Providing a safe and confidential setting for students to explore personal concerns and restore emotional balance.
Mission Statement
The mission of SUNY Old Westbury's Counseling and Psychological Wellness Services is to support and enhance the psychological health and wellbeing, personal growth and development of students. We aspire to help students develop the healthy minds and skills necessary for personal, academic and social success. Our staff of professionals deliver quality mental health services tailored to meet individual needs. Our services are confidential and free of charge to students.
We welcome and embrace human diversity in all its forms, including racial and ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientation and gender identity, ability/disability, language, age, spiritual belief, and socioeconomic status.
Making an Appointment
Counseling and psychiatric services are freely available to all Currently Enrolled Old Westbury students either in person or via telehealth (by video chats or by phone). If you wish to schedule an appointment with our counselors, please contact us by email at counselingcenter@oldwestbury.edu or call us 516-876-3053. We are located in the Campus Center I-Wing "Wellness Wing" Suite 102
Office Hours: 9AM to 5PM Monday through Friday. Appointment availability may vary.
About our 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
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.
when to seek counseling
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
UWill Crisis support and Programming
Counseling Services has partnered with the provider U-Will for 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
What to do in case of Emergency
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.
Crisis Counseling Services
The Counseling and Psychological Wellness Services now works with U-Will to provide emergency counseling and crisis management 24 hours a day.
You can reach them at any time at 833.646.1526