Wellness

Counseling Services

Counseling Services is comprised of a professional staff offering a variety of services including individual and group counseling, support groups, consultations, and educational programs focusing on developmental concerns as well as psychological issues. Our services are free to all MCLA students. In cases where a student needs services in addition to what we can provide, we can assist with referrals to appropriate resources in the community.

Counseling Services is located on the second floor in the Hoosac Bank Student Wellness Center. The office is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday, and until 6 p.m. on Tuesdays when fall and spring semester classes are in session. To make an appointment please stop by during our office hours, or call (413) 662-5331 (campus extension 5331.) Emergencies will be seen immediately.

Helpful phone numbers:
MCLA Public Safety emergency: Ext. 5100
Brien Center Crisis Team: 664-4541
Alcohol and Drug Use HELPLINE:
1-800-327-5050
24 hours a day 7 days a week
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) 

Services

Individual Counseling
Professional staff provides confidential psychological counseling to assist students in addressing educational and emotional issues to enhance their personal development. Students come to Counseling Services to discuss a variety of personal matters: life transitions; managing depression, anxiety, or substance use; concerns about family members; coping with personal experiences; improving academic performance (e.g., decreasing test anxiety or managing time effectively); or to seek information to help a friend.

Group Counseling
Counseling groups, offering support or focusing on a specific topic (e.g., personal growth and identity, interpersonal relationships, new student transitions) are offered periodically.

Educational Workshops/Programs
Staff work with campus groups to offer educational programs on a range of topics, such as sexual assault prevention, sexual harassment, stress management, test anxiety, and time management. Screenings for depression and alcohol abuse are available.

Counseling Services also sponsors monthly themed mental health education tables Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the beginning of the month. Look for our February 2012 Info Table:

Mindful Eating 101     

Feb. 7- 10AM-2PM Bowman Lobby-Quad level   Feb. 8- 10AM-2PM Campus Center Marketplace

Campus Connect:  A Suicide Prevention Training for Gatekeepers is offered each semester by MCLA Counseling Services

Program Description

Campus Connect was developed by the Syracuse University Counseling Center, and has been used across higher education.  Campus Connect is a gatekeeper training program for college and university faculty, staff and students.  this experientially based training is designed to enhance participant's knowledge, awareness, and skills concerning college student suicide.  Specifically, Campus Connect aims to increase participant's knowledge about suicide statistics, risk and protective factors, warning signs, and referral resources; to increase empathic listening skills, communication skills, and the ability to ask individuals if they are thinking about suicide; and to increase self-awareness concerning the potential emotional reactions gatekeepers may experience when interacting with students in crisis. 

Campus Connect is highly interactive, with gatekeepers participating in multiple exercises throughout the training to increase both their skills and awareness concerning the emotional intensity of responding to suicidal college students. The two hour training culminates with a role play, in which gatekeepers are given the opportunity to practice the skills they are taught during the course of the training.

Program Objectives:

After training, participants will have:

• Increased knowledge of suicide warning signs and referral points for students at risk for suickde
• Increased skills to respond to college students at-risk for suicide.
• Increased self-efficacy regarding their ability to respond to a student at-risk for suicide.

For more information regarding Campus Connect trainings, please contact Heidi Riello, Director of Counseling Services via email at Heidi.Riello@mcla.edu or via phone at 413-662-5331