Counseling Services

Student Counseling offers both in-person and tele-health services. When you contact the office to schedule an appointment, you will be asked some questions that will help us determine how to best serve your needs.

Learn the differences between in-person and tele-health services.

The individual counseling process involves a helping relationship between two people. Typically, the relationship is one important part of what makes counseling successful. Counselors assist individuals with expressing emotions, solving personal problems, and understanding oneself better. They also offer support and resources.

When you make an appointment at Student Counseling they will ask you to fill out paperwork before seeing a counselor. This paperwork needs to be filled out each academic year. We ask that you allow yourself 15 minutes before your initial/first session to fill out the paperwork, come into the office when you have 15 minutes during open office hours (8 a.m.-noon, 1-4:30 p.m.), or print and fill out the paperwork in advance. 

In a first session your counselor will ask you a variety of questions about you, your life and what is bothering you. This discussion will help the counselor understand you and your concerns, and make an initial assessment of your situation. Later sessions will likely be less structured than the initial session.

Counselors will expect you to participate in sessions and contribute to the counseling process. It is okay to go to a counselor primarily for support. You initially do not need to be ready to make changes. It is helpful if you are at least willing to explore with the counselor what is concerning you and what you would like to be different. Generally counselors will want to help you explore both your thoughts and feelings. But if you are uncomfortable or not used to discussing feelings, you can tell that to the counselor.

Counselors vary in their approach and beliefs about how counseling is most effective. All counselors will be focused on helping you deal with the problems that brought you in. Counselors will expect you to come prepared to talk about what is bothering you, be open about your thoughts and feelings, and discuss ways you can address your concerns. Counselors cannot “fix” your problems or force you to change, but they can help you figure out what you want to do.

In group counseling a small number of people with similar life experiences meet together in a confidential setting with a professionally trained counselor/therapist to help themselves and each other pursue personal growth and improve their ability to meet life challenges. Counseling groups can help individuals to enhance their personal support systems, increase their understanding of self and others, and learn effective strategies for addressing specific issues that may interfere with optional functioning, such as self-esteem, assertiveness, grief, relationships, anxiety, depression, and academic stress.

The primary ingredients of an effective counseling group are honesty and commitment to the group. Willingness to gradually take risks in a safe, supportive environment is helpful. Students who do not talk in group get less out of the process. Group facilitators are ready to help these students participate more fully, while respecting members’ personal boundaries about what information to disclose.

• Yoga with Plants
• Meditation Through Art

LGBTQIA2S+ Peer Support Group is a student-led support group. Please contact the Student Counseling office for details.

Walk-and-talk is a form of counseling or consultation while walking outdoors in public places. Student Counseling offers walk-and-talk sessions as an optional treatment modality. Walking sessions take place around the perimeter of campus and/or in the science building/through the conservatory space. Some students enjoy the experience of movement while talking or feel more comfortable talking side-by-side, rather than sitting face-to-face in an office.

If you’re interested, we’ll decide beforehand if it’s clinically appropriate for your situation. Walk-and-talk sessions can be used intermittently or regularly, and may be discontinued at any time. If you participate in walk-and-talk, you will be asked to sign a special consent form for this type of session.

If you are unsure of how to best care for your mental health needs, we can help you figure out which resources may best fit. Our team can provide referrals for mental health providers and resources in the community. For next steps, you can schedule an initial appointment and our counselors can better assess how to help.

Our case manager coordinates case management, support and resources to students and may also be able to connect you with counseling support in the community.

Primary tabsMental Health and Wellbeing Case Management

Case Managers serve their University and individual students by coordinating intervention and support efforts across campus and community systems to assist at risk students who are facing crises, experiencing life stressors, and encountering barriers related to their mental health or wellbeing challenges that impede success. Case managers routinely address there areas:

• Assessing a student's needs and support systems
• Planning for crises and helping clients develop coping mechanisms
• Providing psychoeducation related to mental health, substance use or other wellbeing concerns with compassion and care.
• Coordinating and monitoring use of services on or off campus that support the student’s goals

Mental health case managers work with students to develop treatment plans that are properly targeted at their current needs. This involves a thorough assessment of the the student's psychosocial triggers, strengths, and personal needs. Your first appointment is approximately 50 minutes long and the case manager will gather information to best help you and identify those needs. Subsequent appointments will likely be shorter- 30 minutes and will follow up on your ongoing goals, needs and overall care.

