Who We Are
University Health & Counseling Services provides healthcare and counseling for students of Case Western Reserve University. We value a collaborative, holistic approach to treating the mind and body. Our interdisciplinary team includes physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, social workers, counselors, nurses, medical assistants, as well as athletic trainers for our varsity athletes. We offer specialty services for allergies, psychiatry, substance use, and women's health. Wellness and health promotion programs include stress management, vaccinations, healthy sleep, and mindfulness. UH&CS administrative staff coordinate the Student Medical Plan with Aetna Student Health.
UH&CS Mission Statement
The mission of UH&CS is to advance the well-being, development, and academic success of our diverse student body through integrated medical, mental health, and wellness services. We collaborate with the entire CWRU community through outreach, education, and services to promote a culture of safety, respect, and global citizenship that fosters lifelong resilience.
Counseling Services Offered to Students
Same-Day Access
CS prides itself on providing quick access to services for all students at CWRU, as well as the students of our affiliated colleges. All clients who want to establish care at CS are instructed to walk-in or web-book an appointment at a time that is convenient for them. CS provides same-day coverage Monday through Friday, and students typically do not have a long wait to meet with a counselor and establish their care. Same-day services are also available for already established CS clients who are distressed or in crisis. In these situations, students can either web-book an appointment or walk in, and they will see the therapist assigned to same-day rotation.
Individual Counseling
Much of the care that is provided to students at CS is via individual counseling sessions. CS clinicians represent a broad range of therapy orientations and treatment experiences. Most CS therapists would likely describe themselves as employing a theoretical or assimilative integration approach, allowing them to intervene from multiple treatment perspectives based on their view of the client's personality and presenting concerns. Our clinicians also focus on short-term treatment, because the demand for our services by students typically prevents us from offering long-term or specialty mental health care.
Group Counseling
Each semester, CS offers a variety of groups to enhance interpersonal support, impart stress-reduction skills, cope with grief, and provide support to the struggling student. The offerings tend to change each semester, based on student demand and therapist interest. Most recently, our groups include:
- Anxiety Toolbox
- Building Hope and Resiliency
- Ph.D. Group
- Women's Ph.D. Group
- Interpersonal Process Group
- Koru (mindfulness)
- MOVE (ACT) Group
- Grief Group
- Trauma Group
- Mood and Food Group
- Support for Supporters
- Students of Color Group
- Women of Color Group
- LGBTQ+ Support Group
- Black Student Support Group
Referral Coordination
Not all students are suitable for on-campus, short-term services at UH&CS. For example, sometimes students indicate that they would like to have weekly counseling visits, or perhaps they are in need of specialized counseling care. For more complex cases, the Associate Director for Care and Crisis Management and the Clinical Care Specialist help students connect with appropriate off-campus resources. However, in more straightforward cases, all staff and trainees may make referrals for students who require more frequent care or evening/weekend counseling options. These include CWRU Care, which offers free telehealth services to CWRU students residing both in and out of Ohio. Another option is to refer students to local providers who can meet with students in-person and who take student health insurance.
Care Management
The Care Management Process is a collaborative process that incorporates both UH&CS and the Dean of Students Office, within the Department of Student Affairs. It is typically a process of checking-in, checking-up, and tracking students of risk/concern. Students on Care Management typically had a mental health or medial health condition that has kept them out of school for a period of time.
BASICS Assessments (Alcohol and Other Drug Screenings)
UH&CS provides Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) to those who have entered the CWRU Conduct Process for substance misuse or for clients who are in need of such an assessment. The Substance Abuse Specialist and the training cohort collectively administer all BASICS services. Motivational Interviewing is the best approach for helping a student to understand their substance misuse, and all Counseling Services trainees receive training in Motivational Interviewing.
Psychiatric Medication Management
UH&CS provides Psychiatric Medication Management to eligible CWRU students. Our Psychiatrists and Psychiatric Residents serve as the primary providers of Psychiatric Medication Management. However, UH&CS Primary Care physicians also assist in the provision or psychiatric medication management to students who present with specific conditions.
Nights/Weekends On-call Services
Counseling Services is accessible to any eligible student 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. After regular business hours, students can call the main CS phone number (216.368.5872); the voice-mail prompts will connect them to the on-call clinician. Counseling Services contracts with a third-party on-call service called ProtoCall for our after-hours services. ProtoCall produces reports from student calls received, which are then uploaded into the appropriate student's electronic health record the next business day.
