Making The Initial Appointment And Follow-up Sessions

An initial or "Intake" appointment is required prior to assignment to any on-going counseling service. The appointment is scheduled to assess a student's request and need for services. Initial appointments may be scheduled by phone by calling 683-4401 or you may stop by the office of counseling services at 1526 Webb Center. On occasion, initial appointments are scheduled at other times for emergency situations and for students who are unable to schedule during Walk-In hours. Students should come for the appointment 15 minutes before the hour to complete the necessary paperwork. The counselor discusses with the client ways Counseling Services may assist them. Final plans regarding a student's concerns are formulated at the clinical staffing meeting and may include continued counseling at Counseling Services, referral to a community clinician/agency or closing the case.

The Initial Session
The initial session is a 50-minute interview designed to clarify the concerns that you have. You and the Counselor will discuss what type of service will best help you resolve your concerns. Some students need only one session to help them feel "back on track" and other students may want to continue to explore issues through individual or group counseling. Please note that the Counselor you meet with for your initial session may not be the Counselor with whom you will work if further services are recommended.

If it is decided that Counseling Services may be of assistance to you, the initial counseling session will introduce you to our services and inform you of what to expect from them. Counseling Services provides time-limited (10 sessions or less) individual counseling and group counseling for a variety of concerns, as well as psychiatric evaluation, medication review, and consultation. If local community resources or other Old Dominion departments are determined to be a more appropriate alternative, you will be provided with referral resources that we have found to be effective.

At times during the academic year, there are many students who seek our services and it may be necessary for you to wait a brief period of time before the scheduling of your first counseling session. If you come to Counseling Services and are experiencing considerable distress, please make this known immediately. Every effort will be made to assign you to a counselor as soon as possible.

Confidentiality is an important aspect of our services. All Counseling Services records and interviews are confidential and are not a part of your Old Dominion University record. We do not release information outside our office without your written consent except in emergency life and death situations and as legally required (for example child abuse, or court orders).

Our office provides training for graduate-level interns in mental health professions. As part of this training process, counseling sessions may be audio/video taped and discussed in a confidential setting with clinical supervisors. This is done so that your Counselor can gain the best possible understanding of the nature of your concern.

Making Follow-Up Appointments
After you complete your initial interview call Counseling Services at 683-4401 between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on the Friday of the week of your interview to confirm your next appointment day and time. If you do not confirm your appointment, your counseling hour will not be held open. A new appointment may not be available for you for another week or longer. Once your counseling sessions begin, continuing appointments will be scheduled with the Secretary at the front desk. If you are not able to keep a scheduled appointment, you must call Counseling Services at least 24 hours in advance to cancel the appointment; otherwise, one counseling session will be deducted for each missed session. In case of illness on the day of the appointment, please call by 9:00 a.m. If you do not notify us, that session will be deducted from the ten sessions available. Appointments are not automatically rescheduled for clients who do not contact us.