Counseling Center Scope of Practice
Scope of Practice Details
- Accessibility: Services should be easily accessible to all students, with minimal barriers to entry.
- Confidentiality: Maintaining strict confidentiality of student information and sessions, within legal and ethical boundaries.
- Cultural competence: Providing services that ensure all students are respected and valued.
- Evidence-based practices: Using researched therapeutic approaches and interventions.
- Crisis management: Having robust protocols for handling mental health emergencies and suicidal ideation.
- Holistic approach: Addressing not just mental health, but also academic, social, and personal development needs.
- Collaboration: Working closely with other campus departments and community resources.
- Prevention and outreach: Offering educational programs to promote mental health awareness and well-being.
- Short-term focus: Providing brief, solution-focused interventions suited to a college setting.
- Ethical practice: Adhering to professional ethical standards and guidelines.
Well being
Students develop flexible coping strategies that are well matched to the demands of their environment.
Communication
Students use productive interpersonal skills to build healthy relationships.
Decision Making
Students overcome obstacles in their academic and personal lives through healthy decision making.
Goal setting
Students develop smart goals to guide their personal and professional growth.
- Confidential clinical services that help students achieve their academic and personal goals.
- Providing education, training, and support to the campus community regarding the needs of students through outreach, programming, and consultation.
- Providing prevention programming on range of behaviors pertinent to college population.
Our services are available to eligible students whose concerns fall within our scope of practice.
Students whose primary location is Dakota State University and are currently enrolled at DSU are eligible for services. This excludes dual enrolled high school students and students residing outside of South Dakota.
All contacts with the Counseling Center are confidential and remain separate from academic records. Staff will not release information about students without written permission unless situation warrants as outlined in the Informed Consent, or as required by a lawfully issued court order with appropriate notice to the student.
- Academic related issues
- Mood or self-esteem issues
- Relationship issues
- Adjustment concerns such as dealing with new life circumstances
- Grief and loss
Some services are outside our scope of practice, require specialized providers, or may interfere with our ability to meet our many requests for service. Examples included, but are not limited to, need or desire for long-term weekly services, family or couples counseling, significant substance use/abuse, significant disordered eating symptoms, chronic suicidality or chronic self-injury, psychiatric medication management, court-mandated counseling services, assessment for obtaining documentation for academic, employment, or housing accommodations, and comprehensive psychological evaluations. Due to professional counseling licensure, students who reside outside of South Dakota are not eligible for therapy services. When possible, a referral will be provided.
Services may be denied at the discretion of the Counseling Center Director and primary counselor when appropriate. This will be discussed with the client when possible and referrals will be provided. Possible reasons for denial of services include but are not limited to:
- Lack of motivation or engagement in treatment
- Ongoing treatment relationship with another mental health provider
- Inappropriate, harassing, menacing, threatening, or violent behaviors
Occasionally, Counseling Center providers may provide services that temporarily extend our scope of practice. Exclusions will be considered on a case-by-case basis with the consultation and approval by the Counseling Center Director.
You may contact the Counseling Center during hours of operation if you or someone you know is in a crisis situation and/or you are uncertain of their ability to keep themselves safe. Counselors are not first responders and are not dispatched on or off-campus to assist with behavioral health crisis. Students who are not willing or unable to get to the Counseling Center on their own should be referred to emergency services.
Telehealth sessions may be available and appropriate during instances where the client or counselor is unable to attend face-to face sessions. Telehealth is provided via Zoom Health, which offers additional security features to ensure the confidentiality for the client. Some limitations of telehealth include:
- Students who are outside of South Dakota at the time of the counseling session due to restrictions with counselor licensure
- Acute distress as telehealth is not advisable as in person contact is required for adequate assessment.
The Counseling Center is available to receive information regarding students who may need support and/or behavioral health care. Due to confidentiality, the staff will never indicate if the student is seeking services. The information collected will never be shared (except as described under confidentiality).
Classroom presentations, student organizations and department meetings are opportunities to normalize help seeking behaviors, build relationships, and encourage a healthy concept of behavioral health and prevention programming. For group or class presentations, please call at least two weeks in advance. During peak times, or when staffing is limited, we may restrict our availability for requests as we are required to prioritize individual counseling services for students.
The Counseling Center is open during regular business hours July 22-June 21 annually.
Mental health services and consultations are provided to all eligible students free of charge and will not be billed to insurance.
Counselors employed by the Counseling Center are licensed or are under a plan of supervision toward completing licensure, by the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists. This government entity enforces the code of ethics as published by the American Counseling Association (ACA).