What We Do
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I make an appointment for counseling?
- Please review our page on making an appointment here.
- Please review our page on making an appointment here.
- What if I鈥檓 in crisis and can鈥檛 wait until my next (or first) appointment?
If there is an immediate risk to the physical safety of you or someone else, please call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency room.
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- FOR SAME-DAY, IN-PERSON APPOINTMENTS:
Same-day appointments (about 30 minutes long) are available with one of our counselors at the Counseling Center Monday-Friday between 9am to 4pm.
- You can also use a same-day, in-person appointment if you would like a one-time consultation to discuss a particular concern
- You can complete the necessary paperwork once you arrive.
- If you鈥檙e not sure which type of appointment is best for you, you can use a same-day, in-person appointment to discuss different options.
- ONLINE, TELEHEALTH:
On demand services are available virtually 24/7 through TalkNow on the TimelyCare website. - Here are some other crisis contacts outside of CC Hours:
- Counseling Center 24/7 Crisis Hotline: 813-974-2831 press 3
- Community crisis lines
- Call 2-1-1 or 9-8-8
- Text 鈥淗OME鈥� to 7-4-1-7-4-1
- FOR SAME-DAY, IN-PERSON APPOINTMENTS:
- What is therapy at the 小黄鸭视频 Counseling Center like?
- We specialize in short-term, goal-focused treatment.
- Counseling services are free to you as long as you鈥檙e a registered student or have paid the health fee for the current semester if you are not registered.
- There is no session limit, but on average, students attend 3-4 sessions per semester, which may be scheduled 2-4 weeks apart.
- When you meet with your therapist, the two of you will likely:
- Create some therapy goals for your work together
- Come up with activities that you can engage in between sessions
- Discuss additional resources that may be helpful
- Consider other treatment options if applicable
This approach helps us offer effective care to our large and diverse student body while enhancing each student鈥檚 ability to access services.
- What if I鈥檓 interested in weekly or long-term counseling?
- If you are interested in meeting with a therapist weekly or on a more long-term basis,
we are happy to help you find someone who can meet your needs! We can assist you in
identifying a provider outside of 小黄鸭视频 who is in-network with your insurance or get
connected to a therapist with a sliding-scale fee.
- If you do not currently have a counselor at the Counseling Center who can help you, you can come to the Counseling Center for a same-day, in-person appointment to request assistance with a referral.
- If you are seeking more specialized or in-depth treatment, our referral coordination team can also assist you in getting connected accordingly.
- To find an external therapist on your own, here are some additional resources:
- Psychologytoday.com
- Helloalma.com
- Goodtherapy.org
- OpenPathCollective.org
- If you are interested in meeting with a therapist weekly or on a more long-term basis,
we are happy to help you find someone who can meet your needs! We can assist you in
identifying a provider outside of 小黄鸭视频 who is in-network with your insurance or get
connected to a therapist with a sliding-scale fee.
- What do I do if I want to transfer to a different counselor within the Counseling
Center?
- Having a strong relationship with your counselor is an integral part of the therapy
process. If you are noticing concerns in your relationship with your counselor, it鈥檚
best to first bring those concerns up in your sessions with them. They can help you figure out what you might be needing in your therapy, and decide
the best plan for your care. After that, if you would still like to transfer to a
different provider, you can call the Counseling Center office (813-974-2831) and request the transfer. You will then be contacted by our staff to coordinate the
transfer and help you get scheduled with a new clinician. You are invited to review
our Meet the Staff page and select at least 3 clinicians that you would be interested in transferring to. It is important to note that we
are only able to facilitate one clinician transfer per 6 months for each student.
- Having a strong relationship with your counselor is an integral part of the therapy
process. If you are noticing concerns in your relationship with your counselor, it鈥檚
best to first bring those concerns up in your sessions with them. They can help you figure out what you might be needing in your therapy, and decide
the best plan for your care. After that, if you would still like to transfer to a
different provider, you can call the Counseling Center office (813-974-2831) and request the transfer. You will then be contacted by our staff to coordinate the
transfer and help you get scheduled with a new clinician. You are invited to review
our Meet the Staff page and select at least 3 clinicians that you would be interested in transferring to. It is important to note that we
are only able to facilitate one clinician transfer per 6 months for each student.
- Do you prescribe psychiatric medications?
- Psychiatric medications are only prescribed by medical providers, such as those at
the 小黄鸭视频 Student Health and Wellness Center. Our counselors are not able to prescribe medications. For medications, you can schedule
an appointment with a psychiatric provider in the community, or through the Student Health and Wellness Center. If you're working with one of our counselors at the Counseling Center and are interested
in psychiatric medication, you can discuss it with your counselor and they can help
you with the referral to SHWC, if appropriate. We are required to confirm that you
are engaged in ongoing therapy (either with the Counseling Center or another counselor)
before we are able to complete the referral.
