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| Student Health Center : Counseling Center : Parents : Frequently Asked Questions | |
Frequently Asked Questions |
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1. What Services does the Counseling Center offer?The Counseling Center provides counseling for NC State students experiencing personal, academic or vocational problems. Psychological assessment and psychiatric consultation are also available. Services are primarily short-term in nature and referrals to other helping professionals and community agencies are made as appropriate. Strict confidentiality is assured. Many services are free to currently enrolled students of North Carolina State University. ->more info 2. How will I Know if my son/daughter needs to come to the Counseling Center?If you find yourself worried about your child's moods or behaviors or if your child has experienced a trauma or a loss, your suggestion to consider seeking counseling can be very influential. Quite often your son or daughter will be receptive to the idea of counseling, in which case you can suggest that he or she call for an appointment. Common Signs of Distress:
Useful Resources:
3. Can I talk to the counselor at the Counseling Center that is seeing my son/daughter?We are available for consultation to parents by phone, by appointment or by email. We invite parents to call if they have any questions about how their son or daughter may obtain services at the Counseling Center. Detailed information about the Counseling Center Services may be found on the Counseling Center Page. We are also available for questions about how parents may assist their sons and daughters who may be struggling with a specific problem or if they are in need of specific services. As well, we can help parents secure referrals to services outside of the college for their sons and daughters. We are not able to talk with parents in any way about their son's or daughter's participation in counseling without the student's written consent for release of information. Confidentiality is a very important part of the counseling relationship we establish with students. We adhere to the guidelines re: confidentiality in therapeutic services as mandated by the NC Laws, as well as those established by our certification and licensing boards. We understand that parents often feel they should be able to know about what their son or daughter may be discussing in counseling, and that confidentiality requirements are often a source of frustration. We encourage parents who desire to know more about their particular student's counseling experience to talk with their son or daughter. On the whole, students tend to respond positively to open, honest communication. Though at times a student may choose to limit parental involvement, we find that the majority appreciate parental concern, acceptance, and guidance in the midst of the struggles they may face while at NCSU. 4. How can I help my son/daughter find a therapist in the community?For those who will be best served seeing a therapist in the community, the Counseling Center maintains professional contact with a number of Mental Health Care Professionals in the area. We are able to work with students to identify a therapist who works well with the student's concerns and accepts the student's insurance. ->more info 5. How can my son/daughter make an appointment at the Counseling Center?Setting up a first appointment is quite simple. Come by the Counseling Center during our normal hours and request an appointment. We can typically schedule appointments within the same week. Although, we prefer students to come to the Counseling Center to initiate services, for students who are currently out of the area or are unable to come by the Counseling Center, you can call 919-515-2423. However, we do have clinicians available to see students on an emergency basis. If the present situation is an emergency or if you feel you need to be seen urgently, we will be able to work the student into our Urgent Care Walk-in Service. If your child is resistant to making seeking help, it puts you in the hard place of knowing that your loved one needs help and you so desperately want to see him/her become less distressed. It’s a helpless feeling for a parent. Continue to be supportive. Do not attempt to 'lighten' the situation by saying 'it will likely get better anyway'. If you feel it is necessary to inform your son’s/daughter’s RA or RD, communicate that to your son or daughter and be up front about it. Continue to listen and be supportive. In exceptional circumstances where a son/daughter is judged to be at risk, either because of some references to suicide/death or by not caring for his/her basic needs, parents can facilitate mandated treatment through the court system. Counseling staff can help facilitate this. Thankfully, this is rarely needed as most students eventually see the need for seeking help. ->more info 6. What options does my son/daughter have now that they are suspended or need to withdraw?A student whose Grade Point Average on all courses taken at NC State is such that the student has been suspended may seek readmission under the rules outlined in the NC State Policy on Readmission of Former and Academically Suspended Undergraduate Degree Students. There are Five primary Options for the Student to be readmitted. ->more info 7. What advice do you have for a parent that is having trouble letting go?You can still worry, but try and let your child make their own decisions which means letting them suffer their own consequences. It will be hard to watch if you think s/he is making a bad choice, but allowing him/her to fail will help teach him/her how to make good choices. The next time, the choice will probably be a better one. Make sure you are there to support your child through the failure. That doesn't mean bail him/her out, but help them do whatever it takes for her/him to help him/herself out of whatever mess s/he has gotten into. Other Tips:
8. What can I do to help my son/daughter who is having trouble adjusting to college?For your son or daughter, college will likely be a period of intellectual stimulation and growth, career exploration and development, increased autonomy, self-exploration and discovery, and social involvement. During this period, your children may forge new identities or seek to clarify their values and beliefs. This may require an examination of self, friends, and family. It may also be a time for exploration and experimentation, and a period in which your children may question or challenge the values you hold dear. The changes your son or daughter may experience can occur quickly, as they begin to develop new peer relationships, gain competence in new areas, and learn to manage their independence. It is important to recognize that every child will experience his or her own unique set of challenges and adjustments, just as every parent will have different expectations for and reactions to their child?s college experience. Some do's and don'ts: Do talk to them about it as much as possible. If after a full semester, your child is still miserable, a transfer may be in order. Consider all your options! 9. How can I help my son/daughter avoid getting in trouble with alcohol on campus?Alcohol abuse is a real and pressing problem on college campuses all over the country. Parents may sometimes feel out of touch with their student's social habits in high school, an issue which is heightened when the student takes off for the no parents/no curfews environment of college. To avoid future tragedies, parents must talk to their students prior to their departure for college about the potential danger of alcohol abuse. The following websites, some of which are geared towards students, have useful information and facts that parents can use to prepare themselves for the necessary conversation about the pressures of college drinking:
10. What can my son/daughter expect to experience throughout the year?A YEAR AT COLLEGE: Heads Up for Parents Along with the thrill of learning and the euphoria of young adulthood, college brings challenges. The typical college year has cycles of ups and downs in the level of challenge and stress experienced by students. Below is an outline of an academic year, emphasizing some common problem areas identified by the College’s student affairs personnel. Stress issues vary according to the individual, time of year, and class of the student. The more aware that parents are of the tides of the semester, the more they can do to normalize their student’s experiences and help them through them. September Stressors
October Stressors
November-December Stressors
January – February Stressors
March Stressors
April Stressors
May Stressors
Throughout the Year
Patience and understanding on the part of the family at home can go a long way in empowering first-year students to ride these tides of the academic year. 11. How can our family make visits home go smoothly?Both you and your son or daughter are likely to be having mixed feelings about visits home after they have been in college for some time. Excitement and trepidation are likely to top the list. Both you and your college student have gone through changes since college began. Expecting the same rules or same ways of interacting to remain unchanged during periods when home is likely to result in conflict. The following resources provide topical information on how to make visits go smoothly. How to keep the Holidays Happy. (University of Kansas) When College Kids come Home for the Summer. (MSNBC) 12. Where can I find additional information?
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| Counseling Center 2815 Cates Avenue Campus Box 7312 Raleigh, NC 27695-7312 919.515.2423 |
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| last updated 7/12/04 |