Services
TELUS Health
Telus Health is a free, confidential online counseling service offering mental health support and wellbeing resources for all current Washington and Lee University students (on or off campus) via text, phone, or video 24/7.
Call 866-743-7732 or 001-416-380-6578 if outside the US.
Support
Washingtonian Society: Student Recovery Support Group and BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) Support
Washingtonian Support Group — This is a support network for students who have had problems with alcohol or substance use, who want to connect with others in a similar situation and want help with change. Complete sobriety is not required. This social support group helps students find friendship and support for their desire for change. The group meets weekly for a meal and social time with the aim of fostering connection, friendship, and support for students with alcohol and substance issues.
BIPOC Support — Black Indigenous People of Color Support Group-This group fosters empowerment and provides a space where you will receive and offer peer support. Speak of your experiences and engagement opportunities. More information to come. For information, please contact Dr. Tamika Jackson.
Individual Counseling
University Counseling operates out of a brief therapy model. Our providers, including professional counselors, psychologists, social workers, residents, and graduate-level interns, determine a course of treatment that best meets individual student needs while allowing the most students to access our services. With that in mind, below are some concerns commonly addressed in the Counseling Center followed by a list of concerns that fall outside our scope of practice.
Concerns Commonly Addressed Within a Brief Therapy Model
- Personal issues: Stress, anxiety, depression, grief, anger, loneliness, low self esteem
- Relationship issues: Romantic relationship difficulties, roommate problems, family issues
- Developmental issues: Identity development (sexual, racial/ethnic, religious, gender, etc.), adjustment to college, life transitions
- Academic concerns: Perfectionism, performance anxiety, low motivation, career indecision
- Other issues: Effects of trauma, sexual assault, abuse, body image, healthy lifestyle choices
When a student's needs are more chronic or complex in nature or require a more intensive level of care than we can offer, we endeavor to link students with the best possible care available elsewhere.
Concerns Commonly Addressed Through Referrals to Other Providers or Resources
- Need for more regular appointments than a brief therapy clinic can provide
- Need for intensive outpatient or inpatient treatment
- Problems requiring a type of specialization or expertise not represented among our staff
- Concerns requiring frequent consultation after hours that cannot be stabilized through short term crisis intervention
- Requests for comprehensive assessments (e.g., learning disorders, AD/HD, ESA, etc.)
- Forensic or other mandated evaluations or treatments
- Active eating disorders requiring extensive medical monitoring and intervention
Urgent Hour Counseling
Urgent hour counseling is designed to be a brief triage for students in crisis, providing initial stabilization and resources until consistent treatment can be established. Urgent hour counseling is available during the academic year every weekday from 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Call ahead (540-458-8590) on the day-of to reserve an appointment. Drop-ins are welcome and encouraged to do so as close to 3:30 p.m. as possible. Arriving at the end of the urgent hour limits the time a student may have with a clinician.
Appropriate uses of urgent hour counseling include students who:
• Are experiencing current or recent thoughts of harm to self or others
• Are concerned about the safety of another person
• Recently experienced a trauma
• Are experiencing current or recent hallucinations, delusions, and/or disorganized thinking and/or behavior
• Have been unable to sleep for two or more days and have a decreased need for sleep
Students who are not current clients and whose needs are not appropriate for urgent hour counseling are encouraged to call the University Counseling Center and schedule an intake appointment.
Students who are current clients, whose needs are not appropriate for urgent hour counseling, and who wish to be seen before their next scheduled appointment are encouraged to call the University Counseling Center to reschedule their session.
Psychiatric Medication Management
The Counseling Center offers appointments with our psychiatric provider, Dr. Kirk Luder for medication management. This service is provided free of charge for all incoming and current W&L students.
If the student is prescribed medication, medication management includes:
- Meeting with the student on a regular basis for follow up care and monitoring
- Renewing prescriptions as needed
- (Medications themselves are at the expense of the student and/or their insurance)
For controlled, stimulant medication for diagnosed ADHD/ADD by an outside psychiatric evaluation (not provided at the Counseling Center), please refer to the Counseling Center's guidelines.
Our psychiatric provider works closely with our counselors to coordinate care for the best possible treatment for our students. There may be instances where coordination of care is needed with providers outside Washington and Lee University. In those instances, we request signed written permission from the student to allow us to consult with those providers.
If you wish to receive medication management with Dr. Luder and are not a current client of the University Counseling Center, please complete the Psychiatric Referral form. Please note that you must be on campus and connected to our WiFi to access the form.
Psychiatric referrals are only reviewed during business hours (Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.). If you submit on a weekend or holiday, your form will be reviewed on the next open business day. Once the University Counseling Center reviews your psychiatric referral, you will receive a call to schedule an appointment. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, including suicidal thoughts, please call 911.