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Student Health and Wellness

Counseling Services

Personal Counseling

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Scope of Practice and Service Model

Student Health and Wellness, Counseling Services, offers individual personal counseling focusing on short-term treatment goals in order to facilitate adjustment, foster resiliency, improve functioning, and address acute symptoms that may impede student success.  Personal stressors may include issues such as relationship difficulties, self-esteem issues, depression, stress, suicidal thoughts, and/or any other issue causing distress. Psychological screenings and assessments may be utilized to aid in the counseling process and to gather the information that will enable you and your clinician to set appropriate treatment goals. If your needs require a higher level of care, we will help you to access other appropriate campus or community resources.  Please see below for information regarding clinical needs that may indicate community referral.

Services are available to TAMUK students who are currently enrolled during the academic session. Sessions are free and confidential to the full limits of the law. Students are responsible for keeping all scheduled appointments.

Student Health and Wellness, Counseling Services offers both face-to-face and Tele-Mental Health counseling appointments. Tele-Mental Health is delivered through the HIPAA secure platform ZOOM.

Between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, Counseling appointments may be scheduled by calling:

  • Counseling Services, Reception Desk: 361-593-5080
  • Student Health and Wellness Main Number: 361-593-3991

In case of an emergency, please call 911 or the University Police Department at 361-593-2611.

Clinical Issues That May Indicate Community Referral

Clinical issues that will likely be addressed through a community referral include but are not limited to:

  • Students with chronic mental health conditions that require longer-term, ongoing care.
  • Clinical presentations, such as some personality disorders, that indicate short-term therapy may be ineffective and/or detrimental.
  • A need or desire to be seen more frequently than Counseling Services can accommodate. Excessive utilization of Counseling Services crisis intervention services indicates that standard session frequency is inadequate.
  • Chronic suicidality and/or recent history of multiple suicide attempts.
  • Severe and chronic self-injury.
  • A history of multiple psychiatric hospitalizations.
  • Issues that require more specialized care than can be provided through TAMUK Counseling Services, including:
    • Significant or chronic disordered eating symptoms posing a medical danger
    • Significant or chronic substance use/abuse which interferes with engagement in therapy
  • Active symptoms of psychosis at risk for progressive deterioration.

Other Reasons For Community Referral

Other reasons why we may refer students to community resources include, but are not limited to:

  • Lack of motivation or engagement in treatment, as evidenced by:
    • Unwillingness to provide information sufficient for clinical assessment
    • Inability to identify a treatment goal appropriate for brief mental health counseling
    • Inconsistent attendance (More than 2 no-shows and/or late cancellations may require a meeting
      with an administrator)
    • Poor compliance with treatment recommendations
  • Ongoing treatment relationship with another mental health provider.
  • Inappropriate, harassing, menacing, threatening, or violent behaviors.
  • Mandated or required treatment, including, but not limited to:
    • Counseling ordered through legal proceedings, such as substance abuse treatment, alcohol
      education, anger management, parenting education, or domestic violence treatment
    • Counseling required by external entities, such as employers, government agencies, academic
      departments, or classes
  • Comprehensive psychological evaluation of any type, including, but not limited to:
    • Neuropsychological evaluations
    • Forensic assessments
    • Custody evaluations
    • Assessment and documentation for service or support animals
    • State/Federal benefit programs, including vocational rehabilitation and social security/disability
    • Fitness-for-duty evaluations
    • Pre-surgical mental health evaluations
  • When treatment is not advancing, the ethical guidelines of the mental health providers of TAMUK Counseling Services
    may necessitate termination of therapy and referral to community resources.
  • Other situations that are determined to be outside the scope of services provided by TAMUK Counseling Services, or in
    which case a clinical staff member determines that treatment would be detrimental to the client or to
    the proper functioning of the facility.

Additional Mental Health Resources: