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Behavioral Health Services, located within the Wellness Center, provides individual, couples and small group counseling to all full-time enrolled undergraduate students at Mount St. Mary’s University. Consultation and outreach services are provided for Mount faculty, staff, and student organizations.
Mount St. Mary’s University Behavioral Health Services does not provide personal counseling through e-mail or other electronic means. If you are not a Mount student and are seeking personal counseling please consult a local mental health professional for assistance.
Arranging an appointment
Appointments can be arranged by visiting the Wellness Center or by calling extension 5288 from 8:00am-5:00pm, Monday through Friday. The Behavioral Services staff consists of licensed clinical social workers and professional counselors. All full-time enrolled undergraduate students at the Mount are eligible.
Suggestions on how to refer a distressed student to Behavioral Health Services. Click here!
Crisis Services
After regular business hours or on weekends, if you need assistance please contact your RCA or the Assistant Director of Campus Life who is on-call. If additional assistance is needed, the RCA or the ADCL will contact the mental health professional on duty.
If you are a current client of Behavioral Health Services, you may contact Public Safety at Ext. 5357 and ask that the mental health professional on-call be contacted that person will then return your call.
Individual Counseling
Behavioral health services works with students who experience a wide variety of problems: personal, academic, and relationship.
Difficulties might include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Loneliness
- Problems relating to others
- Lack of self confidence or feelings of inadequacy
- Stress
- Visiting home for the first time since leaving for University
- Visiting home for the holidays
Information on Arranging an appointment with a counselor - Click here!
Consultation and Outreach
The staff of Behavioral Health Services (BHS) is available to do programs on a variety of mental health issues. Faculty members, RCAs, coaches and other staff can request presentations that address the concerns of University students. Eating disorders, substance abuse, managing stress, managing stress, depression, anxiety, are just some of the topics often requested. Staff members are also available to consult with faculty and staff to develop programs suitable to their needs and interests. Requests for programs can be made by contacting the Director of the Wellness Center at extension 5288.
BHS staff are also available to consult with faculty, staff, parents, or students who may be concerned about a student. Assistance with crisis management and guidelines for referral are available. If you are concerned about a student you are urged to contact Behavioral Health Services for consultation at extension 5288.
Identifying and referring the distressed student: a guide for faculty and staff
Faculty and staff play an important role in the life of a student and her/his development. Often students turn to faculty and staff whom they trust when they are experiencing personal difficulties. Faculty and staff can help students work through some developmental crises in the areas of choosing a major, career choice, life goals and general philosophies. However, students may experience somewhat more complicated difficulties that may be more appropriately handles by a professional counselor or therapist.
Your Role
Below is a guideline for identifying students in distress:
- Infrequent class attendance with no work completed
- Excessive procrastination, poorly prepared work, especially if inconsistent with previous work.
- Dependency, seeks a lot of attention from you (e.g., the student who hands around or makes excessive appointments during office hours).
- Listless, lack of energy, frequently falls asleep in class.
- Marked changes in personal hygiene.
- Impaired speech and disjointed thoughts.
- Repeated requests for special consideration (e.g. make-up exams, deadline extensions).
- Threats to others.
- Expressed suicidal thoughts (e.g. referring to suicide as a current option).
- Excessive weight gain or loss.
- Behavior that regularly interferes with effective management of class.
- Frequent or high levels of irritable, unruly, abrasive, or aggressive behavior.
- Bizarre behavior that is obviously inappropriate for the situation (e.g. talking to someone/something that is not present).
- Students who appear overly nervous, tense, or tearful.
- Students who come to class under the influence of alcohol.
Guidelines for Interaction
- Talk to the student in private.
- Express concern. Be a specific as possible in stating your observations and reasons for concern.
- Listen carefully to everything the student says.
- Repeat the essence of what the student has told you so your attempt to understand are communicated.
- Avoid criticizing or sounding judgmental.
- Discuss the idea of seeing a counselor at the Wellness Center.
- If the student resists the referral and you remain uncomfortable with the situation contact the Wellness Center to discuss your concern with a counselor.
How to make a referral to Behavioral Health Services
- Suggest that the student call or come the Wellness Center to make an appointment. It is often more effective to assist the student by having her/him call while you are still with her/him in your office.
- If you feel the situation is urgent or an emergency requiring immediate action, after identifying yourself as faculty or staff, tell the office manager that the student needs to be seen immediately. Give the office manager the student’s name and the ask to speak with an available counselor or the counselor on call.
- If may be necessary for you to walk the student to the Wellness Center.
- If you are concerned about a student but not sure a referral is appropriate, call the Wellness Center for a consultation.
Support for Survivors of Sexual Assault
Sexual assault, which includes rape, attempted rape, incest and sexual abuse, is a major problem on University campuses. Twenty percent of University women are estimated to have been raped as well as some men. In one study, over 90 percent of University men and women indicated they have experienced unwanted sexual activity. In most cases of sexual assault, the assailant knows the victim.
If you have just been raped or sexually assaulted, it is important for you to get help immediately. You may need medical attention for injuries you received during the assault. You may contact the Wellness Center or, after hours, go to the emergency room at Frederick Memorial Hospital.
You may also feel anxious, frightened, depressed or angry and may be tearful, restless or irritated. Talking with a counselor who understand rape and can discuss your concerns and options, may be helpful to you. If you have been sexually assaulted, a counselor at the Wellness Center can help you work through your feelings about the assault. Some of the most common issues sexual assault survivors cope with are anger, depression, lowered self-esteem, fear, and difficulties in relationships with family members, friends and in dating. Other concerns may be pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease and personal safety.
To make an appointment to discuss your concerns with a counselor, call the Wellness Center at Extension 5288.
Crisis Information
Crisis intervention is available for anyone who has been raped or sexually assaulted. On campus you may gain support from the RA on duty; the Assistant Director of Campus Life who is on duty, or Public Safety. You may also request any of these individuals contact the counselor on call. Speaking with any of the above listed staff does not mean that you must file a complaint or charges. They are there to give you support and let you know what options are available to you.
Off Campus Resources
Heartly House, Frederick, MD
301-662-8800 (24 hour hotline)
Services include:
- Individual and group counseling
- Victim/Court Advocacy
- Victim accompaniment to Frederick Memorial Emergency Room
Rape Crisis Services of Carroll Co.
410-857-7322 (24 hour hotline)
Service include:
- Individual and group counseling
- walk-in crisis counseling
- court, police and hospital accompaniment
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