Services

In short-term individual counseling, a student meets weekly or bi-weekly with a counselor to explore emotional, social, or educational concerns. Individual counseling sessions are available through in-person or telehealth service options. Some common goals of individual counseling include:

• Resolving problems
• Adjusting to new or challenging life circumstances
• Improving academic skills
• Enhancing relationships
• Increasing life satisfaction

The Counseling Center focuses on a short-term model in order to serve as many Loyola students as we can. If a student experiences longer-standing challenges, we can provide referral assistance to connect them with a community provider. Due to ethical and professional standards, students who are actively in treatment with an off-campus therapist are unable to engage in concurrent individual therapy with a Counseling Center therapist. Crisis services, Let’s Talk sessions, and group counseling options are available for all students.

The Let’s Talk single session provides a solution-focused, goal-oriented, one-time space for undergraduate and graduate students to meet with a counselor. Let’s Talk sessions are available through in-person or telehealth service options. Students should have a specific concern in mind that they would like to address in their 45-minute session, such as:

• concern for friend;
• difficulty adjusting to a new situation;
• stress management;
• decision making;
• a recent break-up;
• or another non-crisis concern.

After completing brief paperwork, the student will meet with a clinician to address their concern. Counselors will work with the student to identify their existing strengths, resources, and coping skills that may assist them in moving forward with the specific concern, as well as offering additional recommendations. Recommendations may include participating in a Counseling Center workshop or group or connecting with additional campus resources.

A Let’s Talk appointment works well for:

• students with specific problem they’d like to talk through with a professional;
• students who are not interested in ongoing therapy but seek the perspective of a trained clinician;
• students who want to learn more about ongoing therapy and would like to talk with a counselor one or two times;
• and students who are concerned about a friend and want to consult with a counselor.

How is a Let’s Talk session different than: 1) an intake appointment, 2) individual therapy, or 3) an emergency appointment?

1. Intake appointment: an assessment appointment wherein a student and counselor discuss the best course of action for ongoing support such as individual therapy, group therapy, referral off-campus, or connection to a different university office.
2. Individual therapy: a series of consistent and ongoing meetings with the same counselor. In this case, the student and counselor continually work on achieving a particular set of goals.
3. Emergency appointment: a one-time, solution-oriented consultation that provides students with immediate support for urgent matters such as suicidal ideation, trauma, a recent death, or self-harm.

Let’s Talk is not appropriate for emergency or crisis concerns. View our emergency services page for crisis resources.

Group counseling and support groups are often the most effective counseling intervention. The Counseling Center offers a range of counseling groups, support groups, and structured workshops.

Group counseling allows students to:

• Talk confidentially about your concerns
• Share your feelings and hear the experiences of others
• Explore your identity and how the Loyola Community meets your needs
• Learn about alternative ways of looking at personal problems
• Discover new ways to manage your own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
• Renew your sense of hope and ability to resolve challenges in your life and
• Learn about yourself and new ways of relating to others

Each group member decides how much they want to share. Because of the climate of trust within the group, members feel free to care about and help each other.

Learn more about our current group offerings

When off-campus therapy is recommended or preferred by students, a counselor will support the student through the process of getting connected.  We will help to identify several referral options selected specifically for their personal situation. Depending on the student's needs and presenting concerns, The Counseling Center will recommend an appropriate level of mental health treatment.

We can help with accessing health insurance benefits and navigating transportation options. Local counseling options include some providers within walking distance to campus and some that provide low or sliding scale fee services. It is our goal to ensure that students are connected with the treatment that will best fit their particular needs, and we will continue meeting with you during this transition.

The following are some additional resources that are useful in making this connection:

• Welltrack Connect: A HIPAA-compliant referral service designed specifically for college students. Their network includes providers within Loyola’s local network, as well as a nationwide network of providers developed by other college and university counseling centers. We encourage signing up using a Loyola email address.
• Considerations in Off-Campus Counseling: a guide to seeking services off-campus that includes information on contacting providers, verifying insurance benefits, and local transportation options.
• Locating Mental Health Providers: a list of referral sources
• How to determine if a Counselor is the Right Fit: information to consider when connecting with a new provider

Please note that access to the Counseling Center for an emergency meeting, and assistance with navigating on or off-campus resources remains available to all students throughout their college career, regardless of whether they have been referred to an off-campus provider for on-going treatment.

For more information or to schedule an appointment to discuss what treatment options are best for you, please call 410-617-CARE (2273).

A consulting psychiatrist is on staff in the Counseling Center in a part-time capacity. Our psychiatrist provides assessment and medication management services for students currently engaged in short-term counseling at the Center.

Students may benefit from psychotropic medications to help relieve more significant symptoms related to anxiety and depression, as well as other mental health concerns. Studies have shown that the combination of counseling and medication is the most successful form of treatment for individuals who take psychotropic medications vs.  medication alone.

To provide optimal care for our students, the Counseling Center requires that students be actively engaged in counseling in the Center to be eligible for psychiatric services with our psychiatrist.

Due to the brief treatment model of the Counseling Center, there are some limitations to the psychiatric services available in the Counseling Center. These include:

• Appointments with the psychiatrist are by counselor referral only, following the Center’s normal initial assessment process.  Students are not permitted to schedule initial appointments with the psychiatrist without first being seen for assessment by a staff counselor.
• The psychiatrist is unable to manage medications beyond a student’s course of short-term therapy. The psychiatrist and counselor will work to identify off-campus resources for on-going medication management following termination of brief treatment in the Center.
• Comprehensive referral assistance is provided for students needing ongoing psychiatric care or whose needs are beyond our scope of services.
• The psychiatrist is not available to fill or refill prescription medications that have been prescribed by other medical providers (e.g., a student’s primary care physician or psychiatrist at home
• The psychiatrist is not available for urgent medication evaluation. These concerns may be best addressed with the most recent prescriber or a local emergency department.
• The psychiatrist is unable to prescribe controlled substances, including medications commonly prescribed for ADHD.
• If you are coming to Loyola already on psychotropic medication, you should maintain your established relationship with your psychiatrist to continue monitoring your medication as determined and agreed upon prior to leaving home for college
• The psychiatrist does not work over the winter or summer breaks and therefore is unavailable for consultation or refills during this time.

Please contact the Counseling Center at 410-617-CARE (2273) for more information. 

Our consultation services are available to students, staff, and faculty members of Loyola. Some reasons for using this option include:

• Groups of friends seeking advice or resources for a friend whom they are concerned about
• Faculty looking for appropriate responses to students expressing mental health-related concerns in coursework
• Staff hoping to help a student get connected with the Counseling Center who may be hesitant about seeking services on their own
• And more

Students do not need to be clients of the Counseling Center to seek services. Even if a student is not seeking services for themselves, they can schedule a consultation with a counselor.

To schedule a consultation, please call us at 410-617-2273. 

At the Counseling Center, we are aware that some students are enrolled in fewer than 9 credit hours per semester. The following table summarizes services available for full- and part-time students. Please note, the counselor will assist with determining which services are the best fit for your particular needs:

Type of Service	Full-Time Students	Part-Time Students
Initial Assessment	Yes	Yes
Let's Talk Single Session	Yes	Yes
Comprehensive Referral Support	Yes	Yes
Consultation	Yes	Yes
Same-Day Crisis Appointments	Yes	Yes
Group Counseling	Yes	Yes
Brief Individual Counseling	Yes	No