The Counseling Center at American University has a wide variety of resources for every student to access.
Types of Resources
Individual Therapy:
- Confidential.
- 6-8 one-on-one sessions per semester with a licensed clinician.
- Can be referred to an outside therapist in the DC area if the student and the clinician see fit.
Group Therapy:
- Confidentiality is a keystone in group therapy, however, there is no absolute guarantee of confidentiality in this type of a setting.
- Students can either attend regular ongoing meetings or drop in sessions.
- These sessions are led by licensed therapists who help to facilitate conversation between students with similar issues/concerns/experiences.
After Hours Support:
- Confidential.
- Students can reach out to Protocall 24/7/365 at 202-885-7979.
- Protocall is an extension of the counseling center at American University.
- Students can speak to a licensed therapist over the phone
Psychiatry:
- Limited psychiatric care is available to students, such as medication management.
- If a student needs psychiatric care, an initial consultation with a therapist from the counseling center is needed in order for the counseling center to make a referral.
- These referrals from the counseling center are confidential.
- However, a student can seek alternative psychiatric care off-campus without a consultation or a referral from the counseling center.
Clinicians:
- While the information divulged to a clinician is confidential, this information can be shared if written consent is given.
- A clinician can speak with concerned roommates, friends, or family members about a student of concern.
- It is important to note that clinicians are first responsible to their clients and can’t agree to keep 3rd party consultations confidential.
Testimonials
“30% of students surveyed used mental health resources on campus”
“60% of students feel comfortable talking about suicide or suicidal thoughts on AU’s campus”
“66.7% of students surveyed had a good experience with the counseling center on campus”
“70% of students know how to use mental health resources after their first year”