1. When is the Center
open for business?
Student counselors provide
counseling services on
Monday and Thursday nights
between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m.
The Center operates on an
academic calendar, thus
clients are seen September
through early December and
January through early May.
The Center may operate year
'round in the future.
2. How much does it
cost for a counseling
session?
$10.00. All fees are
used to offset expenses
associated with operating
the Center.
3. Can the Center bill
insurance companies for
counseling sessions provided
by student counselors.
No
4. What are the age
ranges of clients who are
seen at the Center?
Clients between the ages
of 8 and 18 are eligible to
participate in counseling.
(NOTE: MTSU students who
require counseling services
may utilize MTSU's
Counseling and Testing
Services, located in 329
Keathley University Center,
for free of charge.)
5. What types of
problems are clients seen
for at the Center?
The
types of problems for which
children/adolescents
can
be
seen by student counselors
include:
-
Adjustment problems
(e.g., adjusting to
divorce, death of a
significant other,
moving to a new school)
-
Anxiety problems (e.g.,
excessive worry, fears)
-
Low self-esteem/poor
self-concept/unhappiness
-
Relationship problems
(e.g., friendship
problems, difficulty
getting along with
parents and/or teachers)
-
Non-compliant behavior
at home and/or school
(e.g., refusing to
follow through with
requests of parents
and/or teachers;
frequent arguments with
parents)
The
types of problems for which
children/adolescents
cannot
be
seen by Student Counselors
include:
-
Physical/sexual abuse
-
Clients in crisis
(e.g., suicidal,
homicidal)
-
Moderate to severe
depression / bipolar
disorder
-
Alcohol/drug dependency
issues
-
Developmental disorders
(e.g., mental
retardation, Asperger’s
disorder, Autism)
-
Psychosis (e.g.,
hallucinations,
delusions)
-
Legal issues (e.g.,
persons who require an
interview with the
purpose of using the
interview information in
court proceedings or
other
litigation)
6.
What do parents/guardians
need to do to schedule an
appointment for a child?
Parents may call the clinic
(898-5192) to schedule an
appointment for their
children ONLY AFTER a
professional in the
community has completed a
referral form
and
has faxed it to the Center.
Children/adolescents must
have been screened by an
appropriately certified or
licensed professional (e.g.,
psychologist, social worker,
counselor, physician) at a
school, clinic, or agency
prior to the professional
referring the
child/adolescent to the PSC.
7.
What if only one child in a
family needs to participate
in counseling. Can a
parent/guardian bring the
child's siblings?
Sometimes only one child in
a family is identified as
the one in need of
counseling. Parents are
kindly asked to arrange for
a babysitter, friend or
family member to watch the
child’s siblings who are
not taking part in
counseling sessions when
the parent brings the
identified child to the
Center for counseling
services. The secretary
cannot monitor siblings when
the parent is asked to meet
with the counselor nor can
siblings remain in the
waiting room unaccompanied
per university policy.
8. Do
student counselors inform
parents what they discussed
with their children in
counseling sessions?
Student
counselors respect the
privacy of minors and, as a
general rule, do not
disclose to parents
specific information
which children talk about in
counseling sessions. In
order for
children/adolescents to
trust student counselors,
they must be given the
assurance that whatever they
disclose in a counseling
session will not be
disclosed to their parents.
9.
Do student counselors ever
tell anyone else what they
discuss with clients?
The PSC
is a training facility to
help student counselors
develop their skills as
professional counselors. As
such, they discuss their
cases with Dr. Christopher
Quarto or Dr. Robin Lee on
weekly basis (in individual
supervision) to aid them in
their skill development.
Other than that, there are
only three situations in
which a student counselor is
legally mandated to breach
confidentiality and report
information obtained in a
counseling session to the
proper authorities:
-
If
a child discloses that
he or she is going to
harm him/herself
-
If
a child discloses that
he or she is going to
harm someone else
-
If
a child discloses that
someone is harming him
or her
10.
Why do counseling sessions
have to be audiotaped or
videotaped?
Student
counselors audiotape or
videotape counseling
sessions for review in
supervision with Dr. Quarto
or Dr. Lee. Student
counselors and their
university supervisors
listen to/watch the tapes so
as to help students develop
their skills as professional
counselors. This, in turn,
helps student counselors
provide higher quality
services to clients.
referral form
MTSU
Psychological Services
Center
MTSU
P.O. Box 87
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
Telephone: (615) 898-5192
Fax: (615) 494-8727
Electronic mail:
psc@mtsu.edu
~
"Thanks to the MTSU College
of Continuing Education &
Distance Learning
for their financial support
of this website and
associated services."
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