Mental Health

Due to the coronavirus public health crisis, Student Health Services has suspended all in-person visits for the foreseeable future, but we are still offering virtual counseling services via HIPAA-compliant Zoom throughout the summer. If you would like to meet with a counselor, you can schedule a telecounseling visit through the SHS Portal. 

Counseling Services offers the opportunity to talk to someone who will listen in a supportive and nonjudgmental manner, in a confidential setting. Whatever you are thinking, are feeling, or have experienced will be accepted and your counselor will respect the influence of culture and identity on your experiences. Our counselors will listen, talk with you about your goals, and help you find solutions to personal problems. All counselors are licensed and have completed graduate training as psychologists, social workers, or mental health counselors. We also have psychiatrists on staff, medical doctors who specialize in mental health and can prescribe medication if needed.

We offer short-term individual counseling. During the initial visit, you and one of our counselors will decide on a treatment plan based on your current needs. Sometimes long-term or specialized treatment is indicated, and your counselor will help you find appropriate referrals in the community. Group counseling is also offered. Students can be in both individual and group counseling simultaneously.

• Individual Counseling

  All counseling sessions are being offered online via HIPAA-compliant Zoom meetings until further notice. We offer short-term counseling services, provided by licensed counselors, with a 12-session maximum per academic year. You can schedule your first session by emailing shs@newschool.edu or through the Student Health Services Portal. During your initial Brief Assessment appointment, you and a counselor will make a plan for treatment, based on your current needs. If longer-term or specialized treatment is needed, the counselor can help you to find an appropriate treatment option in the community.

  Students are entitled to short-term counseling each academic year. However, because of the large number of students seeking counseling, the following guidelines apply:

  • Students may participate in up to 12 free individual counseling sessions per academic year and attend as many group sessions as they like.
  • Students who are seen for counseling sessions during the summer term must wait until the spring semester before they can be seen for another round of sessions.
  • When there is a waiting list, priority will be given to students who have never been seen before.
  • There is no guarantee that students returning for a new round of sessions will be able to see the same therapist they had in the past.

  Cancellation Policy
  In order to manage the great demand for our services and make counseling more readily available throughout the year, Counseling Services allows students one missed appointment in the course of their sessions. After a student's first missed session, each cancellation, whether it is same-day or in advance, will count as one of the student's sessions.

• Crisis Intervention

  Students who are an immediate danger to themselves or others should call 911 in the United States or go to the nearest hospital emergency department. The following hotlines are also available 24/7: 

  • Lifeline National Suicide Hotline: 1.800.273.8255
  • National Graduate Student Crisis Line: 1.800.472.3457
  • Trans Lifeline: 1.877.565.8860
  • Trevor Project: 1.866.488.7386

   

   

• Psychiatric Services

  Our psychiatrists are available only to students receiving counseling. Psychiatric services offered include psychiatric consultation, evaluation, and medication treatment and management. Students seeking psychiatric services who are not in counseling are given referrals to providers in the community.

• Group Counseling

  Group is a great way for students to create community, meet other students, reduce isolation, and get support. It’s completely confidential. No judgment—just sharing and connection.

  In-person groups are suspended until further notice, but we are still hosting the following weekly virtual groups through the remainder of the spring 2020 semester:

  Connection in Crisis (open to all students)
  Mondays at 10:00 a.m. EST 

  A process group to help with unprecedented challenges. 

  Managing Isolation with Mental Health Issues (open to all students)
  Mondays at 6:00 p.m. EST

  If you are struggling with how to cope while managing your mood, anxiety, or ability to stay hopeful, spend some time with peers and people who can relate. This group is meant to foster a sense of community and offer a place where you can be open about struggles, challenges, and triumphs.

  Art and Chat (open to all students)
  Mondays at 7:30 p.m. EST

  Open to all students in the New School community. Enjoy some company while we create cool things, with a chance to chat about all that is going on or even just the weather.

  Using the Creative Process to Cope with Uncertain Times (open to all students)
  Wednesdays at 12:00 noon EST

  Artists, writers, and musicians are invited to share and discuss their work during this extraordinary time. 

   

  LGBTQIA+ Support Group

  Thursdays at 4:00 p.m. EST

   

  A group where LGBTQIA+ students can come together during this time apart. Please email FactorR@newschool.edu if you are interested in joining.

  Womxn of Color Group 
  Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. EST

  A group for self-identified Womxn of Color. Please email ascott@newschool.edu if you are interested in joining.

  Friday Morning Group Chat (open to all students)
  Fridays at 10:00 a.m. EST

  Join a virtual group to chat about whatever is on your mind.
• Mindfulness Practice

  Mindfulness Practice is a 30-minute private counseling session in which you develop mindfulness techniques to address problems and manage stress. Sessions are adapted to your unique needs and experiences and offer an open and safe environment in which to ask questions and address difficulties in your practice. Appointments can be scheduled online through the Student Health Services Portal.

• Psychological Assessment Service

  Students seeking diagnostic clarification about attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities, difficulties with memory and other cognitive issues, or other common psychiatric conditions that may be affecting your academic performance, such as anxiety and depression, may sign up for testing.

  Email the program manager, Donna, at safrancenter@newschool.edu. Donna will respond with information about the service and schedule a phone screening. The fee for testing services is $100, paid in two installments.

• Brief Alcohol and Screening Intervention for College Students

  In the spirit of promoting harm reduction and positive change, the Mental Health Substance Abuse Counseling office has collaborated with The New School's Student Health Services to provide a Brief Alcohol and Screening Intervention for College Students (BASICS). Central to this approach is the desire to cultivate a non-judgmental awareness of drinking patterns and to develop ways to reduce risk and enhance well-being. This is a two-session motivational interviewing approach that has been shown to be effective in encouraging college students to explore their alcohol use and develop ways to minimize the negative consequences associated with drinking and other drugs.

  For more information about the BASICS program at The New School, or to schedule an appointment to learn more about your substance use, please email basics@newschool.edu. You can find other alcohol and substance use resources on our Mental Health Resources page.

• Referrals to Community Providers and Programs

  Email us at shs@newschool.edu for help with finding off-campus mental health services and other specialized services.