<p>Hi, I have been thinking a lot lately about my school situation. I think I am having such an awful time because of some issues that I have that I need to work out. In confidence and anxiety are the ones that stand out most. I haven't really talked to anyone about it. But, I am going back to school in a week and I don't want to be put back right where I was before--dreading college. I want to be able to enjoy it, but I think I need to do this first.</p>
<p>With that, I just wanted to see what any of you think about going to see the school psychologist about this. I think the first few sessions are free, but I don't want to go there if it won't help. I think I need help, but I don't know what to do. Does anyone have any suggestions? I am feeling a bit lost. </p>
<p>Thanks so much for all the help. Sometimes, I wonder what I would do without a forum for complaining like this. It's nice. Haha.</p>
<p>Actually i had a roommate who went to the school psychologist or advisor (not sure what they were called, mainly just to help students through their troubles, serious or not)</p>
<p>He said that they just talked to him for hours and that it helped him calm down because he was able to rant and let out everything in privacy while the conselors comforted him. They really didnt do much to follow up with him, but just being to have someone to listen and talk to you for hours helps most people i think.</p>
<p>I have friends who have visited the student health center on campus for its mental health counseling services, and it has helped tremendously. At my school, the counselors work on immediate care with transferrence to a recurring doctor if need be, and for my friends, it has helped a lot. I would say go for it.</p>
<p>It won’t hurt you to try it. The health center’s psychologists are trained in a variety of issues, and they see students who are having minor issues as well as students with serious disorders and everyone in between. You should go talk to a counselor there.</p>
<p>Don’t go to a psychologist–they will use it against you when you try to acquire various licenses; and they will also report it if you transfer/get an internship/employment.</p>
<p>“Don’t go to a psychologist–they will use it against you when you try to acquire various licenses; and they will also report it if you transfer/get an internship/employment.”</p>
<p>Medical records are the holy grail of private information in the USA. Pretty much the only way someone can access them is if you grant them permission. Most jobs do not care about your medical history; the only ones I can think of are the military, the police, and jobs like commercial truck driving.</p>
<p>You absolutely should go see them. My nephew is on the school psychiatry staff at a well known LAC, and he is just a great person to talk to. He is level headed, is pretty young and remembers what it was like to be in college, and can really help you talk through the issues you are having. I think he spends a lot of time just talking with students who are struggling to adjust like you. Ignore andersfrom.</p>
<p>After Virginia Tech incident, the privacy laws seem to be undermined. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t want my future employer to know that I was “seeking psychological assistance.” And moreover, if I were the manager, I doubt that I would pick someone who needed mental help over somebody who didn’t.</p>
<p>No, they are not “undermined”. The HIPPA law, which renders medical records private, still apply just as they did before. And psychiatry records are particularly hard to acquire. The only thing I can think that they might impact was purchasing a weapon IF the person was considered a threat. Other than that, that information is not available. As someone who does some hiring, there is NO WAY for the hiring manager to know that someone has sought help from a psychologist or a psychiatrist. I personally thinks it shows some self awareness that the OP thinks it would help him to talk with someone, and cetainly would not hold that against a future employee if I did know.</p>
<p>Andersfrom, aren’t you the ■■■■■ who claims to be a foreign student having a hard time at Texas Tech? I am pretty sure that if you are being truthful there, you really have no idea how the mental health system and medical records work in this country. Or maybe you are just stirring up trouble.</p>
<p>I believe- but someone else can check me on this- that the VA Tech privacy issue was completely altered by his death. And circumstances that demanded the addl info. Surely you can see the difference.</p>
<p>OP, a college psychologist will be well versed in the issues of college-age kids- ie, not just a counselor, but one in tune with the age group. If this one isn’t your perfect match, by all means, find one who is. Can work wonders.</p>
<p>Alvaro, your post does not really make sense in the context of this thread… you look like you are posting about finding a grad program for psychology. This guy is asking about talking to someone about issues he is having.</p>
<p>There is nothing wrong with seeking counseling for issues and some counselors are renaming their specialty as “life coaching”. Transition between all stages of life can be challenging, so don’t let anyone scare you, from seeking guidance. You are a normal student, who needs some temporary support to find your place in your new environment. Hang in there.</p>
<p>And that’s only for seeing a psychiatrist employed by the school. If you go see a private shrink, that’s probably covered under HIPAA which is even more protective of personal records.</p>
<p>tl;dr No employer is going to know if you ever saw a psychiatrist unless you let them access your medical records. And I know of no employer outside of police and military who ask for medical records.</p>
<p>Note that a “life coach” is not necessarily a psychologist or psychiatrist, and is in no way bound by HIPPA laws to treat your medical record privately.</p>
<p>That Ferpa btw, is about educational records. Seeing a psychological counselor, even at school, is not educational. That loophole, you probably saw, is, eg, if testing records are needed for a class. Or releasing records when a kid transfers schools. My understanding is the judicial access is primarily for dealing with habitual truants (and/or some expression for that.) I think we agree- ?</p>
<p>Yeah, judicial access is usually for things like that. From my half-assed googling, I saw something about how a high school nurse’s office will probably fall under FERPA rather than HIPPA. </p>
<p>Either way, that whole “employers can access your medical records” thing is a myth. We’re slowly murdering our rights to privacy in the US but we haven’t gone that far yet.</p>
<p>Even if a future employer did know, so what? Going to the counseling center is not a black mark on your record forever. Chances are, the person hiring you has been in some sort of counseling too.</p>
<p>I consider myself a pretty grounded person and I’ve never been a psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, or anything of that sort in my entire life. When I got to college, a bunch of friends who were stressed about tests and “the future” went to the school counseling center and strongly recommended it. I made an appointment and it was pretty helpful. It was very casual and definitely nice to talk out all my problems to someone whose job it was to offer advice.</p>
<p>When I went to schedule an appointment, their next available date was in three weeks so that was a huge indicator of how popular the service was. I know MANY people who go, people you would never look at and think they didn’t have it all figured out. A few were graduate students who now have perfectly respectable jobs right out of college. I strongly recommend going-- worst case scenario is it doesn’t help you that much.</p>