About the Student Counseling Service

The Student Counseling Service is part of the Student Health Service and provides counseling and psychological services to matriculated students in the College of Medicine, Nursing, Health Related Professions, School of Graduate Studies and the MPH program). It is staffed by a licensed clinical psychologist who has had years of experience helping students deal with a wide range of personal and academic difficulties.

The Counseling Service is not a part of the administration of SUNY Downstate. All information revealed to the counselor is strictly confidential and cannot be shared with another person without the student's consent.

The Student Counseling Service has been established to help students deal with academically related stress as well as with any other personal problem that can interfere with their performance in school. Some of these problems include anxiety and fear, depression, low self-esteem, interpersonal difficulties, family problems, habit control problems (e.g., overeating, alcoholism, drug abuse, etc.).

To accommodate the varied needs of students, the following services are provided:

Initial evaluation and screening: The first few sessions are devoted to assessing the nature of the problem and to determine the best method of dealing with it
On-site individual counseling: Short term counseling lasting from 8–12 weeks is provided for specific and situational problems.
Groups: Groups geared to address specific problems such as stress management and relaxation, assertiveness training, coping skills, etc. are conducted regularly.
Education services: Seminars, lectures, guest speakers, films and videos of topics in mental health are occasionally offered to provide information and encourage prevention of emotional problems.