Counseling & Psychological Wellness Services

• SERVICES: Available to all currently enrolled OW students (residents and commuters, part time and full time, undergraduate and graduate)
• COST: None. Our services are covered under your Student Health Services fee.
• CONFIDENTIAL: Your session files are not a part of the student’s educational record. No information is shared with other offices or departments. 
• SERVICE: Staffed by dedicated licensed psychologists, advanced psychologists in training, licensed mental health counselors and a licensed psychiatrist, we offer free individual, couple and group counseling and psychotherapy, as well as psychiatric consultations and referral services. 

To make an appointment visit the office in the Wellness Wing, First Floor of the Campus Center I-Wing (formerly the Registrar) between the hours of 9-5 Monday – Friday, or call (516)-876-3053, email counselingcenter@oldwestbury.edu or complete the Appointment Request Form.

When campus is closed, please contact us at counselingcenter@oldwestbury.edu. Appointments will be made on first come first serve basis and based on severity. We do keep your schedule in mind, but availability varies .

If there is a waitlist you will be notified once an appointment becomes available by email. Resources are provided for alternative options.  

Scope of Practice:  Some students experience more difficult psychological challenges that require a higher level of support and are beyond the scope of Counseling & Psychological Wellness Services (CAPWS). In these situations, CAPWS will assist the student in finding a community resource and/or clinician who can best meet their needs. Some concerns that may require a higher level of care and/or referral for services outside of SUNY Old Westbury include, and are not limited to: 

• A need for intensive, long-term, or open-ended therapy/a need to be seen for more than one semester, concurrently 

• A need to be seen multiple times a week/more than once a week 

• Chronic thoughts of suicide, frequent self-injurious behaviors and/or a recent history of repeated suicide attempts 

• Recent and multiple psychiatric hospitalizations 

• Deterioration of mental or emotional functioning that requires longer term care 

• Severe psychotic and/or manic symptoms that require inpatient stabilization/longer term care 

• Already established care with an outside therapist and/or psychiatrist and a desire to continue services with them  

• Significant substance use problems such as dependency and/or past inpatient treatment history 

• Need for substance use testing 

• Court mandated treatment/Mandated therapy 

• Long standing eating disorder symptoms with no period of remission or that may pose significant medical danger to student 

• Formal Psychological Assessment, Evaluation and/or testing for a non-academic purpose 

• Severe somatic concerns eg. psychogenic seizures 

• Severe developmental, intellectual and/or autism spectrum disorder that requires specialized treatment services, frequent and/or longer-term care    

Attendance:  Therapy is an ongoing, collaborative process that works best when students are consistent with treatment and present. Attendance is a major part of the work and an indication of commitment to the therapy process. 

It is the policy of Counseling & Psychological Wellness Services (CAPWS) to monitor and manage appointments including no-shows, late cancellations or same day cancellations. CAPWS goal is to provide care in a timely manner. If a student must cancel an appointment, you are required to contact CAPWS by email counselingcenter@oldwestbury.edu or phone (516-876-3053) at least 24 hours before your appointment. Notification allows us to use cancelled appointment slots for other students who need services.  We understand emergencies may happen and we encourage you to discuss any last-minute changes with your clinician directly. 

“No Show” is any student who fails to arrive for their scheduled appointment without prior communication. “Same Day Cancellation” is any student who cancels an appointment less than 24 hours before their scheduled appointment. “Late Arrival” is any student who arrives at the clinic 15 minutes after the expected arrival time for their scheduled appointment.

Any arrival after 15 minutes will result in an appointment cancellation, unless otherwise discussed with your clinician. 

Two (2) consecutive no-show appointments and/or a repeated pattern of cancellations and/or late arrivals will result in a discharge from services with CAPWS. If terminated due to attendance students have the option to be placed back on the waitlist until a new slot becomes available. 
 
All new clients are emailed confirmation of their first appointment with the date and time and other pertinent details. It is the student’s responsibility to arrive to their scheduled appointment on time. Reminders are not provided by CAPWS. We encourage all students to utilize their calendars and/or request an appointment card when scheduling an appointment. 

Consultations and/or crisis appointments do not constitute an established client/counselor relationship and is not a guarantee of services. 

Letters/Accommodations: Please note that Counseling & Psychological Wellness Services does not provide letters supporting accommodation, like single rooms or Emotional Support Animals. The letters we provide are limited to documentation of attendance and/or diagnosis where appropriate. 

Concerned about a student: Students are adults and should make every effort to schedule their own appointments. If a concern arises, Counseling & Psychological Wellness Services (CAPWS) remain available to advise on how to discuss concerns, when indicated.  Please call, email or stop by CAPWS to make a referral. We will make every effort to share resources with students, it is the student’s decision if they would like to utilize our services or any of the provided resources. We cannot confirm whether we have spoken with or seen a student and will not provide further details or confirmation once a referral is made. CAPWS does not mandate services and will not meet with students who are mandated for treatment.    

Some signs that a visit to counseling services may be helpful, include:

• Sadness and loneliness
• Nervousness or anxiety
• Trouble managing emotions
• Excessive negative thinking or distressing emotions
• Problems in relationships
• Concerns about substance use
• Traumatic or painful experiences
• Grief or loss
• Difficulty adjusting to college
• Family problems
• Loss of interest or pleasure in things
• Changes in sleep or eating habits
• Feeling consistently bad about oneself or one’s body
• Difficulty concentrating
• Declining grades
• Low motivation
• Isolating oneself
• Frequent absences from classes
• Social difficulties
• Restricting or binge eating

Counseling Services has partnered with the provider U-Will for Mental Health and Crisis Support 24/7 as well as free programming. To register for programs, sign in at uwill.com. To contact them for Crisis Support you can call 833-646-1526

In the event of a Mental Health Crisis, the first thing to do is assess. If you feel like the student is a threat to self or others, your first phone call should be to University Police or 911. Additionally, you can report the incident to the SUNY Old Westbury CARE Team. If the student is a victim of any Title IX misconduct, contact the Title IX coordinator. 

If the crisis is not a threat to self or others, you can contact the Counseling Center by calling 516.876.3053, emailing counselingcenter@oldwestbury.edu or walking the student down to the center during office hours. If the crisis is happening outside of normal office hours, please utilize the UWill resource and call 833.646.1526.