Scope of Practice and Policies

The Counseling Center provides short-term individual therapy with a limited number of sessions per semester. Although there is a session limit, only a small portion of students reach the session limit each semester, less than 5%. Most students are able to address their concerns within 6 - 7 sessions per semester.

Examples of some commonly addressed issues are:

  • Adjustment to college/loneliness
  • Anxiety/depression/grief
  • Identity development
  • Academic stress
  • Relationship concerns
  • Body image and/or eating behaviors 
  • Family stress 

Students with mental health issues or conditions rising above the level of those addressed by short term therapy, will be referred out to a community resource. We also encourage students to continue working with their current psychiatrist, physician, or a mental health provider at home for continuity of care and for access to support when not at Champlain College. As counseling services are in high-demand at Champlain, students who miss 4 or more individual counseling appointments in a semester will not be eligible for additional appointments until the subsequent semester. Students are always eligible for crisis services. If notification of a missed appointment is received at least 24 hours prior to the appointment, it will not be counted toward the session limit. 

Confidentiality

Champlain College Counseling Center staff are ethically and legally required to ensure all counseling interactions are kept confidential. No record of counseling is included in a student's academic file. Exceptions to confidentiality may occur in the case of court ordered requests for records, mandated counseling, if a student is a danger to themselves or someone else, or where staff are required by law to report current child abuse or elder abuse.

Out-of-State Providers

Often students can benefit from continuity of care during their transition to college. If your student already has a mental health provider in another state, Vermont law allows that provider to continue providing care via telehealth while your student is in Vermont. Consider sharing the information below with your student's provider:

The Vermont Legislature passed emergency legislation that was signed by Governor Phil Scott on March 30, 2020 that allows individuals who typically cannot practice in Vermont the ability to practice in Vermont during the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 22, 2022, H.654 was signed into law, extending a modified version of the emergency provisions until March 31, 2023. 

If you hold an active out-of-state license which is in good standing in a healthcare profession, you may practice in Vermont via telehealth by obtaining an Interim Telehealth Registration. The Interim Telehealth Registration is valid until June 30, 2023, after which you can transition to a Telehealth Registration or Telehealth License in order to continue practicing out-of-state. More information can be found here.