<p>Typically, is the Counseling Centre at your university legitimate professional help for mental disorders and psychological ailments? Or is it more advisable to go see a licensed physician for psychotherapy?</p>
<p>I don't need help deciding who to go see, but it's a college question I was wondering. Rather, I see freshman and sophomores on here all the time that others suggest to go to the Counseling Centre when they claim they have depression or something. Pros of the Counseling Centre: typically free if you've paid the medical fee with tuition. If you live on campus, it's convenient to go to, etc.</p>
<p>What is the University Counseling Centre NOT for? is a better question.</p>
<p>Excuse the British spelling of Centre. I'm on mobile and one of my friends changed the autocorrect shortcut and I can't figure out how to fix it. Lol</p>
<p>The counseling center at my school is legitimate but the problem is there are so many students that need counseling I was put on a waiting list and told to find someone off campus. It is nice because it is free (on campus) but might be hard to get an appointment ( I have no idea how busy your school’s counseling center is). Personally, I wanted someone that could handle my case and not have a million other students to worry about. I see someone off campus and while I don’t have a car I use the ZipCar system or I call public safety and they drive me over. I think if you want someone incredibly professional then go off campus. On campus psychologists can definitely give you meds and properly diagnose your condition since they are trained professionals but at the same time sometimes people think they aren’t. It is a matter of opinion because either off or on campus psychologists can definitely help you out.</p>
<p>I think your university’s counseling service is a fairly low bar to entry into getting some help…you just walk over or call and make an appt. Doing something off campus is more difficult as a first step.</p>
<p>It really depends on the counseling center.</p>
<p>At both of my former institutions - and at many institutions, I suspect - the counseling center is really not intended to deal with serious mental disorders, at least not alone. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go to them if you suspect you have a more serious disorder, though, because they can either refer you out and/or work in tandem with a community psychologist or psychiatrist to make sure that you get the care that you need. That also doesn’t mean that the psychologists there are unable to work with students with serious mental disorders; often they have the same or better training than clinical psychologists working in the community, and some of them specialize in mental disorder. It’s just that that’s not the original intent of most university counseling centers. Many universities’ health insurance policies limit your visits to 10 per year, which probably isn’t enough for a serious long-term mental disorder that needs ongoing treatment. You often are eligible for more visits off-campus, though (e.g., my old university allowed 10 visits per year in the campus center but up to 40 additional visits per year at a clinician you were referred out to)/</p>
<p>Basically, I think the best course of action is to go to the counseling center first and see what they say. If they can’t help you, they will refer you to someone who can help you and is used to working with students in your age group and with your problems.</p>
<p>Just as a side note, it’s not always true that the campus therapists can prescribe you psychiatric meds. Psychologists actually don’t have prescription privileges in most states - you would need to see a psychiatrist, physician assistant, or a psychiatric nurse practitioner. (There are a few states that allow clinical medical psychologists with additional training to prescribe.) Campus counseling centers are overwhelmingly staffed with clinical psychologists, licensed professional counselors, and licensed social workers as opposed to physicians, PAs or NPs.</p>