Counseling Services offers tele-mental health counseling services, or distance counseling, to currently enrolled students who meet the criteria for tele-mental health services.  These services are conducted using Webex meetings or by phone.

ELIGIBILITY FOR TELE-MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES:

• Currently enrolled at Arkansas Tech University
• Currently residing in the State of Arkansas

SCOPE OF SERVICES:

Counseling Services offers short-term, intermittent therapy. Short- term counseling is a good option when you have specific concerns that can be addressed in a few sessions. This might be personal concerns such as stress, anxiety, mild to moderate depression, anger, loneliness, relationship concerns, identity concerns, adjustment to college and life transitions.

TO INQUIRE ABOUT SERVICES:

• Call the Health and Wellness Center (HWC), 479-968-0329. 
• Inform the receptionist of your interest in tele-mental health services instead of face to face services

WHAT TO EXPECT BEFORE YOU BEGIN TELE-MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES:

• You will be required to provide information about how to contact you and emergency resources in your current location.
• You may be provided with a tele-mental health consent form that shares more details about the nature of counseling, and you will be asked to sign and return the form. 
• You may be asked to complete counseling paperwork to share more about your needs.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR TELE-MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES:

• Your counselor will need to know the location and address where you will be consistently during counseling sessions, and will need to know if this location changes.
• Your counselor will request that you identify someone whom you trust, to give your counselor permission to contact should a situation occur that your counselor believes you to be at risk.
• You will verify that this emergency contact person is able and willing to go to your location in the event of a mental health emergency, and if your counselor deems necessary, call 911 and/or transport you to a hospital.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR TELE-MENTAL HEALTH:

• Video conferencing sessions in our office are provided behind a closed door. All video conferencing correspondences will be done through Cisco WebEx, which is encrypted to the federal standard.
• Due to the use of technology, video counseling may have disruptions in service and quality of service.
• If you are having a mental health crisis, acute psychosis, or suicidal or homicidal thoughts, tele-mental health counseling might not be appropriate for you needs.  Please call 911 or see these crisis resources.
• Conduct the sessions in a private location where others cannot hear you.
• Telemental health services will not be offered while client is driving.
• Always log out of your sessions.

BACKUP PLAN IN CASE OF TECHNOLOGY FAILURE:

• The most reliable backup is a phone. Therefore, it is recommended that you always have a phone available.
• If your scheduled appointment is prevented or disrupted due to technical complications, please contact us at (479) 968-0329 and ask to talk with your provider.

SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS WHO DO NOT MEET ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

• We are happy to assist you in finding a local provider. 
• Thriving Campus is a great resource for finding a local therapist.
• We encourage you to contact your insurance provider for a list of local providers who accept your insurance. Your insurance carrier may have a provision for tele-mental health services.
• If you need further assistance we are here to consult with you. Please call our office at (479) 968-0329.