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If you have questions about a student's behavior or the appropriateness of a referral, please call the Counseling Center at (616) 331-3266 and speak to a staff member about ways to proceed with the student. |
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Referral Guide for Faculty and Staff
The Counseling and Career Development Center serves as a resource for students and provides both personal and career counseling. Students who use our services have concerns that include general adjustment to college, relationship problems, time management and academic performance issues, social skills development, drug and alcohol concerns, and lack of direction about choice of major or career. We also deal with more serious concerns including depression, suicidal thinking, anxiety, and eating disorders.
The Counseling Center also serves as a resource for faculty and staff regarding concerns about students. Faculty and staff members often interact with students on a daily basis and may be the first to notice a student's interpersonal difficulties, problems in academic performance, or be informed by other individuals about a student having problems. Also, students may seek out faculty and staff members for assistance or advice when they feel distressed, anxious and/or despressed. Because of the frequent interaction that faculty/staff members have with students, there may be times when a referral is necessary. |
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Some reasons for referral are:
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A student asks for help.
A student mentions suicide or harming someone else.
A student experiences traumatic changes in personal relationships.
A student uses drugs and alcohol abusively.
A student has problems choosing career/academic major.
A student has learning problems.
A student is in jeopardy of academic suspension.
A faculty/staff member notices serious change in the quality of student's work, i.e.,
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Excessive absences from class/work/activities.
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Unusual or changed patterns of interaction.
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Disruptive behavior.
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Depressed behavior such as lack of energy or deterioration in personal appearance.
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Feels or acts anxious.
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What happens to a student after you refer him/her?
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Because of the legal and ethical requirements regarding the confidential nature of the client/counselor relationship, we cannot contact you after you refer a student to the Center, even to let you know that he/she came in. However, it is cerntainly appropriate for you to ask the student if he/she followed up on getting assistance.
The student will be seen individually by a counselor. Together, the counselor and the student will define the concerns and discuss goals for counseling. (If there is a risk of suicide, the counselor will assess the student's degree of risk and take appropriate action.)
If the Counseling Center staff is unable to meet the student's counseling needs, we will refer him/her to an appropriate campus office or community resource. Other sources of assistance for students may include the Health Center, Campus Ministry, Dean of Students Office, Social Services, or other community and mental health agencies.
In the past, some faculty and administrative staff have required students to receive counseling as a condition of getting into or staying in a program. Because counseling is considered a form of treatment, an individual cannot be obliged to receive counseling. The Counseling staff can consult with a faculty member or student regarding what might be an appropriate plan for a particular situation; however, the decision to pursue counseling is up the student.
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Where to refer?
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Allendale Campus:
Counseling and Career Development Center
204 Student Services Building
or call (616) 331-3266
Office hours: Monday through Thursday 8-6pm and Friday 8-5pm
Daily walk-in/intake hours: 10-12 noon and 3-4pm
Pew Campus:
Counseilng and Career Development Center
116 Building B
or call (616) 331-3266
Office hours: Monday 10-7pm; Tuesday and Wednesday 9-6pm; and Thursday 8-5pm
Daily walk-in/intake hours: Wednesday and Thursday 4-5pm
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What to do if it is an emergency?
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In emergency situations in which a student is unwilling or unable to seek help on his/her own, contact the Counseling Center (616-331-3266) for assistance.
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