Services for Faculty & Staff

Counseling Services offers several resources for Kent State Stark faculty and staff:

Consultation

Counseling Services is available for one-on-one consultation about behavior issues in classes, concerns about students, or any general questions about mental health issues on campus or in the community. Faculty and staff may contact Counseling Services directly to discuss any questions or concerns they may have about a student in their class or on campus. Counselors are accessibly by email, phone or Microsoft teams. It is very helpful to have a student’s information ready, such as their name and Kent State ID Number, when you talk to one of the counselors in order to discuss your concerns or questions.

One-on-One and Group Trainings

Counseling Services will sponsor multiple group trainings throughout the fall and spring semesters. These will be announced on the website and through email. However, with an understanding that it can be difficult to attend a training offered during the week which may conflict with your teaching or work schedule, Counseling Services also offers all of the trainings in a one-on-one setting as well. If you are interested in a scheduling a one-on-one training, or if your department or a group of faculty are interested in scheduling a group training, call or email Counseling Services.

Training topics include:

• Identifying and helping students in distress
• De-escalating intense interactions with students
• Classroom management
• Knowing the difference between annoying and disruptive when working with students
• Mental health diagnoses commonly seen at college
• Stress management for faculty
• Severe mental health diagnoses
• Setting boundaries with students

Class Presentations

You can request Counseling Services to come to your class as a speaker or to give a presentation to your students. To make a request, call or email Counseling Services and we will work with you and your syllabus schedule.

Topics include:

• Working in the mental health field
• Mental health and the law
• Emergency mental health
• Common and severe mental health diagnoses
• Stress management
• Anger management
• Sexual identity
• Q&A with the therapist

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 
What types of behaviors should I be on the lookout for? What behaviors or concerns might indicate that the student should be referred to Counseling Services?

There are many types of behaviors that students may display that can be concerning. A primary thing to keep in mind is if this behavior is odd or different for that student. Sudden changes can indicate higher levels of stress or distress. Increased irritability, not paying attention, coming to class intoxicated (or suspected intoxication), verbal aggression and lack of contact could all indicate a concern as well. Any student that makes comments about wanting to harm or kill themselves, or other people, is to be viewed as an emergency, and Counseling Services should be contacted immediately per your Mental Health Emergency Protocol. For additional training on this, contact Counseling Services.

If I refer a student to Counseling Services, will I be notified if I come in? Can I find out what happened?

There are some situations in which you may be told what happened after a student came in. If you walk over a student to the office due to an emergency or safety concerns, you may make contact with the office later to find out if the student is OK and in general what happened. Also, if a student gives permission for you to be contacted or signs a Release of Information, you will also be contacted accordingly. However, this is not always the case. For the most part, when a student comes in to see a counselor, all of their information is confidential. This means that the office also cannot confirm whether or not a student came in, or if they are seeing the counselor regularly. If you have a student that you are concerned about, you are strongly encouraged to share your concerns with Counseling Services.

Can I come to Counseling Services for therapy sessions?

At this time, Counseling Services does not provide mental health services for faculty or staff. You can schedule free sessions through our Employee Assistance Program, IMPACT. IMPACT can be reached at 1-800-227-6007.

Mental Health Services - IMPACT
Counseling Services does not provide ongoing counseling services for faculty or staff. Faculty and staff can access free mental health services through our Employee Assistance Program, IMPACT, by calling the 24-hour number 1-800-227-6007. When you call, IMPACT staff will ask for your general information and why you are interested in seeing a counselor so that they can match you with an appropriate provider. You will be able to access 3-5 free sessions of counseling through IMPACT.