The Wellness Center offers counseling and psychiatric services to all current Dickinson students regardless of insurance. Services include, but are not limited to individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, alcohol and drug counseling, psychiatric medication management, consultation, prevention programming and educational workshops.
Crisis Walk In Hours (For urgent and emergent needs)
Monday - Friday
11 a.m. - noon
2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
(No appointment needed)
Our same-day crisis services are designed to assist students who are confronting life-threatening circumstances, current or recent traumatic crises, and serious mental illness. A counselor is available to meet with students in crisis when not being seen immediately could lead to serious consequences or seriously aggravate their existing condition. The reason it is limited to these circumstances is that another student’s counseling visit may need to be interrupted to provide you with crisis services. Students can also utilize the Telus Student Support Program (formally My SSP) 24/7 by downloading the app or visiting https://myssp.app/ca/home
24/7 Call and Chat Service
The Wellness Center has expanded telehealth services to ensure all students have access to a counselor any time of day, from anywhere in the world.
The Wellness Center Call and Chat services offer simple access to connect with a mental health clinician about anything. All services are confidential and free of charge for Dickinson students.
What languages are available?
Call and chat services are available in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Korean and Spanish.
The app is ADA compliant, and TTY accessible.
How do I get started with Telus Student Support?
The Wellness Center has partnered with MySSP to offer this confidential service. Students can access services through any of the following pathways:
- Call 1-877-258-7429
- Create a MySSP profile
- Download the Telus app on your smartphone
When you first log on, look for Dickinson College under “search for your school.” You’ll be asked to fill in your name, preferred language and basic informed consent for this service. Once complete, your home screen will offer Call and Chat, scheduling functions for a telehealth appointment, mental health articles and mental health screening tools.
Counseling Services and MySSP are connected in an intentional, ongoing way to ensure Dickinson students have streamlined and coordinated services.
APPOINTMENT-BASED SERVICES
If you are interested in getting started, please come into the Wellness Center (1st floor) during our business hours to schedule an appointment.
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday
9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Friday
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Initial Consultation
Students interested in counseling services first meet with a counselor for an individualized consultation appointment. During the consultation, counselors ask students questions about their reasons for seeking assistance, their history, and their goals for counseling. Counselors then discuss the options for treatment with students and a plan is formed. Treatment options may include services at the Wellness Center, referrals to other campus resources, or referrals to providers in the community if the kind of services needed by the student are not offered on campus.
Individual Therapy
The Wellness Center offers short-term individual psychotherapy to Dickinson students. Students often seek assistance for a variety of concerns, including but not limited to depression, anxiety, relationship problems, disordered eating, adjustment to college, and sexual assault. The frequency of sessions and length of treatment varies for each student, but is closely tied to the goals for treatment. Most students receiving individual counseling are seen every other week; however, arrangements to be seen more or less frequently can sometimes be made.
Psychiatric Services
The Wellness Center offers psychiatric services to all Dickinson students during the fall and spring semesters for those currently on or considering starting psychiatric medications. To schedule an appointment with the psychiatrist, students must first see a counselor for an initial screening and be in regular therapy or case management sessions with a counselor at the Wellness Center. The counselor will refer the student for psychiatric services.
Substance Use Services
The Wellness Center offers substance use evaluations, group sessions, and individual counseling sessions for students interested in identifying the role that substances are currently playing in their life or why their use of a particular substance has recently increased. Additionally, students are also seen for mandated substance use assessments as part of conduct sanctions received through the College or following hospitalizations for alcohol intoxication.
Click here for more information
Group Counseling Options
The Wellness Center offers a variety of group counseling options. These include wellness workshops, support groups, structured treatment groups, and process-oriented treatment groups. Groups change each semester in response to student needs and expressed interests. Current offerings are listed below.
