FAQs

Our hope is to make it as easy as possible for you to make a time to meet with one of us.  To schedule an appointment, you can just call Heidi at the front desk at 802-654-2234 or email her at hbrodtman@smcvt.edu.  She is very friendly and will help you to get a time in the schedule that works for you.

You can schedule ahead OR call the same day for “drop-ins”, which we have every weekday (M-F) from 1:30 – 4:30 pm.  “Drop-ins” are scheduled as same-day appointments and are on a first come, first served basis.

We recognize that there can be some obstacles that may get in the way of e-mailing or picking up the phone to make that first counseling appointment.  Sometimes students wonder about confidentiality, if they really want to try counseling, what people might think, and what happens in a counseling appointment.  We have designed the intake process with these concerns in mind and hope that you will find it to be smoother and easier than you might think.

If English is your second language, we offer translation services in your home language. If it makes you feel more comfortable, feel free to have a friend, family member or trusted staff/faculty member help you to make the initial contact.  With your permission, a friend can come to the session as well.

Once you make an appointment, Heidi will send you an email with some forms to fill which will help your counselor get to know a little bit about you before your first meeting.  It will also help you begin to identify some of the things you’d like to talk about, give you a basic orientation to our confidentiality process, and give you information about the State of Vermont disclosure/complaint process. These forms may take you 10-15 minutes to complete.  Once your forms are completed, just show up at the time of your appointment, check in with Heidi at the front desk, and then your assigned counselor will come greet you in the waiting room and bring you to their office.

When you meet with your counselor, they will answer any questions you may have about the counseling process generally and will review the confidentiality policy and State of Vermont disclosure/complaint process with you.  The counseling staff at Bergeron are goal-oriented and collaborative in our approach to our work with students.  We aim to help students improve their lives by focusing on the changes they want to make.  We hope to provide immediate, meaningful care focused on what your needs are right from the very first session.  That one session may be all you need, or you and your counselor together may decide that coming back for another meeting would be a better plan based on your needs.  We have a range of follow up options available for you to choose based on your unique situation. The first session is an opportunity for you to begin to develop some rapport with your counselor and to discuss what is bringing you into counseling.  During the first visit, the counselor may ask you a little about your history, how things are going for you currently, and what you’d like to work on.

Sometimes students have worked with counselors in the past and may know that they are seeking help with common mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, substance use, issues with eating, grief and loss, self-harming behaviors, troubling thoughts, moods etc.  Other times, students have not seen a counselor in the past and aren’t sure exactly what is bothering them.  Students often come to counseling to discuss the adjustment to college, culture shock, micro-aggressions, homesickness, trouble with getting their work done, behavioral sanctions, peer issues, relationship issues, etc. Sometimes, one meeting is all that is needed to address what is important to a student.  Other times, a student may choose to come back either for a group, a short check in, or another 30 – 45 minute meeting.  Sometimes students do not want to schedule another meeting but will use our same day drop-in appointments as needed going forward.

The counseling relationship is a unique relationship, where the focus is on you and what you want to talk about.  It can be a place for you to develop insights, to learn some relaxation/ self-regulation skills, and to work on meaningful goals in your life.

The fit between you and your counselor is very important, and if it does not feel right, you always have the option to work with a different counselor. If you would like to try meeting with a different counselor, you can is call Heidi at the front desk and say “I have met with ___ in the past but this time I would like to be scheduled to meet with one of the other counselors.”

What you discuss with your counselor is confidential.  See the full confidentiality policy under the “what is confidentiality?” FAQ.  Although we are all generalists, each of the counselors has different areas of clinical expertise and focus which you can read about on our website bios.

Counseling services are available for all full-time, undergraduate students as well as students in the IEP/AEP program and international graduate students.

Counseling sessions are free.

Counseling sessions are free.  No insurance is charged so parents or guardians will never receive any bill.

Participation in counseling is a personal choice. It is up to you to determine how much counseling is beneficial to you. After your initial meeting, you decide if you would like to return for a second session with a counselor. Generally, we meet with students on a short-term intermittent basis depending on the student’s needs. If it is determined that a student needs longer term or more intensive counseling, we will provide referrals to off-campus therapists.  You can check out some local off-campus providers through this link to Thriving Campus: smcvt.thrivingcampus.com.

Confidentiality is a very important part of our work.  We recognize that the SMC community often feels small and that anonymity and confidentiality are important considerations for students regarding the sharing of personal information.  Essentially, we won’t be speaking to anyone on or off campus about you without your written permission, with a few safety-related exceptions.  For a full explanation of our confidentiality policy and the exceptions to confidentiality see below.  We’ll ask you to read and sign this document at your first visit.

