Student Counseling Services (On-Campus)

Counseling and Psychological Services

During your college years, there may be times when personal stressors interfere  with your academic performance and/or negatively impact your daily life. These  stressors may include anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, strained relationships,  discrimination, substance use, and more. If these stressors are making it difficult for  you to function, getting help is a smart and courageous thing to do. Our mission is to  provide you with mental health services to improve your emotional wellbeing and to  maximize your success at Mary Baldwin University.

Our Commitment to Diversity

We are strongly committed to affirming diversity in a broad sense, to treating all with  dignity and respect, and to actively opposing discrimination, prejudice, and  oppression.

We provide a wide variety of services, including

• Crisis intervention 
• Solution-focused counseling 
• Group counseling  
• Consultation and referrals to community mental health services
• Mental health educational programs for students, faculty, and staff
• Consultation/training to resident advisors, staff, and faculty regarding student  mental health issues 
• Our staff provides counseling and/or referral services for various mental health  concerns, including: 
• Depression and other mood disorders 
• Anxiety disorders 
• Anger issues 
• Grief and loss 
• Eating disorders 
• OCD 
• ADHD and executive functioning  
• Relationship difficulties 
• Procrastination and motivation difficulties
• Substance use disorders 

Scheduling an Appointment

Online appointment scheduling You may also call 540.887.7281 or come by our  office at Blakely House to schedule your appointment. If you don’t see any times  that work on our online scheduler, please reach out to us and we will do our best  to find a time that works for you!

Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday 
Location: Blakely House, 201 N. Market St., Main Staunton Campus

We are closed when the university is closed for any reason, during academic  breaks, and from June 5-August 5. During breaks and school closures, TimelyCare  is available to students 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for free.

Getting help for a student you’re worried about: If you have a non-urgent concern about a Mary Baldwin University student  because you’ve noticed changes in their behaviors such as a lack of personal  hygiene, missing class or work, calling home more or less, isolating themselves,  abusing substances or anything else you feel may get in the way of their ability to  be successful in the university environment, please fill out a Student of Concern  form here. There are resources on campus and in the local community for  students and our Behavioral Intervention Team will work to connect them to help.

Confidentiality

Information shared by a student in counseling will be confidential unless you give us  express permission in writing to release specific information. Professional standards for  therapists require that no information, including whether a student is being seen by  Counseling and Psychological Services can be released without written permission by the student. For this reason, we will not acknowledge that we know you outside of the office  setting. You are free to approach us first, of course, and we will follow your lead.  

Exceptions to this confidentiality policy are made in rare instances when required by federal  or state laws. These exceptions include:

• When we believe a person is a danger of harm to self or others and there is a  substantial likelihood that harm will occur unless protective measures are taken. 
• In the case of reported or suspected abuse or neglect of a minor. This includes any  sexual activity, consensual or non-consensual, between an individual under the age  of 18 years old and an adult defined as 18 years of age or older. Under Virginia law,  health providers and educators are mandated to report this to local law enforcement. 
• In the case of reported or suspected abuse or neglect of a dependent adult (defined  as an adult who has a legal guardian due to their inability to care for themselves).
• In cases of court involvement, your treatment records may be obtained by a judicial  order.

We encourage you to discuss your concerns or questions regarding the limits of  confidentiality before or during your counseling with us.

Student Mental Health Emergencies

If you or someone you know is in imminent danger, please call 911 immediately. If you are  experiencing a mental health crisis during our hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Monday-Friday), please come directly to our office or call us at 540-887-7281. Our office  administrator will assist you in connecting to the appropriate resources.

If you are unable to reach our office administrator or if you are experiencing an emergency  after hours:

• Call 911 or 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) 
• Call Valley Community Services Board 24/7 Emergency Services Line at:  540-885-0866, 
• Connect with TimelyCare 
• Contact campus security at 540-887-7000  
• MBU faculty and staff who are helping a student in crisis should also follow these  directions to obtain immediate assistance.

Other Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Local Organizations

Arrow Arrow Project Mental Health Services (for both insured and uninsured  clients)Project Mental Health Services
40 Lambert Street; 540.255.0972

Valley Community Services Board (Substance Use and Mental Health Services  for both insured and uninsured clients)
Call 540.887.3200 or visit www.myvalleycsb.org for more information on services  and hours.

Augusta Health (Local Hospital) 
Call 540.332.4000 

Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault Assistance
New Directions Center 24/7 Crisis Line 540.886.6800

Regional and Nationwide Support and Hotlines:

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
988lifeline.org 
Call or text 988, or chat online. 
Free and confidential 24/7 support.

Trevor Project Hotline (for LGBTQ+ support)
Call 1.866.488.7386 or visit thetrevorproject.org

Trans Lifeline
Call 1-877-565-8860 translifeline.org

Crisis Text Line
crisistextline.org 
Text 741741  
Text STEVE to 741741 to text with a BIPOC identified crisis counselor