Landscape of Hartwick

Perrella Counseling Center

We know that education is about much more than what's learned in the classroom, and wellness is about much more than what you do in the gym. Our Counseling Center supports students in their transformation into thoughtful, impactful adults.

Hours of Service & Appointments

Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Call 607-431-4420 or email counselingcenter@hartwick.edu to schedule an appointment.

Students who have a pre-established relationship with a Counselor may reach out via email to their Counselor to arrange a session.

 

Confidentiality

The Counseling Center subscribes to the ethical standards of the American Psychological Association (APA), the American Counseling Association (ACA), and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). It is the policy of the Hartwick College Counseling Center to maintain the confidentiality of student records. Counseling Center staff members do not release personally identifiable information to any person or agency without the prior written consent of the student involved.

HEART Peer Counseling

The Counseling Center offers students who may feel more comfortable talking with a fellow student the option to meet with a trained peer.

HEART Peer Counselors

What is Counseling?

Counseling is a process through which clients (the student) work one-on-one with a trained professional in a safe, caring, and confidential environment. The counselor supports, guides, and helps facilitate the student in exploring their feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors; identifying aspects of their life they would like to change; working through challenging or influential memories; better understanding themselves and others; and setting personal goals to work toward a desired change.

 

Why Do Students Seek Counseling?

Students seek services at the counseling center for a wide range of reasons. Some common concerns include:

  • Anxiety
  • Body image
  • Conflict with others
  • Depression
  • Family conflict
  • Gender identity
  • Loss of a loved one/grief
  • Panic attacks
  • Relationship difficulties
  • Self-esteem
  • Self-injury
  • Sexual assault
  • Sexual identity/orientation
  • Sexuality
  • Suicidal thinking
  • Stress

Appointments & Fees

You will have an initial intake session with one of our counselors to clarify the concerns and/or problems that prompted you to seek counseling. The intake session will allow you and the counselor to determine if our services will be appropriate for you to continue counseling, or if a referral for off-campus services is needed. If it is determined that you would benefit from continued counseling, you and your counselor will discuss a schedule for sessions, as well as how many sessions you can expect to have for the semester. Typically, students are seen 6-12 times in one semester, depending on the problem. If long-term or more intensive treatment is needed, your counselor will help you get connected to services off campus. Our counseling services are free of charge to all current part- and full-time Hartwick College students.

To make an appointment with our Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, students must first see one of the counselors for a referral. The fees for sessions with this provider are as follows: one-hour initial visit: $20 and half-hour follow-up visits: $10.

If you are unable to attend your scheduled appointment, please call the Counseling Center at least four hours in advance to cancel. Failure to provide such notice of “no showing” for your appointment may result in a fee: Counselor: $10/Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner: $25

Scope of Services

Many students requesting individual counseling would benefit from more extended or different types of services from what we currently offer. Below are some situations where we would likely need to refer our students to other services. This allows us to ensure that our students have access to the services that will be the right fit:

  • Disorders that require intensive monitoring and treatment
  • Serious and persistent mental health disorders
  • Multiple or recent suicide attempts
  • Chronic non-suicidal self-harm
  • Active psychosis
  • Active eating disorders which present significant medical complications or which have not responded to prior treatment
  • Dependence or active abuse of drugs/alcohol may be referred for specialized services
  • A need for frequent psychiatric attention

We are wholly committed to helping our students, regardless of their mental health concerns. Due to the scope of practice and the brief model that we follow, we work diligently with our students to connect them to the appropriate services in the community if it is more appropriate for them to receive long-term or intensive treatment than what we currently offer.

Mental Health Emergencies

Mental Health Emergencies

A mental health emergency may consist of an individual:

exhibiting extreme emotional disturbance or behavioral distress;

considering harm to self or others;

disoriented, or out of touch with reality;

displaying a compromised ability to function; or

agitated and unable to be calmed.

 

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING A MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCY DURING REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS

Call the Counseling Center immediately at 607-431-4420.

 

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS AFTER BUSINESS HOURS OR ON A WEEKEND

For mental health emergencies after business hours or on weekends, please utilize the following resources:>

Campus Safety: (607) 431-4200

Mobile Crisis Assessment Team (24-Hour Crisis Hotline): (844) 732-6228

988 (National Suicide Prevention Hotline 24 hours)

Oneonta Police Department (607) 432-1111

Medical Leave of Absence

A medical leave of absence is for those students whose emotional or psychological/psychiatric well-being would be better served by taking a semester or more away from college, for a more intensive form of treatment than the Counseling Center staff can reasonably provide.

Contact a member of the Counseling Center staff to discuss this option.

Meet the Counseling Staff

Kelly Schafer

Counselor
607-431-4420

Paige Stone

Counselor
607-431-4022

Jean Van Kingsley

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
607-431-4420

Sandy Rorick

Office Manager, Perrella Wellness Center
607-431-4420

Perrella Counseling Center

607-431-4420

Fax: 607-431-4105
counselingcenter@hartwick.edu