You may schedule an initial appointment with the case manager by contacting the student counseling office at 320-589-6060 or emailing [email protected] or simply stopping up at 235 Behmler Hall. If you have case management needs, your counselor in Student Counseling may recommend that you work with the case manager as well so that your time in counseling can be focused on therapeutic interventions. Additionally, someone outside of the Student Counseling office may refer you for case management via our care alert system. In these instances, the case manager will reach out to you directly to offer services. These services are voluntary.

This will vary based on each individual's circumstances. Some may meet with a case manager only 1-2 times, and other students may require ongoing meetings to ensure needs are being met and all resources are in place.

Yes! As other mental health providers, case managers will keep your confidentiality at the forefront of their work with you. Case management records and others resulting from the services you receive are confidential and will ordinarily not be released to any other person or agency without your written consent. There may be times where you'd like your case manager to coordinate with others on or off campus and in these cases, a release of information would be discussed to allow the case manager to work to best serve and support you.

State and federal laws and/or professional ethics place some limits on confidentiality and may require releasing information, without your permission, to designated authorities. We are required to report if you:

• report a credible and imminent threat of danger to yourself or another person(s)
• report or describe any physical abuse, neglect, or sexual abuse of children or vulnerable adults within the last three years (this includes the occurrence of abuse or neglect to yourself if you were under age 18 at the time of the abuse)
• report your use of an illegal drug for a non-medical purpose during a pregnancy

Mental Health and Wellbeing Case Manager
[email protected]
(320) 589-6060

Bree earned her Bachelor’s degree in in Human Services with an emphasis in Human Development from the University of Minnesota, Morris and is currently working on her master's degree in clinical mental health counseling. Bree has experience working as a mental health practitioner with school aged children at a day treatment program and is excited to bring her mental health experience and expertise to the University of Minnesota, Morris.

This service was developed [in part] under a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The views, policies, and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA or HHS.

Let's Talk is a program that provides easy, 1:1 access to informal confidential consultations with counselors from UMN Morris Student Counseling. No appointment is necessary. Let's Talk is not formal counseling—it is a drop-in service where students can have an informal consultation with a counselor from time to time.

Talking Helps Untangle Your Thoughts

Verbalizing thoughts and emotions helps untangle them, find clarity and perspective. Swing by one of the days/times to consult with a counselor. These are quick, 15-minute consultations.

Cougar Sports Center

• Enter through the RFC. Proceed to the Cougar Sports Center. Go down one level and proceed down the hall, to the first door of the athletics offices, straight in and to the right. Small office labeled as sport outreach/sport psych office.
• Thursdays 3–4 p.m.

Student Counseling staff provide ongoing counseling, which usually consists of bi-weekly 45-50 minute appointments. Let's Talk is not formal counseling; it is a drop-in service where students can have an informal 10-minute consultation with a counselor from time to time.

• Students who are not sure about counseling and wonder what it’s like to talk with a counselor
• Students who are not interested in ongoing counseling but would like the perspective of a counselor
• Students who have a specific problem and would like someone with whom to talk it through
• Students who have a concern about a friend and want some thoughts about what to do

• Stress
• Academic problems
• Anxiety
• Relationships
• Adjustment to new culture
• Family problems
• Depression
• Financial difficulties
• Other concerns

For more information regarding the Let's Talk program check out our Let's Talk frequently asked questions page.

