About the Counseling Center

The Student Counseling Center provides student support across the continuum of wellness from psychological symptoms that impair functioning to robust and resilient wellbeing. There is no charge for counseling sessions, and what you talk about with your counselor does not become part of your college record.  Some of the things that students come to the Counseling Center to discuss include:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Stress
• Life Transitions
• Relationship Concerns
• Feeling Overwhelmed
• Substance Use
• Trauma and Loss
• Body Image, Food, and Health Issues
• Sexual Abuse and Assault

Whatever you discuss in counseling is confidential. All counseling records are confidential, and they are not a part of your academic or administrative records.Student Counseling Center staff do not share information outside of the Student Counseling Center without your written permission except under the following circumstances: when it is determined that you are in life-threatening danger to self or others, when there is reasonable suspicion of child or dependent adult abuse, or if there is a valid court order for client files. If you have any questions or concerns about any aspect of confidentiality, please let your counselor know or contact the Student Counseling Center Director.

The Student Counseling Center operates from 8:30 – 5:00, Monday through Friday.  To schedule an appointment during regular office hours, please call (901) 843-3128. The Counseling Center is located in the Moore Moore Building adjacent to the Refectory.

Call (901) 843-3128 or use this form to schedule an appointment.

Group Counseling and Support Groups

Group therapy is the treatment of choice for students experiencing issues that affect their interactions with others in their lives (e.g., friends, family, romantic partners, peers). The group process gives students the opportunity to get immediate feedback from other group members about how they are being perceived and how they are impacting the people around them. This allows for the increased self-awareness needed to create meaningful change in one’s life. Group therapy also gives students the opportunity to try out new behaviors, to express feelings that may generally be more difficult to express, to assert themselves in new ways, and to experiment with new ideas.

 This fall, support group topics include:

Students who are interested in joining with other students in any of the above listed support groups can contact us by phone (901-843-3128) or email (counseling@rhodes.edu) to let us know. We will set up a time to discuss participation.   

Short-term Individual Counseling (Approximately 3 to 6 sessions)

Short-term counseling is available for students who are seeking support for specific concerns that can be addressed within a limited timeframe. Individual counseling is offered in person and scheduled teletherapy appointments are also available for students who are in-state and who have completed teletherapy forms on file. Students participating in short-term individual counseling are focused on resolving specific concerns and have clearly established goals for sessions. Often this counseling focuses on reducing psychological symptoms and improving functioning in one or more life areas. In short-term counseling, students usually see improvement in 6 or fewer sessions.  

Students in short-term individual counseling do not always meet for weekly sessions and are in a place where they are able to go bi-weekly or less frequent meetings without seeing a negative impact on functioning or stability.

The first session in short-term individual counseling is for the counselor to gather information about what is bringing the student in for counseling at this time and to explore options for next steps for care. If at any point it is determined that the student’s needs exceed the Rhodes Student Counseling scope of care, appropriate community referrals and transfers of care will be facilitated. Please see the Scope of Care section for additional information.

Same-Day Counseling

The Rhodes Student Counseling Center will be offering same-day appointments to students who are in-state and who are interested in meeting with a counselor to talk through their concerns and to get support. These appointments are designed to address acute, short-term concerns that can be discussed during that same-day session. To schedule, students should call (901-843-3128) or email (counseling@rhodes.edu) to schedule an appointment starting at 8:30 AM on the day that they would like to meet with a therapist. Appointments will be available until they are full. 

Consultation with Students

Our staff are available for consultation when students who are out-of-state request support for determining next steps for care. These consultations are conducted over the phone.  Students can request phone consultations by calling (901-843-3128) or by email (counseling@rhodes.edu).

After-Hours Access

When the Student Counseling Center is closed, Rhodes students can receive mental health assistance by calling the main Student Counseling Center number (901-843-3128) or our dedicated after-hours support number (833-434-1217).  When called, students will be directed to mental health professionals who will provide competent care and support.  This support can be an important resource for students in crisis, including those who have experienced sexual assault. 

Community Referrals for Longer-Term Counseling

When it is determined that a student’s concerns are beyond the scope of the Rhodes Student Counseling Center, we offer community referrals for longer-term counseling and more specialized services.  Students who are not able to wait for two or more weeks between sessions, who may need more than six sessions or who are dealing with concerns that would benefit from specialized care will be referred to community providers for a higher level of care.  These concerns include but are not limited to:

• Substance dependence with the need for detox or residential treatment
• Chronic psychological concerns
•  Longstanding eating disorder that is not in remission or an eating disorder with medical danger
• Danger to self or others and outpatient psychotherapy is not sufficient to improve functioning

Urgent Crisis Sessions

Students experiencing a psychological crisis can call the Student Counseling Center (901-843-3128) to be connected with a counselor as soon as possible, or can call our after-hours number (901-843-3128 or 833-434-1217) to access support. The Student Counseling Center staff will work with the student to provide support and to identify next steps for care, such as continued counseling, hospitalization, or an off-campus referral. If there is a situation in which a student needs to be walked over for an urgent crisis session, the person accompanying them will be asked to give information describing their knowledge of what happened to cause the need for the crisis session.

Psychiatric Services

Students can be referred to meet with the contract psychiatrist by Student Counseling Center clinicians. There is no fee for psychiatry appointments.

Other On-Campus Community Support Resources

In addition to the Student Counseling Center, there are many other campus resources available to offer student support.

Consultations with Faculty and Staff

Student Counseling Center staff may consult with faculty and staff when concerns arise about how to support a student or a group of students.  These sessions are not formal counseling.  Consultations usually result in a plan for next steps given the specific details of the encounter.

Outreach

Student Counseling Center staff offer outreach programs to members of our campus community upon request. Outreach topics include but are not limited to: recognizing and responding to students in distress, how to promote psychological well-being, tips for coping with stress, and how to deal with adjustment, transition and change. Requests for programs or presentations by Student Counseling Center staff must be received at least three weeks prior to an event.

Please fill out the Outreach Request Form and return it to counseling@rhodes.edu.

Confidentiality

Whatever you discuss in counseling is confidential. All counseling records are confidential, and they are not a part of your academic or administrative records. Student Counseling Center staff do not share information outside of the Student Counseling Center without your written permission except under the following circumstances: when it is determined that you are in life-threatening danger to self or others, when there is reasonable suspicion of child or dependent adult abuse, or if there is a valid court order for client files. If you have any questions or concerns about any aspect of confidentiality, please let your counselor know or contact the Student Counseling Center Director.

Eligibility

Students who are eligible for an initial evaluation session are enrolled, degree-seeking Rhodes students, both at the undergraduate and graduate level.  At the initial evaluation session, a plan for next steps will be developed that may include on campus short-term individual counseling and/or group counseling, a referral to the on-campus psychiatrist, or an off-campus referral for care. 

If a student experiences the need for leave from the College, we can work with them to explore community resources for care since they will no longer be eligible to receive services. 

We do not provide services to non-degree seeking students and non-student employees of Rhodes.

We do not provide counseling to students who are already receiving similar services from an off-campus provider. 

Situations or Services that are Beyond the Scope of Care

We do not conduct comprehensive psychological evaluations, such as evaluations for ADHD.

We do not provide counseling that is court mandated.

We do not conduct evaluations for emotional support animals.

We will not work with students who are harassing, inappropriate, threatening, or violent with clinicians.

We do not engage in intimate partner counseling when one of the intimate partners is a non-student or when there is active physical or sexual abuse occurring in the relationship. 

We will refer out for off-campus mental health support students who have ongoing problems with session attendance or compliance with treatment recommendations.