- Psychiatric medications are only prescribed by medical providers, such as those at
the 小黄鸭视频 Student Health and Wellness Center. Our counselors are not able to prescribe medications. For medications, you can schedule
an appointment with a psychiatric provider in the community, or through the Student Health and Wellness Center. If you're working with one of our counselors at the Counseling Center and are interested
in psychiatric medication, you can discuss it with your counselor and they can help
you with the referral to SHWC, if appropriate. We are required to confirm that you
are engaged in ongoing therapy (either with the Counseling Center or another counselor)
before we are able to complete the referral.
- Can the Counseling Center help me with academic accommodations for my mental health
condition?
The Student Accessibility Services office will be your primary contact to coordinate any appropriate accommodations for your academic needs. However, if you are applying for academic accommodations related to your mental health, your counselor may be able to complete the supporting documentation! Your counselor would need to complete a thorough evaluation over the course of your work together, to determine if they have enough information to verify the impact of your psychological symptoms. Let your counselor know if that鈥檚 something you would like to explore. - What is the Counseling Center鈥檚 process for supporting medical withdrawal petitions
due to mental health concerns (ARC petition)?
- If you are petitioning to medically withdraw from classes due to the impact of your mental health, then we may be able to help!
- Here are the steps you can follow:
- If you have been engaged in therapy with one of our Counseling Center counselors,
- You can contact your counselor to request that they complete the ARC Medical form. They will need to conduct a thorough evaluation to make sure they have enough information to determine if they are able to support it.
- If you have not been engaged in therapy at the Counseling Center
- You can schedule an appointment with one of our counselors to begin therapy. Your counselor will need to conduct a thorough evaluation to gain enough information to determine if they are able to support the petition. This will likely occur over several appointments, depending on the length of time needed for your counselor to complete the evaluation.
- You can use a same-day, in-person appointment to discuss various options with one of our counselors. However, please be aware that counselors cannot complete ARC petitions forms based on a single appointment, as we will not have enough information to determine if we can support the petition from a same-day appointment.
- You can refer to the website for further details about completing a medical withdrawal
- If you have been engaged in therapy with one of our Counseling Center counselors,
- Can I use the services if I鈥檓 taking online classes and am outside of the state of
Florida during a semester?
- Because our counselors are only licensed in the state of Florida, we can only provide
services to students who are currently located in Florida. While you are out of the
state, you still have full access to our various drop-in workshops. You can also use TimelyCare, which is a virtual platform, where 小黄鸭视频 students can access 9 free telehealth therapy
sessions per year, as well as health coaching and crisis appointments. Through TimelyCare,
students can schedule therapy sessions with a provider who is licensed in any of the
50 states. You can also utilize your health insurance and use these resources to search
for a therapist in your local community:
- Psychologytoday.com
- Helloalma.com
- Goodtherapy.org
- OpenPathCollective.org
- If you are currently outside of the US, you can still access our Counseling Center drop-in groups and the TimelyCare crisis appointments (TalkNow) which are available 24/7.
- Because our counselors are only licensed in the state of Florida, we can only provide
services to students who are currently located in Florida. While you are out of the
state, you still have full access to our various drop-in workshops. You can also use TimelyCare, which is a virtual platform, where 小黄鸭视频 students can access 9 free telehealth therapy
sessions per year, as well as health coaching and crisis appointments. Through TimelyCare,
students can schedule therapy sessions with a provider who is licensed in any of the
50 states. You can also utilize your health insurance and use these resources to search
for a therapist in your local community:
- What do I do if I鈥檓 grieving the recent death of a loved one?
- There are a wide range of reactions that people have when losing a loved one, including sadness, numbness, or anger. Give yourself permission to feel whatever reactions come up for you.
- How to know if it鈥檚 time to seek support:
- Whenever you feel like it鈥檚 impacting your emotional or other functioning
- Warning signs
- Changes in appetite or sleep
- Difficulty focusing
- Increased tendency to withdraw from others
- You are feeling 鈥渟tuck鈥� in your grief or it is feeling unbearable
- You feel the urge to use alcohol or other substances to cope with your pain
- You have increased thoughts of death or suicide. If you or someone you know is considering suicide or feels like life isn鈥檛 worth living, you can call the suicide hotline at 9-8-8, or text 鈥淗OME鈥� to 7-4-1-7-4-1
- If you would like more support in coping with grief you can:
- Start individual or group therapy at the Counseling Center (link to make an appointment page)
- Use one of our drop-in groups and workshops (add group page link)
- Use a same-day in-person appointments between 9am and 4pm Monday-Friday
- Use to start free virtual therapy with a licensed provider
- If bereavement is impacting your academic functioning, you can:
- Talk to your counselor about your concerns and you can think of potential solutions together
- Reach out to the office of Student Outreach and Support (insert link) for support in navigating various campus resources and needs
- Reach out to the Office of Academic Advocacy (insert link) to connect with an advocate who will help you work through various barriers to academic success
- You can also look into utilizing any of the local grief support groups: