with information and recommendations regarding relevant resources at the CSCW and will work together with your counselor to determine a plan for moving forward. Initial screenings are required prior to participation in all Counseling and Wellness Center services.

What if I am currently prescribed medication and need a counselor to check-in with?
It will be an important part of your care while at Gordon to ensure you have appropriate support to maintain your mental health. We recommend that you complete an Initial Screening with the CSCW to create a comprehensive care plan.

What if I would like to explore medication as part of my mental health treatment plan?
Completing a medication evaluation with a prescriber can be an important part of a successful treatment process. Students are never forced or coerced into completing a medication evaluation. It is your care. Your counselor will share openly with you about their diagnostic formulations and treatment recommendations, but you will determine the course of action.

Counselors refer students for medication evaluations to:

• Health Services on-campus ​
• Off-Campus Prescribers (Psychiatrists, Certified Nurse Specialists, MDs)

The referral choice for a medication evaluation is based on several variables which the counselor and student will evaluate together:

• Severity and acuteness of symptoms
• The complexity of the presenting issues and diagnosis
• Chronicity of symptoms
• Barriers to care related to health insurance or transportation
• ​Prior use of medication

Can I continue coming to the Center for Student Counseling and Wellness during breaks or over the summer?
The CSCW is generally closed for appointments when classes are not in session. However, during the summer months, the CSCW does offer services free of charge to those students living on campus and paying for summer housing. Summer hours are offered from mid-May through mid-July with an abbreviated schedule during the week. The schedule is posted each May, and summer services include consultations, referrals, and up to five individual counseling appointments. 

For all other breaks when classes are not in session, counselors will work with their students to create an appropriate care plan for during these breaks. Some students choose to take a hiatus from counseling, while others choose to continue counseling with a therapist in their area or via an online telehealth platform like BetterHelp. 

How many students utilize the Center for Student Counseling and Wellness?
Each year the center sees between 25-30% of the student body. The percentage of students from each class is evenly distributed from year to year and by graduation, we commonly have seen up to 50% of any graduating class at some point during their time as a student. 

Do you offer services for anyone other than students?
At this time, the center provides services for current undergraduate students of Gordon College only. We do offer one-time consultations to Gordon alumni to help them assess their level of need and connect with a local off-campus referral. We also offer consultations to current staff, faculty, and coaches to offer support and psychoeducation.