We hope to remain available for students at this time while ensuring the health and safety of staff, students and faculty by providing an online format. We appreciate your flexibility and look forward to assisting you. We are here to be supportive and work with you on personal concerns. As a reminder, we are not an emergency service. Should you experience a mental health emergency, please contact your local police department and report to the nearest emergency room.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please reach out via email, call Student Life at 563.425.5215, or schedule an online appointment via the links to the menu to the right. If we cannot counsel you because of location and licensure, we will help to locate resources for you in your area.

Your Local Resources

Mission

It is the mission of the Counseling Department to promote the personal development and psychological well-being of all students, and to provide an environment that is conducive to growth and learning.

Free and confidential short-term counseling is available for Fayette Campus students seeking help with personal, social or emotional issues.

What Is Counseling?

Counseling is designed to help you identify behaviors or ways of thinking that are interfering with your happiness and/or ability to function, and to guide you in making the necessary changes to fulfill your personal goals.

Client Rights

As a client, you should be aware that you have the following rights:

• Every client has the right to be treated with respect and dignity as a human being.
• Every client has the right to self-determination and self-development.
• Every client has the right of choice and responsibility for decisions reached.
• Every client has the right to know the risks and benefits of counseling procedures.
• Every client has the right to access their counseling file by submitting their request in writing.
• Every client has the right to be informed about any tape recording or video taping of counseling sessions.
• Every client has the right to refuse services.
• Every client has the right to terminate services at any time without just cause.
• Every client has the right to refuse to participate in experimental research.
• Every client has the right to file a complaint with the Director of Counseling and/or the Dean of Student Development.
• Every client has the right to be fully informed of all services provided by this counseling service and the cost of any referral sources.
• Every client has the right to voluntarily participate in the counseling process.

Confidentiality

The law protects the privacy of all communications between a client and a mental health professional. In most situations, Counseling Services can only release information about your treatment to others if you sign a written authorization form that meets certain legal requirements.

If you and your counselor agree that it would be beneficial for your counselor to share confidential information about your treatment with someone else, your counselor will prepare an authorization form for your signature.

In some situations, no authorization to release confidential information about a client’s treatment is required by law or ethical standards. In these situations, the counselor may release information without the client’s permission. Information sharing within Counseling Services for clinical and administrative purposes is routine.