Scope of Practice Statement
The mission of the NDSU Counseling Center is to encourage individuals to develop their unique potential by providing services and programs in a supportive environment.
Overall Priorities
- Provide high quality therapy services consisting of individual, group and couples therapy.
- Provide high quality consultation services to the NDSU campus community.
- Provide high quality outreach and educational training programs to the NDSU campus community.
- Maintain a highly qualified, healthy, and collegial Counseling Center team.
Guiding Ideals
- Act professionally in everything we do.
- Be genuinely caring.
- Maintain the highest ethical standards in all we do.
Eligibility for Services
The Counseling Center provides clinical and outreach services for currently enrolled NDSU students. Other than students participating in the ADHD assessment process, there are no fees affiliated with the use of Center services.
Services Provided
The NDSU Counseling Center is equipped to meet a wide range of needs presented by today’s students. In order to maximize our resources in meeting students’ counseling needs, the Center operates within a short-term or intermittent model of individual treatment. The primary goal of the Center’s clinical services is to provide students with appropriate mental health care and assist with personal development. Clinical services include initial assessments, individual counseling, couples counseling, group counseling, psycho-educational programs, and referral to community resources when appropriate. As space allows, there are no limits for involvement in therapy or support groups, or in workshops and outreach activities.
The Center encourages students to schedule an initial assessment appointment to determine the best response to their needs. The decision about whether or not the needs of the student fall within the scope of practice of the Center will be made after the initial assessment appointment. The professional judgement of the Center’s mental health providers will govern this determination. When a student’s needs require a more intensive level of care than can be provided by the Center, Center staff will help the student transition to resources outside the University.
Situations that may require a transfer of care include:
- A need, or request, to be seen more than once a week for individual therapy.
- A need, or request, for uninterrupted individual services from semester to semester.
- A need, or request, for a treatment modality not provided by Center staff members.
- Lack of motivation or engagement in treatment, as evidenced by:
- An unwillingness to provide information sufficient for clinical assessment.
- The inability to identify a treatment goal appropriate for short-term or intermittent therapy.
- Inconsistent attendance.
- Poor compliance with treatment recommendations.
- Individual counseling initiated only to earn credit for a class.
- A need, or request, to be seen differently than what Center staff have clinically recommended.
- Comprehensive psychological assessment of any type, including but not limited to:
- Neuropsychological evaluations.
- Forensic assessments.
- Custody evaluations.
- Assessment and documentation for service or support animals.
- Fitness-for-duty evaluations.
- Pre-surgical mental health evaluations.
- Students who are already receiving ongoing therapy with another mental health provider.
- The presence of one or more of the following, such that treatment would consist of mandated treatment, an intensive outpatient program, or a higher level of care:
- Chronic suicidality and/or recent history of multiple suicide attempts.
- Severe and chronic self-injury.
- Court-mandated assessment or treatment requirements.
- Significant or chronic disordered eating symptoms posing a medical danger.
- Significant or chronic substance use/abuse which compromises therapy.
- Active symptoms of psychosis at risk for progressive deterioration.
Please note that the nature and complexity of presenting concerns are considered in making the appropriate treatment recommendation(s). Cases are evaluated individually and the professional judgement of the mental health provider(s) will determine the treatment decision in each particular situation.