Welcome, the following information provides details regarding your treatment through CT State Mental Health & Wellness. Please read this document and sign it to acknowledge that you have read and understood it. If you have any questions or concerns, please ask your counselor. 

Services through CT State Mental Health & Wellness will be provided by licensed professionals or graduate counselors in training under their supervision. CT State Mental Health & Wellness provides confidential, short-term, goal-directed counseling through in-person sessions. In extenuating circumstances online counseling through a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform may be necessary. Our goal is to create an inclusive environment to provide equitable mental health support and wellness that serves to empower our diverse students to overcome barriers to their academic success. If we determine that your counseling needs require resources beyond what we can provide, we will assist you with a referral to an appropriate mental health provider. We will also offer you referrals to any on-campus or off-campus resources that may provide additional support.  

Counseling involves the disclosure of sensitive and personal information by students. Professional ethics and both federal and state laws protect the confidentiality of the information shared in counseling. Therefore, no acknowledgment of your status as a Mental Health & Wellness client will be made, nor will information about your actual counseling be released to any outside agency or individual without your written permission, except as may be required by law. Counseling files are NOT part of an academic record, and no one has access to them except the professional staff and graduate supervisees of CT State Mental Health & Wellness. There are exceptions, however, where a counselor is legally and/or ethically required to break confidentiality: 

• Imminent danger of harm to self or others, the counselor is ethically bound to contact the appropriate authorities. 

• If there is suspicion of current child abuse, elder abuse, or abuse of a disabled or incompetent person, counselors are required by law to report such abuse to the appropriate authorities. 
• Under rare circumstances, your Mental Health & Wellness records may be subpoenaed by a court order and the counselor, and the institution are bound by law to comply with such requests. 

Mental Health and Wellness Counselors at CT State Community College are trained and licensed in mental health services. The counselor provides short-term counseling and practices within their scope of expertise and adheres to their appropriate code of ethics. 

Your relationship with the counselor is a professional and therapeutic relationship. To preserve this relationship, it is important that the counselor not have any other type of relationship with you, as personal and business relationships negatively impact the effectiveness of the therapeutic relationship. 

Mental Health & Wellness sessions are free to currently enrolled CT State Community College students. The maximum number of sessions per semester is five and 10 per academic year. Sessions are usually 45 minutes. If you arrive late, your time slot will not be extended. We require 24 hours’ notice for all cancellations and three cancellations per semester. Students will be warned after the second cancellation that they are at risk of termination of counseling services. Counselors do not provide scheduled telephone sessions or use email correspondence for counseling. Mental Health & Wellness staff will only use your provided ‘preferred method of communication’ administrative purposes.  

Counselors are not available after hours or on weekends, if there is an emergency you should contact one of the following: 

• CALL 988 any time 24/7, for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or by dialing 1-800-273-8255 
  • Veterans press 1 
• Chat https://988lifeline.org/  

• Crisis Text Line: Text START to 741-741 

• Text STEVE to 741-741 for a culturally trained crisis counselor 

• Trevor Lifeline (Suicide Prevention for LGBTQ): 1-866-488-7386 
• Talk Now through Timely Care
• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 

• https://ohl.rainn.org/online/  

• Treatment Referral Hotline (Substance Abuse): 1-800-662-4357 

Counseling is voluntary and results can be variable. A positive outcome depends on the effort expended by you as well as your counselor, using the rights and responsibilities below may help in making progress in the therapeutic setting: 

• You have the right to know the credentials of your counselor and to receive counseling services that are safely and humanely administered with full respect for your dignity and personal integrity. 
• You have the right to be treated in a manner which is ethical and free from abuse, discrimination, mistreatment, neglect, and exploitation, by staff that are sensitive to your cultural background. 

• You have the right to ask for an evaluation of progress, as well as question the focus of your session. 
• You have the right to withdraw from treatment or request a different counselor, but please discuss this with your counselor prior to decision. 
• You have the right to be aware that you may remember or address unpleasant events, which may arouse strong feelings. Even the most successful counseling may be painful at times as you deal with emotionally difficult issues. 
• You are responsible to keep your appointments and arrive on time. 
• You are responsible for treating your counselor with dignity and mutual respect, as well as not putting your counselor in ethical situations. This may include, but is not limited to asking for money, transportation, or requesting that counselor speaks to faculty on their behalf. 

• You are responsible for being an open and honest interactive client with your counselor. 
• You are responsible to think through concerns you are addressing in counseling, which may include completing any therapeutic homework assignments. 
• If you are having suicidal thoughts or are thinking of hurting yourself, please inform your counselor and call 988. 
• You have the right to express any concerns or complaints about your counselor. These concerns can be brought to their clinical director Dr. Meredith Yuhas,   

Students should be aware that confidentiality of electronic mail (e-mail), Teams Chat or messaging transmissions cannot be guaranteed. For this reason, the CT State Mental Health & Wellness discourages the sharing of compromising personal or clinical information through these mediums. In addition, students should be aware that staff may not always have immediate access to nor monitor their electronic communications daily. 

Telehealth Counseling will only be available if a student has an extenuating circumstance that prohibits them from attending in person, such as illness or lack of transportation.  In addition to the above components of Informed Consent, you must also adhere to the following: 

• Both counselor and student must be in a private room with no one else near that can hear the session. 
• Telehealth platform must be compliant with HIPAA, which is designed to protect your privacy and are not to be recorded. 
• Student must provide counselor with address and phone number in case the counselor feels that the student is in imminent danger or there is an emergency. 
• There are clinical limitations with telehealth counseling, as the counselor may have difficulty seeing facial expressions or body language. 
• Student must have reliable internet connection for best transmission and your camera must be turned on. However, there still may be technical difficulties and a drop of transmission during the session, in that situation there must be a backup plan to either reschedule or connect via telephone. 

By signing the Informed Consent, you voluntarily agree to receive Mental Health and Wellness services and you authorize the licensed professional to provide such care. Signing the Informed Consent indicates that you understand and agree that you will participate in the planning and treatment that you may receive. You have been provided with the opportunity to ask questions prior to entering the counseling relationship. You may withdraw from treatment at any time, but please discuss this with your therapist prior to termination.