Scope of Practice

counseling center

The counseling center is available and free for all students at Hampshire College. We offer time-limited individual counseling for students. We do not have formal session limits, but instead work with each student to come up with a treatment plan that best meets each individual’s needs within the available resources here at Hampshire. Some students come in for a one-time consultation while others are seen intermittently throughout their college career. For many students, group therapy can be a valuable addition to their treatment plan, as needs arise and time allows group therapy options will / can be arranged.

Some concerns that are commonly addressed in brief or intermittent counseling at the counseling center are:

• General Concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression, anger, loneliness, guilt, low self-esteem, grief, adjustment to college, etc.
• Big Life Questions such as "Where do I find meaning in life?" or "What do I want out of life?"
• Relationship Concerns, including relationship issues with romantic partners, modmates, friends, family, etc.
• Identity Issues relating to all aspects of a person’s identity including personality, family,  race, culture, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and many others.
• Other Issues including academic concerns, trauma, childhood concerns, eating and body image issues, etc.

Off-Campus Referrals

Our approach to off-campus referrals is:

• All students are welcome here for a consultation at any time by appointment in their Hampshire career.
• The process of discussing treatment options can often take several sessions.
• The decision to seek an outside therapist is a shared decision between the student and the therapist. 
• Diagnosis is not the critical factor in making a treatment decision. At a given time, a person with any diagnosis or no diagnosis might benefit from time-limited therapy. We base our recommendations on the current clinical needs of the student.

Students may seek out an off campus referral for therapy when they know they want more than we can offer in frequency of meetings. Sometimes a student is able to make this decision immediately in a first consultation with us. Often, a student may take several sessions with us to make this decision.

These are some reasons why a student may choose more intensive therapy, or a counselor here might recommend it:

• An interest, curiosity, or enthusiasm for more intensive therapy than we are able to offer
• A desire for therapy to be completely separated from the college environment
• A need for a more intensive therapy that could offer more time, services, and/or options to help maintain the student's overall functioning for college life and studies
• A person who is looking for formal psychological assessments, such as ADHD testing
• Court-mandated treatments or assessment
• Assessments for employment clearance or other non-academic concerns

Psychiatric Medication Consultations

Students who are seeing a therapist at our clinic may have a medication consultation with a general medical practitioner at Hampshire or with a psychiatric provider at the University of Massachusetts. We can also provide referrals to psychiatric providers in the community. Which option is best for each student will depend on student preference and clinical picture. Students are encouraged to discuss these options with their therapist.