Counseling Services
Counseling Services provides confidential behavioral health services to SUNY Geneseo students. Our experienced mental health professionals are highly qualified to address a wide variety of concerns, and we take an individualized approach to your needs. We strive to make our services accessible and equitable to all students. Services for enrolled students are free of charge as covered by the Student Health Fee.
Services Available
Scope of Services: Like most college counseling centers, we focus on short-term intervention modelled around the college calendar. We are committed to maintaining our ability to provide students with high quality behavioral health services.
We can help students with a wide range of issues. We provide mental health services within the limits of our expertise (required by professional ethics). As generalist therapists, we are similar to primary care physicians. We address a variety of presenting concerns and also offer referrals when needed more specialized treatment.
Counseling Services is also a training facility which offers a Training Program for local graduate students. Read more about the structure of our training program, requirements, and how to apply, and get to know our Current Graduate Trainees.
Menu of Services
The first step in connecting with Counseling Services is completing an Appointment Request Form for an Initial Consultation. The Initial Consultation is an introductory connection with a counselor to determine mental health needs and recommendations. All Initial Consultation Sessions are in person.
Students who require brief, time-limited support around a single issue might be connected with an on-campus counselor for Single Issue Support. This provides 1-3 focused sessions with one of our licensed counselors.
Students in need of more ongoing on-campus care will be scheduled for an intake assessment to begin the process of engaging in ongoing therapy.
Individual ongoing therapy is short-term and goal-oriented, which means that our counselors work with each student to create specific goals that will guide the treatment. Intakes and ongoing individual therapy are available via both in-person and Telehealth sessions.
Review our Cancellation and No Show policy regarding missed appointments.
Group therapy is a powerful treatment option that allows people to connect deeply with themselves and with others. It is one of the most effective types of treatments for a variety of concerns. As part of our Group Program, we offer diverse groups that are based on developing skills, providing support, and exploring interpersonal processes.
Mental Health Crisis sessions are available for students experiencing urgent mental health or safety concerns that require immediate intervention from a counselor. Examples include thoughts of suicide, concerns about harming yourself or others, recent experiences of relationship violence or sexual assault, or other situations involving immediate risk or crisis.
Same Day Crisis Availability
Monday-Friday, 1 pm – 3:30 pm
Lauderdale Health Center
For mental health emergencies, call University Police at 585-245-5222, or call 911, 988, or 211. For more information, review Health Crisis & Emergency Resources. For other 24/7 assistance, text “START” to 741-741 for NY Crisis Text Line.
- NEW for 2026! Counseling Services is offering weekly Wellness Workshops to support student well-being. These workshops help students to learn and practice skills. View the current semester schedule.
- Our Mind-Body services include weekly Mindful Yoga for Mental Health classes and 1:1 Embodied Intervention appointments.
- Therapy Dog Rose holds office hours in Lauderdale Room 219 every Friday 1-2 pm. Come enjoy some cuddling!
- Counseling Services is proud to support the SUNY Geneseo Wellbeing Collective. If you are interested in becoming involved with this group, email co-chair Laura Swanson.
- Follow the Student Health and Counseling department on Instagram for more program information and updates!
The first step to receiving psychiatric services (medication treatment) is usually a referral to the Health Services Medical Director for an evaluation. In some instances, the Medical Director may prescribe for a student, and in other cases, the Medical Director will suggest that students meet with our consulting psychiatrist.
We believe that having an ongoing relationship with a counselor is a vital part of your psychiatric treatment. All students connected with psychiatric services through our office are expected to meet with their counselor on an ongoing basis.
To get connected with Counseling Services and explore the option of medication, request a Counseling Service Initial Consultation appointment on your My Health Portal.
Counseling Services contracts with an online service, BetterMynd, that provides ALL students with access to FREE teletherapy at any time. The process is simple: go to BetterMynd, create an account, and set your criteria to begin browsing for a therapist. Students are generally connected within a week, including evening and weekend hours. All at no charge to you!
If you don’t see what you’re looking for here, we can help. Students can obtain assistance with community referrals by completing an appointment request form:
- Visit the student health portal, MyHealth.
- Go to Appointments.
- Select Counseling Services.
- Choose the option for an Initial Consultation. This will take you to questionnaire (will be sent as a secure message).
- Complete the form. For the item “What do you believe you will need in order to address your counseling goals?”, select “Referral to a Specialist.”
Community Referrals provides information on how students can research referral options on their own. Also see our Mental Health Quick Resource List for other support services.
Counselors provide general consultation services to all members of the Geneseo community, including students, faculty, and staff. We can also consult with parents, local providers, students from other colleges and universities, and others as pertaining to Geneseo students. If you have questions about Counseling Services available, call our office at 585-245-5716 and ask to speak with a counselor. You can find additional information on our Mental Health Quick Resource List and How to Help pages.
If you have a question or concern and would like a specific response, email our Director of Counseling Services, Jaime Castillo, at jcastillo@geneseo.edu. To provide anonymous feedback, use the Student Health and Counseling Feedback Form. Note that we discourage the use of email to discuss specific clinical information, as confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. We encourage you to review Student Health and Counseling’s Privacy Policies, which are intended to protect the privacy of your personal health information (PHI). The information on the Counseling Services web pages is provided for informational and educational purposes only. If you discover any errors on our pages, please contact our webmaster.
All of our professional staff members are trained in the CAMS-Care Framework for suicide-focused care.