Counseling & Referrals

Overview

Counseling is a resource to help you decide how to deal with your own problems and concerns. It is a chance to think out loud with an experienced listener, who will help you evaluate your options in light of your own values and priorities. (See "How Does Counseling Work?")

Issues addressed during counseling may include, but are not limited to:



Consultation, screening, and referral

Our counselors work primarily with the normal problems of student development. Students requiring in-depth therapy or psychiatric assessment, or who simply prefer an off-campus counselor can be referred to other providers. Our counselors also can provide supplementary on-campus support to students who have off-campus therapists.

Elizabethtown College participates in two programs that provide our students year-round access to anonymous on-line screening for depression, manic depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress syndrome, alcoholism, and eating disorders. Paper-and-pencil versions, educational materials and videos, follow-up consultation, and off-campus referrals are available in our office.

Counselors are happy to consult with faculty, staff, or students who are concerned about students. (See "How to help a friend.")




Confidentiality

Counseling sessions are considered private; our counselors are firmly committed to the code of confidentiality. Only in cases that threaten harm to self and/or others is information shared with those who need to know (family and other college personnel).

A counselor will be happy to answer any questions you may have about how confidentiality would apply in your situation.

 

 

 

If you need to contact a counselor about a personal matter, bear in mind that email is a non-secure medium. If confidentiality is important, talk to us in person or call Counseling Services at 717-361-1405. For after hours emergencies on campus, call 717-361-1111.

 

Appointments and Emergencies

Appointments can be made in person or by telephone (ext. 1405). In most cases a counselor can be seen within 1-3 days. If you are experiencing a crisis and need to be seen right away, please say so, and we will try to accommodate you.

Crises occurring outside of regular office hours (8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday) should be reported to a Residence Life staff member, or to Campus Security at ext. 1111. They will be able to reach the counselor-on-call. (Note that the Campus Security number for non-emergencies is ext. 1264.)

Group Sessions

Our counselors welcome the opportunity to provide group sessions on a variety of topics (e.g., grief, stress management, conflict management, assertiveness, eating issues, etc.) to residence halls, student organizations, and classes. Please contact us at least two weeks in advance.

Counseling staff also can assist students interested in forming support groups dealing with special topics such as grief, parental divorce, eating issues, etc.


Additional Resources

We hope you will browse this site to discover other tools and resources that may be helpful. In addition, we have books on a wide range of personal and career topics available for loan, as well as a diverse collection of single-sheet handouts. (See our Self-Help page.) No appointment is needed to use our resource room, and staff are usually available to help you find what you need.