Intake and Emergency Services

Intake Services

The initial appointment, usually called an Intake, is the time when you first meet with a counselor to discuss your concerns.  Before the session starts, you will need to review the Center's policies and fill out some forms (either on a computer or on paper).  Once the forms have been completed, your counselor will meet you in the Waiting Area and take you back to their office.  The counselor will listen to your issues, ask follow-up questions to clarify things, and seek additional information from you to get as complete a picture of things as possible. The Intake session may be sufficient in helping you to work through your issues. In any event, toward the end of the of the Intake session your counselor will talk with you about your need for additional services.  If further counseling is recommended or requested, the counselor will discuss the options with you.  Be sure to ask your counselor any questions you might have about your situation, or about the counseling process here at the Center for Counseling & Well-being.

Emergency Services

While most initial sessions are scheduled appointments, sometimes a student's emotional state is such that they cannot wait to be seen at another time.  In this situation, the Center provides Emergency appointments.  If you feel that you need to talk with someone very soon, and especially if you feel you cannot wait until the next day, please come to the Center (IV-3139) and let the receptionist know that you need to be seen as soon as possible.  If a counselor is free at that time, you will be seen once you've completed the necessary forms.  If all of the counselors are in session at that moment, you may need to wait 10-15 minutes to be seen.  A counselor will be notified that you are waiting, and they will finish up what they are doing and see you as soon as they are able.  If you are in an immediate crisis and do not feel like you can wait even 15 minutes, let the receptionist know and arrangements will be made to ensure you are seen as rapidly as possible, either by the Center for Counseling & Well-being, the Montgomery County Crisis Center, or at a nearby Emergency Room.

Walk-In Appointments

In addition to scheduled Intake appointments, the Center for Counseling & Well-being offers walk-in sessions, if available.  A walk-in session may or may not be similar to an Intake session, depending on the subjects being discussed. Walk-in sessions may be briefer than Intakes, and the issues covered are often not as complex. The concerns, however, may be highly pressing, where a timely consultation can be of help.  Walk-in sessions are not a substitute for ongoing counseling. That is, if you have an issue that needs more attention than one appointment, you should arrange with your counselor for regular ongoing services rather than frequently utilizing the walk-in service. Given that coming to the Center for a walk-in session means you do not have a scheduled appointment, you may need to wait for a period of time before being seen, as the counselor may be seeing another student. All efforts will be made to see you within a reasonable time. If you feel that your situation rises to the level of emergency, please let the receptionist know, and you will be seen as quickly as possible, though it is likely that there will still be a short wait.