Encourage help-seeking
behaviors, such as talking to others, or using available
campus or community resources
Call Counseling
Services at (973) 290-4175 to seek advice from a professional
counselor for your friend or for yourself in supporting
your friend. You may call anonymously.
Get immediate
help if you think the person may harm her/himself or another.
Call (973) 540-0100, the 24-hour hotline at Morristown Memorial
Hospital, or the police, on-campus dial 555, off-campus
dial 911.
Don'ts
Ignore the
problem and hope it will go away
Judge, preach,
or pressure
Become a person's
only support system
Keep a confidence
if you feel you are in over your head as a helper, or assess
the person as dangerous to self or others
CONCERNED PARENTS
We understand
how exciting, yet difficult, it is for you to let your daughter
experience independent living for the first time. She will
make many decisions in her years at CSE, and we all hope she
makes the best ones possible. If you feel your daughter is
struggling emotionally, with her decision-making abilities,
her stress level, her relationships, or with family circumstances,
please feel free to let us know by calling (973) 290-4175
and speaking with a counselor. The more information we have
in working with a student the more assistance we can provide.
If your daughter
is 18 years of age or older, she is legally considered an
adult and is protected by confidentiality. We may not acknowledge
that she seeks our services without her written permission.
We also may not force her to seek our assistance unless she
is in danger of harming herself or another, or is mandated
for a serious violation of college policy. In these circumstances,
Counseling Services initiates assisting the student.
CONCERNED FACULTY
AND STAFF
We would like
to encourage you to refer students who are struggling with
multiple stresses and personal issues to Counseling Services.
We offer confidential, individual counseling sessions to students
free of charge. The staff frequently consults with faculty,
staff, and students about students they are concerned about.
If you are concerned
about any of the students you interact with, whom you feel
require additional attention beyond what you are able or trained
to provide, you may wish to refer them to us. As counseling
professionals, we are most grateful for your confidence in
us as a referral source in assisting students. We view the
referral process as one of mutual concern for the individual.
Some of the most common reasons to refer a student to us are
as follows:
Inability to
complete assignments
Excessive class
or exam absences
Indecision
about future goals or plans
Inability to
concentrate in class
Suspicion of
substance abuse
Suspicion of
eating disorder
Inappropriate
classroom or social behavior
Abrupt decline
in academic performance
Student's self-disclosure
of a personal problem
Suspicion of
victim of abuse
Expresses desire
for self-improvement
Difficulties
in relationships
Difficulty
adjusting to college
Frequent crying
Decline in
personal grooming
Social isolation
Through our experience,
we have found some effective strategies in referring students
to our services, which may increase the likelihood of their
seeking counseling. These are as follows:
Give students
positive reasons for your referral. Try to point out the
benefits of attending counseling and working toward behavior
change or self-improvement. This will minimize the possible
stigma associated with help-seeking behavior. If the environment
permits, offer the use of your telephone to make their first
appointment by calling x4175. You may also call us and offer
to walk them over to Founders Hall, ground floor, where
we are located.
We recommend
that rather than referring a person to Counseling Services
or to a therapist in general, it is helpful to refer to
the counselors by name, for instance, "Perhaps you
should discuss these issues with Sharon, Dawn, or Sheila
in counseling." In this manner, we are personalized
and not threatening unknown entities.
Once a student
has made an appointment, you may suggest that they let you
know how things worked out. In this way, you show them your
continued concern for their welfare. If students wish, they
may reveal the contents of a counseling session. We are
bound by confidentiality and may not reveal whether or not
someone has sought our services at any time, without her
written permission to do so.
We are here to
promote student development and to assist you in doing so.
If you have difficulty with a student or have concerns for
a student who will not seek counseling, please let us know.
There may be other ways to reach out to the student. We have
many off-campus referrals available as well. We are also available
for crisis intervention if a student's safety or the safety
of others is in danger. Please do not hesitate to call us
for assistance at x4175.