ESA support letters are not written by counselors in UMN Morris Student Counseling and we do not see students solely to assess for an ESA or to write an ESA support letter. An ESA can only be recommended as an essential part of a treatment plan designed to address a disability associated with a clearly diagnosed psychiatric condition. If you need an ESA letter, we recommend seeking outside services or working with a provider that you may already be connected with.

An emotional support animal is a companion animal that provides therapeutic benefit to an individual with mental or psychiatric disability. The animal is part of the treatment plan for a person who meets the definition of the disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The animal is determined to be needed in order to address specific functional limitations and allow the person to live independently.

The Student Counseling office has had an increased number of students requesting that a medical and/or mental health provider "prescribe" (write supporting documentation for) an ESA. While we understand that a pet can be an important source of support during stressful times for many students, ESAs are not prescribed or specifically recommend by our counselors. If a student requests a letter of support for an ESA from UMN Morris Student Counseling, these procedures will be followed:

1. Student Counseling does not provide letters recommending ESAs and the mental health literature directs counselors not to engage in dual roles of serving as counselors and evaluators. The literature also recommends that those requesting letters be evaluated by professionals trained in forensic evaluation.
2. Students who request such letters will be referred to their current or past medical or mental health providers outside of Student Counseling or to make contact with local, external mental health providers. Our providers will assist students to the best of their ability with community resources that might offer this type of assessment and documentation for the purposes of accommodations.

The University of Minnesota Morris Student Counseling Office and Health Service Office have partnered with Boynton Health to offer psychiatric services to Fee Paying Students of the University of Minnesota Morris.

Psychiatric Care is provided by Boynton Health's Mental Health Clinic, and facilitated by Health Services at UMM where the appointments take place over the computer.

     Danielle Staples, MPAS, PA-C provides Telepsychiatry care to UMM Students.

If you feel this service would be appropriate for you, please discuss with your counselor in Student Counseling or with Health Service staff.

Telepsychiatry FAQ

Medications are one approach to treatment for mental health issues. However, response to medication is generally best when combined with counseling or therapy. Medications have been shown to be effective for common issues encountered in college and university students including depression, anxiety and worry, obsessions and compulsions, anxiety/panic attacks, social anxiety, mood fluctuations, irritability, inattention, sleep disturbance, and unusual thought patterns, as well as other problems.

Students and/or their parents are sometimes reluctant to consider medication options. Often this is due to a misunderstanding of the biological contribution to mental illness and/or how these medications work. For example, many are under the misunderstanding that antidepressant medications produce an artificial happiness or are addicting. This page offers information about medications used for treating emotional and cognitive problems to assist the student in making an informed decision about whether this is an option that they would like to pursue.

Health Service provides general medical clinic services to students at the University of Minnesota Morris. Health Service is an option if a student is experiencing their first bout of anxiety, depression or sleep disturbance, are already responding well to a medication and requires refills, or desires to resume a previously effective medication. Health Service will be able to refer students to community resources for more complex mental health needs. 

Gay Hall, Lower Level, East Entrance. 
320-589-6070

Stevens Community Medical Center (SCMC) is a fully-integrated health care delivery system. Behavioral Medicine at SCMC provides a wide range of mental health services, including psychiatric assessment and medication management. 320-589-1313.

• Clinical services for students studying away from the campus including international or domestic exchange. We do not serve incoming first-year students prior to Orientation, students who have graduated, or alumni
• Clinical services to staff or faculty
• Long-term counseling
• Specialty care such as EMDR, psychoanalysis, bodywork, etc.
• Intensive substance abuse treatment
• Intensive outpatient treatment
• Testing for learning disabilities or attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Assessment and documentation for service or emotional support animals
• Forensic evaluations
• Neuropsychological evaluations
• Court ordered treatment, treatment that is the stipulation of probation and mandated treatment
• Evaluations for attorneys or courts related to difficulties such as alcohol infractions (e.g., driving under the influence) or other domestic matters such as parents seeking custodial authority of a student
• Services to students who are not medically stable or require intensive medical treatment
• Mediation for on-campus proceedings