Counseling Center Policies

The Counseling Center uses a hybrid model.  We offer both in-person appointments as well as telehealth appointments over HIPAA-certified Zoom. All therapists are licensed clinicians or clinicians-in-training who receive ongoing supervision from licensed clinicians.

The UW Bothell Counseling Center offers free and confidential services to currently enrolled UW Bothell students and Cascadia College students. Students are eligible for up to six (6) sessions per academic year depending on clinical need. Counseling Center staff will assist students in connecting with other counseling agencies if a student needs longer-term counseling or needs specialized services that the Counseling Center does not offer.

Confidentiality

The American Psychological Association (APA) Code of Ethics, American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics, and Washington State law consider the personal information you discuss in counseling to be confidential. This means that no record of counseling is made on an academic transcript, and that information regarding your counseling is not released without your written permission, unless otherwise indicated by law as noted below. This means that if you want someone else to be informed that you have received services at the Counseling Center, you must sign a document to authorize any disclosure. Electronic records are kept of your appointments.

Information about your contact with the Counseling Center will not be shared with others outside the Counseling Center without your written consent, except in specific circumstances described below:

• If there is imminent danger to the health and safety of yourself or another person
• The information involves the abuse or neglect of a child (under 18 years) or vulnerable adult
• You bring charges against your counselor, and/or the counseling center
• We receive a court order for your records or other situation required by law

If at all possible, your counselor will discuss any of the above exceptions that would apply to you and will obtain your assistance in resolving the matter.

Scheduling an Appointment

You may schedule an initial appointment with the Counseling Center in one of three ways:

• Call us at 425-352-3183
• Email us at uwbcc@uw.edu (our front desk staff will respond within 24 business hours)
• Visit us in UW1 – 080 during office hours.

Cancellation and No-Show Policy

If you are unable to keep an appointment time, please call at least 24 hours prior to your appointment to cancel. It will free up the appointment slot for other students and ensure that we can provide equitable and high quality access to services. Students who no-show to an individual therapy appointment or cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice will have that session counted against their session limit. Similarly, students who no-show or late cancel two intakes, neurodiversity consultations, psychiatric consultations, or case management appointments will not be eligible to reschedule those appointments for the rest of the quarter.

Scope of Practice

The role of the University of Washington Bothell Counseling Center is to provide brief mental health counseling and related services to help students be successful. Common issues that fall within our scope of practice include but are not limited to:

• Effective use of coping skills
• Addressing personal and emotional issues that may impede academic and career success
• Developmental issues associated with life transitions and life purpose
• Systemic and structural barriers which create health inequities for minoritized students

Out of scope

Those whose needs cannot be accommodated within our short-term treatment model will be referred to community resources for care. Such referrals may occur at time of intake, or they may occur after some treatment and a further assessment of need has taken place.

Some examples of clinical issues that will likely be addressed through a community referral include but are not limited to:

• Clients who have a current provider in the community.
• Formal psychological testing including
  • ADHD
  • Learning disabilities or other neurocognitive disabilities
  • Emotional support animal assessment
  • Other types of disability assessment.
• Court-ordered counseling.
• Long term psychiatric services (including prescription and monitoring)
• Excessive need for crisis appointments which may include
  • Chronic suicidality and/or recent history of multiple suicide attempts.
  • Severe and chronic self-injury.
  • A history of multiple psychiatric hospitalizations.
• Issues that require specialized or long-term, ongoing care which may include:
  • Significant emotional regulation issues or interpersonal difficulties that would be best served through a DBT program
  • Significant or chronic disordered eating symptoms
  • Significant or chronic substance use/abuse
  • Active symptoms of psychosis or mania

Documentation requests

The Counseling Center only provides academic support letters and documentation for already established clients who have attended at least 3 sessions in ongoing counseling (intake does not count as “ongoing”) and the clinician determines that the psychological condition meets criteria for the documentation requested. This process takes several weeks and is not guaranteed to result in signed paperwork. Please be advised, if you seek an intake for the sole purpose of receiving documentation, we will not be able to meet your request. Visit the Academic Support resource on our Resource page for more information. Support documentation includes:

• Former quarter drop
• Tuition forfeiture petition
• DRS accommodations
• International student reduced coarse load petition

The Counseling Center does NOT provide letters for emotional support animals.

Faculty & Staff seeking counseling

The UW Bothell Counseling Center offers services to students only. Faculty and staff members should seek counseling through the Employee Assistance Program at the respective colleges. For additional questions or concerns, please contact the Enrollment Management & Student Affairs Program Coordinator of Operations at 425.352.5424 or your Human Resources office. You can also check out the Whole U program.