COUNSELING CENTER
For Parents
Is My Child Safe on Campus? Information
on campus safety in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy.
FAQS
Parents are understandably concerned that
their college-age students do well during these important college
years. The following are a few of the questions we are frequently
asked by parents. Please feel free to contact us if you have
concerns about your child or would like more information.
Q1. Please
explain what kinds of confidentiality go along with use of the
Counseling Center?
A1: As
mental health services, our psychological services must be kept
confidential, according to our professional ethical guidelines and
state law. In addition, we have found that most traditional
college-age students are helped best when treated as adults who
are capable of resolving their own difficulties.
We often
encourage students to communicate with their parents about
important issues, and are able to seek permission to communicate
with parents ourselves when parent involvement is important to a
successful resolution of problems.
Most
importantly, we will not hesitate to contact parents in situations
where a student’s physical safety or well being is at risk, when
such contact can add to the student’s safety. Releases in
emergency situations are permitted by law and ethics, with our
without student permission.
Q2: How
will I know whether my child would benefit from Counseling Center
services?
A2: At the
Counseling Center, we help Towson University students in many
different ways. Our services are not limited to those who are
having great difficulty. Routinely we help students with high
goals and excellent potential to enhance various personal skills,
improve self-understanding, refine their career direction, to name
just a few things. There are many times when students simply need
a trained and careful listener to help clarify their own thoughts
and feelings and assist in arriving at a decision or solution to
normal problems. Counseling in this context assists students’
development as effective and resourceful adults.
Sometimes,
however, more in-depth emotional help is needed. Students who are
suffering from emotional difficulty such as emotional stress,
anxiety, depression, or any other debilitating problem, can
definitely benefit from Counseling Center services.
Q3: How
can parents help students accomplish college student developmental
tasks?
A3: Again we
have identified several resources on the internet that give a good
picture of the kinds of developmental tasks that are normal for
college-age students, and suggestions for how parents can help in
this process.
Q4: How
can I convey important information about my child to my child’s
counselor at the Counseling Center?
A4: Confidentiality
requirements prevent us from acknowledging whether a particular
student receives services from the Counseling Center, and
therefore we are prevented from routing a parent call directly to
the student’s counselor. However, we are always very interested
in receiving information about our students, whether or not a
student is in counseling. We also routinely advise parents and
consider this an important service to families that are part of
the university community. Should you have concerns about your son
or daughter, one of us will be happy to discuss the situation with
you, and to use the information constructively.
Q5: How
will I know when your child is getting the help that is needed?
A5: We
generally recommend that parents talk directly and regularly with
their college age children, taking care to respect the student’s
sense of privacy and boundaries, and without being intrusive.
Students often need the reassurance that they can bring problems
with parents and get a caring and helpful response that does not
take primary control away from the student as to how the problem
will be resolved.
You
might also find the following resources from the web to be useful:
Q6: How
can I understand more about the kind of personal growth my
college-age child is going through?
A6: Again, we have
identified the following resources from the internet that you may
find useful:
Counseling Center
Glen Esk
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Phone: 410-704-2512
E-mail: bjherman@towson.edu |
