Who We Are
University Health and 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 psychiatry, substance use, and sexual 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 students who want to establish care at CS are instructed to web-book or call to make an appointment at a time that is convenient for them. CS provides same-day appointments Monday through Friday 9am-4:30pm, 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, call, or walk in, and they will see the therapist on same-day coverage.
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 have included:
- Anxiety Toolbox
- Building Hope and Resiliency
- Ph.D. Support Group
- Women's Ph.D. Support Group
- Interpersonal Process Group
- Koru (mindfulness)
- Grief Group
- Support for Supporters
- Students of Color Group
- Women of Color Group
- LGBTQ+ 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 care, or perhaps they are in need of specialized counseling care. Our counselors work to help students connect with appropriate off-campus resources.
TimelyCare
TimelyCare is a third-party service with which the University contracts for additional student support; it is also referred to as CWRU Care for students. It was initially established near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when most students were sent home to study, rather than remain on campus. Since this period, the University has retained its contract with TimelyCare, and in-state students are also eligible to access it. CWRU Care is telehealth only, and it permits students to schedule ongoing counseling sessions with the same provider.
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.
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. 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 of 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.
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 consultants. This typically involves consulting the Counseling Services agency itself for the purposes of developing programs or improving the quality of existing programs and services. 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. These sessions focus on helping the student find care in the community, not on continuing the therapeutic relationship at Counseling Services.