Outreach and Consultation
UH&CS provides the campus community with outreach services. These outreach services often involve topics such as mental health stigma reduction, accessing help at CWRU, substance misuse prevention, stress management, wellness topics, and so on. Outreach activities are typically coordinated through the UH&CS Wellness and Health Promotion department.
In addition, because Psychology interns are with us full-time for an entire year, they often meet their 500 intervention hours requirement by serving as consultations. This typically involves consulting the Counseling Services agency itself for the purposes of developing programs or improving the quality of existing programs. These projects might be assigned; alternatively, when feasible, interns themselves might generate their own projects. Other campus organizations might also request consultation and collaboration with Counseling Services staff, which can frequently include Psychology interns.
Transitional Bridge Care
Students are often in need of "bridge care" during times of transition. In these types of situations, CS will provide 1-2 sessions after the student has been referred to a community provider or is anticipating leaving the University (withdrawing, taking leave from their program, etc.) in order to help the student establish care in the community. These sessions focus on helping the student find care in the community, not on continuing the therapeutic relationship at Counseling Services.
CWRU at a Glance
Case Western Reserve University is an independent research university located in Cleveland's University Circle, a square mile urban district of cultural, medical, educational, religious, and social service institutions. CWRU holds membership in the Association of American Universities, and is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and by several nationally recognized professional accrediting associations.
Mission
Case Western Reserve University improves and enriches people's lives through research that capitalizes on the power of collaboration, and education that dramatically engages our students.
We realize this goal through:
- Scholarship and creative endeavor that draws on all forms of inquiry.
- Learning that is active, creative, and continuous.
- Promotion of an inclusive culture of global citizenship.
Vision
We aim to be recognized internationally as an institution that imagines and influences the future. Toward that end we will:
Support advancement of thriving disciplines as well as new areas of interdisciplinary excellence.
Provide students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to become leaders in a world characterized by rapid change and increasing interdependence.
Core Values
- Academic excellence and impact
- Eminence in teaching and research
- Scholarship that changes lives and deepens understanding
- Creativity and innovation as hallmarks of our efforts
- Inclusiveness and diversity
- Civility and the free exchange of ideas
- Civic and international engagement
- Appreciation for the distinct perspectives and talents of each individual
- Integrity and transparency
- Ethical behavior
- Shared governance
- Effective stewardship
- Strong, ongoing financial planning
- Emphasis on sustainability
- Systems that support attainment of our mission
Nurture a community of exceptional scholars who are cooperative and collegial, functioning in an atmosphere distinguished by support, mentoring, and inclusion. Pursue distinctive opportunities to build on our special features, including our relationships with world-class health care, cultural, educational, and scientific institutions in University Circle and across greater Cleveland.
University Circle
Just minutes away from downtown, University Circle comprises 550 park-like acres in a vibrant urban environment. University Circle was named Best Arts District in the country in the 2021 USA TODAY 10Best Reader's Choice travel award contest. UAS TODAY and 10Best's experts panels selected University Circle as one of the top 20 arts districts in the nation, and a public vote over the course of four weeks propelled the neighborhood to the number one spot. From our campus, you're just a short walk to some of Cleveland and University Circle's most outstanding destinations:
- the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra and Severance Hall
- the Cleveland Museum of Art
- the Cleveland Botanical Garden
- the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland
- the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
CWRU students can cross-register at the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Cleveland Institute of Music, whose buildings are among the university's north campus. Meanwhile, three of the country's best medical centers-Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth Medical Center and University Hospitals of Cleveland- call the area home.
And that's just the start. Just off campus exist various food, shopping and nightlife spots-Coventry, Shaker Square and Cedar-Lee, to name a few-in the nearby Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights communities.
Cleveland
Ranked as one of the country's most livable cities-and especially a great place for young professionals-Cleveland is a mid-sized city that gets high marks for its:
- thriving health care and biotechnology industries,
- lively arts and cultural scene,
- low cost of living,
- four-seasons climate, and
- wealth of natural resources.
Cleveland often is hailed in the press as a hot new dining city, and it's long been renowned for its art scenes in neighborhoods such as Tremont, Ohio City, and Collinwood. From African-American theater at Karamu House and indie concerts at the Beachland Ballroom to Friday-night polka in Gordon Square and Saturday morning shopping at the West Side Market, opportunities abound for a busy life. Plus, you're also a short bus ride from Playhouse Square, the country's largest performing arts center outside of New York City.
Want to cheer on a team in the stands rather then catch a show? You're in luck. The Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team, Cleveland Browns football team, and the Cleveland Gaurdians baseball team all play in venues downtown. And each year during commencement, graduates and their families can see the Cleveland Marathon racing through the city.
There's plenty to explore in Cleveland.