Confidentiality Policy:

“Information shared by you will be kept in strict confidence within the Bergeron Wellness Center. In order to provide the best possible service to students, we create and maintain clinical records that may include history, symptoms, diagnosis, and plans using secured paper and electronic health records.

Professional staff may confer with each other (Nurse Practitioners, Counselors, Nutritionist) with the goal of providing comprehensive, high-quality care that focuses on your physical and emotional health and well-being. (Professional staff has access to both paper and electronic health records).

E-mails sent to you from our offices will be sent using a secure message system and become part of your clinical record. Standard e-mail is not a secure form of communication. E-mail should never be used in urgent situations as we do not maintain continuous access to our secure email. (I took out “We do not provide on-line counseling”)

Medical, counseling and nutrition records are NOT part of academic records, and no one outside of the Bergeron Wellness Center has access to them without your express written permission.

You have a right to access your records. We ask that you notify us in writing with a minimum of 48 hours’ notice. We also ask that you discuss the release of mental health records with your Personal Counselor.

All Health care professionals have a legal responsibility to disclose client information without prior consent in specific circumstances outlined below:

• If we believe you might pose a threat to yourself or cause harm to others.
• If your records are subpoenaed by a Court of Law/Court Order
• If you share information about instances of potential child or elder abuse

Our goal is to meet your physical and emotional health needs. If we are unable to do so, we will help to refer you to an off-campus medical provider, mental health counselor, psychiatrist or another appropriate specialist.

Please note: If you are here to discuss your concerns about another person, we may be compelled to act on your concerns and information. While every effort is made to honor your anonymity, we may need to be forthright with that person about how concerns originated.

Referrals from faculty and staff members are a great way to help students connect to our services.  However, we do not share any information about you with anyone outside of Bergeron without your written permission, regardless of whether they referred you or not.

During college many students seek out the support of a mental health counselor.  Some students meet with a counselor once or twice, others choose to attend more meetings, depending on their need.  Students initially contact Bergeron Wellness Center for counseling for a number of different reasons including but not limited to:

• Concerns about important relationships
• Breakups
• Anxiety or panic
• Depression, hopelessness, or suicidality
• Disruptions in sleep
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
• Gender identity
• Trauma
• Eating, weight, or body image
• Drug or Alcohol Use
• Challenging life decisions
• Performance or creative blocks
• Motivation and achievement (academic, athletic, etc…)
• Time management
• Self-esteem
• Adjusting to college
• Adjusting to a new language or culture
• Coping with micro-aggressions, racism, homophobia, intolerance
• Coping with a physical illness, disability, or injury
• Coping with learning disabilities
• Developing and building upon personal strengths

We have same day “drop-in” appointments from 1:30 – 4:30pm Monday through Friday.  “Drop-in” appointments are typically for 30 – 45 minutes.  The “drop-in” format allows students to meet with a counselor for a single session, without having to wait for a scheduled appointment, and is usually to address something that is more urgent in nature and cannot wait for a scheduled appointment.  Please call (802)654-2234 or e-mail hbrodtman@smcvt.edu first thing in the morning to schedule a same day, drop-in appointment.  All drop-in appointments are on a first come, first served basis.

We understand that things come up sometimes which get in the way of attending a scheduled appointment.  If you know ahead of time you’ll need to reschedule or if you’d like to cancel an existing appointment, please email or call Heidi at the front desk (802-654-2234 or hbrodtman@smcvt.edu ), or email your counselor directly. If you forgot to contact us ahead of time, it’s OK, feel free to reach out to reschedule.  You may also get an email from your counselor reaching out to see if you’d like to reschedule. Sometimes we get fairly busy, especially as we get further into the semester. We’ll do our best to get you right back in the schedule, but during the busy times it might take a week or so for our schedules to align with yours to get you back in. If you have an urgent need you may want to try “drop-ins” in the meantime.

If you are worried about a friend, there are many supportive resources available on campus for you.  We urge you to share your concerns as opposed to holding them on your own. SMC is full of caring students, faculty, and staff that can be helpful in providing support for you and/or your friend.  If you prefer to speak with a counselor about the situation in a confidential setting, you can call Heidi at (802)654-2234 or e-mail hbrodtman@smcvt.edu to make a time.  Sometimes it helps to just talk it over and get some ideas about things you can say to the friend you are concerned about or get ideas about how you might help them to get connected to counseling.  You may also decide to walk a friend over to the Bergeron Wellness Center to make an appointment or go with them to their first appointment, if they want you to do that.

If the fit between you and your counselor doesn’t feel right, you always have the option to work with a different counselor.  One easy way to switch counselors is to just call or e-mail our administrative assistant, Heidi at (802)654-2234 or e-mail hbrodtman@smcvt.edu, and say “I have already met with ___ and I would like to try one of the other counselors instead for my next meeting.” It may take meeting a few different counselors to find the right one for you.