Scope of Services

The Mental Health & Wellness Center (MH&WC) provides free and confidential individual and group counseling for all currently enrolled SVSU students. Services are provided by licensed mental health professionals and supervised masters-level student trainees.

Most students seeking services will be appropriate for treatment.  However, some students have needs more suitable for providers at other agencies on campus or in the community. The determination that a student's needs can or cannot be met at the MH&WC is made by our Clinical Review Team comprised of our Director and Assistant Director.  The different factors influencing the decision can be complex.  Most often, external referrals are based upon the student's need for longer-term, specialized, or more intensive treatment.  If a referral appears to be the best way for you to receive the treatment you need, MH&WC staff will do their best to connect you with a suitable provider.

Limits of the Mental Health & Wellness Center services:

• A need or request for weekly ongoing individual counseling or several clinical services simultaneously.
• A specific clinically recommended treatment or a request for a treatment modality not provided within our center or scope of practice and training.
• Mandated treatment or assessment (example: ongoing legal case, court or legally required, departmental or employee requirement, fitness for duty, etc.)
• Students with a concern that cannot ethically be treated within our short-term individual therapy model and frequency of sessions (typically one session every two to three weeks).
• Evaluations for psychological testing, substance abuse, ADHD (including medication management), learning disabilities, fitness for duty, emotional support animals (including letters of support), and other accommodations.
• Students who are unable to adhere to MH&WC policies and/or treatment recommendations (violation of MH&WC attendance policies, lack of follow-through with clinical treatment recommendations, etc.).
• Students receiving ongoing individual therapy with another provider (including forms of teletherapy).
• Students with a history of multiple inpatient hospitalizations.
• Students who utilize urgent and crisis services repeatedly and cannot be stabilized using a short-term therapy model.
• A referral is needed due to the severity and the needed level of care for treating and stabilizing a current condition (substance use, eating disorder, active suicidal or homicidal ideations, experiencing active psychosis, etc.).
• Students who engage in inappropriate, harassing, menacing, threatening, or violent behaviors towards MH&WC staff.