Frequently Asked Questions

We are open Monday-Friday 8am to 5pm on regular University business days. 

We are located on the 1st floor of Bond 大厅 East. We are next door to Luckyday Citizenship 大厅. We face Spirit Park 和 face the back sides of the Thad Cochran Center. 在那里 is a large black canopy 和 access ramp at our front door.

Student Counseling Services offers currently enrolled 学生 free, confidential 推荐 & counseling 服务. Our staff can provide 推荐 to campus 和 community resources. Students living outside Mississippi can receive a one-time consultation to assure they are informed about resources in their community.

We offer individual 和 group therapy, 推荐 to clinics on 和 off campus, 危机 response 和 intervention, consultations, 和 education 和 outreach.

See a list of our current group therapy offerings here.  

Counseling 服务 at Student Counseling Services are always free. If we refer you to other 服务 or resources across the campus or in the community, we will let you know if there are fees associated.

Your first appointment is called a screener 和 is typically conducted via Zoom. In a screener, we assess your current needs 和 make 推荐 (on 和 off campus) for ongoing 支持 和 resources.

You may contact the Health Center at 228-214-3300 to make an appointment. 

You may call 601-266-4829 or come by the SCS office to set up an initial appointment or reschedule a missed appointment.  我们所做的 不 make appointments via e-mail or online.  We can不 engage in counseling via e-mail or 文本 due to concerns for confidentiality 和 irregular monitoring of incoming messages.  

For counseling needs after-hours, please call 601.266.4829.  Student Counseling Services offers 24/7 care with 危机 after-hours 支持.  To find out more about our after hours care, please visit our 在危机? 页面.

At this time, we do 不 offer digital appointment reminders.  However, we offer appointment cards after every session at our site.  We encourage you to discuss helpful ways to keep track of your appointment with one of our staff.

At SCS all our 服务 are confidential. Your SCS 服务 will 不 become a part of your academic record. No information revealed in counseling, even the fact that you attended, will be shared with anyone unless you provide written permission for your clinician to discuss this with someone specific.

Exceptions to confidentiality:

• If you are likely to harm yourself or others unless protective measures are taken
• If you lack the capacity to care for yourself
• When there is reasonable suspicion of abuse of children, dependent adults or the elderly
• When there is a valid court order for the disclosure of client files.
• SCS may share pertinent information with referral partners to facilitate continuity of care or 支持 emergency care.  
• Mental health providers have a legal responsibility to disclose client information without prior consent in these situations. Fortunately, this is rare 和 all measures of security possible are taken to ensure your confidentiality. Data stored electronically is encrypted in our software system.

We encourage you to call the front desk at 601-266-4829 during University business hours with any questions about appointments.  However, we do 不 offer online scheduling.  

We welcome 学生 to express their preferences. In situations where it is appropriate 和 available, we will accommodate that preference.

• Students currently enrolled at USM 和 currently physically located in the state of MS can be considered for telehealth eligibility.
• In compliance with MS state law, we do 不 offer telehealth 服务 to out of state 学生.  However, we do provide a one-time consultation to out-of-state 学生 to assure they are informed about resources in their community. 

A mental health 危机 occurs when an individual's behaviors put 他们 at risk of harming 他们selves or others.  的 individual may experience limits to their day-to-day level of functioning.

Some examples of a mental health emergency/危机 include, but are 不 limited to: 

• thoughts of harming yourself or others,
• rapid 和 unusual changes to mood affecting behavior 和 safety
• if you believe you are losing touch with reality 和 experiencing unusual paranoia
• consistent inability to complete daily tasks (i.e., eating, sleeping, bathing, dressing, attending class)

• If it is a USM business day, Monday-Friday between 8 a.m. 还有5p.m., you may walk in without an appointment 和 request to speak with a counselor, or by calling 601-266-4829.
• After hours, to speak to a USM helpnow™ 危机 staff, call 601-266-4829 和 choose option one (1).

For all off-campus emergencies, we suggest calling or 文本ing 988 to be connected to  local resources 和 危机 responders. If your physical safety is at immediate risk, 刻度盘 911.

For an off-campus mental health 危机 after-hours, you may choose to 文本 or 刻度盘 988, or call 601-266-4829 和 choose option one (1) to speak to a USM helpnow™ 危机 staff.

When a student calls us at 601-266-4829 after hours, they should choose option one (1). A helpnow™ 危机 staff will answer 和 help navigate their needs. Also, the helpnow™ 危机 staff can connect 他们 to resources. Additionally, the staff can arrange for a student to receive in-person care if the 危机 requires that level of 支持.

• During business hours, you may contact the Gulf Park Health Center at 228-214-3300 和 ask for assistance.
• After hours, please call 601-266-4829 和 choose option one (1).
   

Students may, instead, choose to 刻度盘 or 文本 988, at any time, if they are in emotional distress or experiencing a mental health 危机. When you contact 988, a non-USM 危机 professional will answer 和 provide the 支持 you need. Using 988 is also a healthy option for mental health 危机 支持. Whether you call our after-hours line or choose 988, you can get the help you need. 的 most important thing is to make a call for 支持.

我们所做的 不 provide ESA documentation. 有 providers in the community that can assist with that. 的se providers charge fees for their 服务. Please ask community providers about costs for ESA documents when you contact 他们. If you already have an ESA, contact Student Accessibility Services to see how they can further assist you. 

SCS does 不 offer psychological evaluations. 的 Center for Behavioral Health on campus provides testing 和 assessments as well as other community providers 的se providers charge fees for their 服务. Please ask about evaluation costs when you contact 他们.