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University Counseling Center

Urgent Care Counseling

Urgent Care Counseling at the UCC provides therapeutic support for students in immediate crisis.

WHAT IS A CRISIS?

Typical crisis care situations can include, but are not limited to the following:

  • acute symptoms of depression, anxiety, panic, suicidal ideation, and depression panic
  • death of a family member or friend
  • recent traumatic event
  • extreme difficulty navigating stressors, such as the deterioration of a relationship or poor academic performance
  • urgent concern for a friend or family member

ACADEMIC YEAR HOURS

Urgent Care Counseling hours during the academic year are:

Monday through Friday: 10am – 4pm.

During this time, students can contact the University Counseling Center (UCC) by calling (615) 322-2571 to be seen virtually with the on-call clinician or in person depending upon pandemic-related guidelines at that time.

WHAT IF IT’S AFTER HOURS?

For students who are experiencing an urgent psychological crisis outside of the Urgent Care Counseling hours:

  1. Call the UCC at (615) 322-2571 and speak with a counselor on call (press option #2).
  2. Go to the Psychiatric Assessment Services at the Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital (M-F, 8am – 11pm and Sat-Sun 8am – 8pm), or the nearest Emergency Room for acute assessment and support.
  3. Crisis Resources

 

Urgent Care Counseling is utilized for urgent and/or emergent situations that need support of an immediate nature and are therefore different than standard therapy sessions.

Providers will:

  • Focus on responsive solution-focused care to meet urgent and emergent needs
  • Provide information and immediate referrals to resources on campus and in the community if needed.
  • Work with the student to identify strategies and tools they can use to manage their immediate concerns and for use in the future.
  • Connect students with other services on-and-off-campus that may be useful in the future, including other UCC services.

The Urgent Care Counseling team is trained in:

Addressing experiences of trauma which includes psychoeducation about key self-care skills to relieve symptoms

Assist with Acute Care Team consultation if available spaces do not fit student’s schedule.

Student have the option for in-person or telehealth urgent care support*

A few things to be aware of:

  • For in person needs: Students will be given a sheet that includes a few key questions to complete while waiting for the therapist. This information will help us meet the student’s needs.
  • For telehealth support: Students will call the UCC main number & request urgent care. The administrative staff will obtain demographic information, location, and brief request to engage with an urgent care provider. Telehealth support is completed with zoom and administrative staff will provide all information for access.
  • During especially busy times, a student may be asked to wait while the clinician attends to other students. Be aware that intermittently there may be a significant wait time for Urgent Care Counseling
  •  To protect the ability of UCC staff to attend to all students in need of immediate counseling, appointments may be limited to 20-30 minutes.
  • Urgent Care providers do not write letters for or implement accommodations, or write letters of support for academic forgiveness.

 

*urgent care counseling is for those students in the state of Tennessee due to licensing restrictions. for those outside of Tennessee a phone consultation can be completed. FREQUENT URGENT CARE COUNSELING APPOINTMENTS OFTEN INDICATE THE NEED FOR A HIGHER LEVEL OF CARE BEYOND THE SCOPE OF PRACTICE AT THE UCC. IN THESE SITUATIONS, THE UCC AND/OR THE OFFICE OF STUDENT CARE COORDINATION WILL CONNECT THE CLIENT WITH ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.