Counseling FAQs

Counseling services are available to all active UP students without cost and regardless of insurance status.

1. Front Desk staff will ask you if you have seen a counselor at UP before and confirm your name, date of birth, and contact phone number.
2. If this is your first time making a counseling appointment at UP, and you want to begin ongoing counseling, we will schedule you for an Intake appointment.
3. If you want to discuss your immediate concerns and determine which services would be most helpful to you, request a Consultation appointment.
4. If you are returning to Counseling Services, and want to continue with the same clinician, you may request an individual therapy session. If you'd like to work with a different clinician, you may request a consult. 
5. Once your appointment is scheduled, you will receive an email confirmation of your appointment, as well as an automated reminder email the night before your appointment.

We're sorry we missed your call! If you called the Health & Counseling Center and got our voicemail, we are probably helping another student, or you reached us outside of our business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm, closed 12:00-1:00pm.

If you get our voicemail, please leave a message with your name, callback number, and a good time to reach you so we can return your call. Voicemails received during business hours are typically returned within the same day. (We do not return missed calls without a voicemail message.)

Before your first appointment, login to the Patient Portal using your normal UP login. Under Medical Clearances you’ll find the "Counseling Informed Consent & Confidentiality Form." Please take time to review and agree. You can discuss any questions with your counselor.

For in-person appointments: Please arrive 5-10 minutes early for your appointment so you can complete the self-check-in process. Bring your student ID card. If you are experiencing any symptoms of illness, please wear an appropriate face mask or consider rescheduling your appointment.

In the rare instance of online appointments: Please check in for your appointment 10 minutes early by following the directions in the Patient Portal. Log into the patient portal using your normal UP login, and under Appointments you’ll find the link for your visit. Once checked in, your counselor will begin your video session momentarily (the screen may be blank until your counselor starts the session).

It takes courage to schedule your first counseling or therapy session, and before that it may have taken a lot to even decide to ask for help. But, life can be hard and we all need support now and then. The Health & Counseling Center is a safe place to process your experiences and feelings and get the support you need for your mental health.

Even if you’re confident about your decision to start (or continue) therapy, it’s normal to feel nervous about the first meeting. Remember, the purpose of the first session is to help you and your therapist get to know each other, assess your needs, and help you decide if the relationship seems like a good fit. While it may feel awkward or uncomfortable to sit down with someone new, it’s an important step on the process toward your well being.

In your first session, the counselor or therapist will ask questions to help you talk about yourself, your concerns, and what is bringing you to counseling at this time. They'll probably also ask about your relationships, how you cope when things are hard, and what hopes, goals, fears, and expectations you may have for therapy. They will also answer your questions about how counseling works and their approach to counseling. Additionally, they may offer information and referrals to other campus resources to help support you.

It's important to know that your first session might be emotionally draining, even if you don’t initially expect it to be. You might feel a lot of emotions, and even cry, whether you mean to or not. This is totally natural. Not every session will be intense, but being open and candid with your therapist is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

After your session you might feel relieved, exhausted, exhilarated, or anywhere in between. It takes a lot of energy (mental, emotional, and physical) to talk with someone new about things that are private and/or difficult. Give yourself some time and space to rest and reflect. Take a walk, have something to eat, or do something fun. Consider journaling about your experience and about things you want to talk about next time. Most importantly, feel good about investing in your wellness. 

UP Counselors do not prescribe medications. However, certain medications for mental health (e.g., for depression and anxiety) can be prescribed by the healthcare team at the Health & Counseling Center. You may visit the Health Services website or call 503.943.7134 to schedule an appointment to discuss your medication options on campus.

The Health & Counseling Center does not provide comprehensive psychological testing or prescribe stimulant medication for ADD/ADHD. However, we are more than happy to meet with you to discuss options and refer you to an off-campus provider to get the care that you need. 

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to schedule a consultation appointment with a clinician by calling 503.943.7134, or contact Accessible Education Services.

While individual online therapy sessions through BetterMynd are not available for students studying abroad (due to licensing restrictions,) BetterMynd Wellbeing Workshops are available to students studying abroad since they are psycho-education and not therapy. Learn more here. 

For mental health support during travel and study abroad, see: Travel & Study Abroad: Mental Health Away from Home

The staff at the Health & Counseling Center deeply appreciate parents and families who want to advocate for their students. However, students must schedule their own appointments. If your student is unsure of how to schedule an appointment with us, please direct them the Counseling Services website (up.edu/counseling) for more information, or have them call us at 503.943.7134 to set up an appointment.

The Health & Counseling Center values our ability to provide students with a safe and confidential place to seek help. Therefore, we will not disclose student information to parents, friends, coaching staff, or faculty unless we have signed release from the student. If a student is in imminent danger, emergency contacts will be notified by the University.

Please be aware that clinicians and administrative staff at the Health & Counseling Center are bound by Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) laws which prohibit us from disclosing information about a student without their knowledge and written consent. While we are happy to answer your general questions regarding our policies and procedures at the Health & Counseling Center, we cannot speak specifically about your student or confirm whether or not they are receiving services.

Parents, faculty, or staff members who are concerned about the emotional, physical, or academic health of a student, may submit a Care Team Referral for a student or contact the Care Team to request they assess the situation, offer support, and provide referrals to the many resources on-campus. 

If you have questions, need additional information, or want guidance regarding the student of concern, please reach out to the Care Team at careteam@up.edu. 

If you have been made aware of an emergency situation on campus, please contact Campus Safety at 503.943.4444.

It depends. If a student has a mental health emergency and is transported to a local hospital, the Health & Counseling Center may not be aware of the situation. When a student is transported from the Health & Counseling Center, and has consented to having their emergency contacts notified, their emergency contacts would be notified. If a student is transported to the hospital from anywhere else, on or off-campus, and the Health & Counseling Center is not informed, our office would not be able to notify you of a situation.

The Health & Counseling Center recommends that parents have an alternate contact to reach their student in the event that campus administration is not notified of an emergency situation. This can be in the form of exchanging phone numbers with their roommate(s), saving the phone number for their on-campus Hall Director staff, or discussing an emergency action plan with your student.

The Associate Dean of your student's school/college is the first point of contact for questions regarding medical leaves of absence or withdrawals from the University. 

For complete information, see the University's Medical Leave of Absence (MLOA) Process. 

Please visit the UP Parent & Family Relations site, or contact the Parent & Family Relations office at parents@up.edu or 503.943.7328.