Bryn Mawr College

Counseling Services

The Dean's Office works closely with Counseling Services to promote the well-being of individual students and of the student community. It is important that students understand how the Dean's Office and the Counseling Center work together.

• Anything a student tells a counselor or other medical professional is treated as confidential information. Unless a student explicitly gives permission, the counselor will not disclose any information to a dean or to anybody else. The only exception is in the case of a serious psychiatric emergency.

• Students come to talk to their deans about a range of academic and personal issues. In discussions of homesickness, difficulties getting along with roommates, family problems, feelings of sadness or anxiety, etc., it is very common for a dean to suggest that a student also consult a counselor. This does not mean students should not bring up such matters with their deans. Rather, it means that students may find it helpful to have the opportunity to discuss such issues in a specifically therapeutic setting.

• A student may sometimes find it very helpful to have her counselor speak to her dean. Even with the student's permission, the counselor will not go into details about a student's situation . Often she or he asks the student to be present when phoning the dean. A counselor may make recommendations that relate to a student's academic responsibilities and commitments (for example, course withdrawals or extensions).

• In addition to providing direct service to students, professionals at the Health Center and Counseling Service can refer students to off-campus specialists in the local area or Philadelphia , if that seems more appropriate or comfortable for them.

• Students with concerns about drug and alcohol issues -- their own, their family's or their friend's -- may consult the drug and alcohol counselor who is part of the Counseling staff. The counselor also provides support for members of the student community who are worried about other community member's substance use or abuse, conducts educational programs and consults with campus professionals.

• Students can have six free counseling sessions per academic year. Subsequent visits are billed according to a student's insurance coverage and ability to pay. No one is turned away due to lack of financial resources.