Spring 2025 Wellness Center Groups
Clinical Groups
Clinical groups require a screening prior to participation
Building Balance: Skills for Managing Mood and Improving Well-being
Thursdays, 12:30-1:30pm, Beginning 3/6
Wellness Center
This is 4-week skills-based group for students who want to improve their ability to manage their mood, increase their ability to tolerate distress, learn ways to cope with stressors, improve their self-care, and learn skills to improve interpersonal relationships. Each session builds on the skills learned the week before, so attendance at all 4 sessions is requested. The 4-week course is packed with empirically supported ways to improve one’s overall well-being and manage distress. Registration and referral from CAPS are required. Participants are invited to share within the group at a level that is comfortable to them; however, the group is psychoeducational/skills instruction format, rather than process oriented.
Nicole Lavertue, PsyD
Bunny Connections Group- Level 1 (Intro)
Wednesdays 2-3 pm
Wellness Center: Bunny Group Room; weekly for 8-weeks
This is a 60-minute closed group (6 students per group) focused on the following: helping students strengthen basic interpersonal connections with other group members; learning how to set and respond to healthy boundaries with other group members and therapy bunnies; and engaging in playful activities alongside, and with, therapy bunnies. While this group is designed to be primarily experiential in nature, group members are provided opportunities for some personal sharing as they build connections with each other.
Students do not need to be in any additional forms of mental health treatment, but they will need to complete an Initial Consultation appointment and Group Screening appointment.
Carrie Bowerman, LCSW and Rebecca Shoemaker, PsyD
Bunny Connections Group- Level 2 (Advanced)
Wednesdays 12-1 pm
Wellness Center: Bunny Group Room; weekly for 8-weeks
Students will need to complete Initial Consultation, Intake, and Group Screening appointments as some students appropriate for this group may also need to have adjunct individual therapy sessions (at the clinical discretion of their primary CAPS clinician).
*Additional Details coming soon!
Carrie Bowerman, LCSW and Rebecca Shoemaker, PsyD
DBT-Informed Skills Group:
Thursdays 12-1 pm
Wellness Center: Group Room
This is a structured, time-limited psychoeducational group that will teach various skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). There are four main skills the group will cover: mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. DBT skills were developed to help people who feel overwhelmed by their emotions and/or have a history of difficult relationships. The goal of this group is to improve the quality of relationships and to replace destructive behaviors with more effective coping skills.
Todd Drazien, LCSW & Missy Stine, PhD
Interpersonal Process Group
Mondays 12:30-1:30
Wellness Center, Group Room
This group provides students with a safe environment where they can increase their understanding of themselves, explore how they relate to others, and try new ways to interact with peers.
Megan Nesbitt, PsyD & Rebecca Shoemaker, PsyD
Social Interactive Support Group
Mondays @ 12:30-1:30 pm
Wellness Center Group Room
This is a 60-minute clinical support group that aims to help students struggling with making friends, maintaining friendships, or struggling with their friend group. This support group is open to all enrolled students but is targeted towards those who struggle with Social Anxiety Disorder or are on the autism spectrum. This group will encourage students to share their social challenges and will rely on support from the group, psychoeducation, and role-playing exercises.
Nicole Lavertue, Psy. D. & Todd Drazien, LCSW
Drop in Workshops
Dialing Down Depression
Thursday: 1st and 4th Thursday of February
Offered 12:30-1:300 pm at the Wellness Center (2nd Floor Conference Room)
This is a 50-min drop-in group workshop which covers the signs and symptoms of depression and its impact on oneself and in relationships. Much of the time in session is devoted to learning evidence-based skills to help reduce depression, as well as improve mood, interpersonal connection, and promote healthier thinking. This is a psychoeducational workshop.
Nicole Lavertue, PsyD
Navigating Grief and Loss Workshop
Thursdays: 2nd Thursday of February
Offered 12:30- 1:30 at the Wellness Center (2nd Floor Conference Room)
This is a 50-minute drop-in group workshop that discusses the difficult journey of grief and loss, as well as offers tools that may help along the journey of grieving. This workshop is psychoeducational in nature.
Nicole Lavertue, PsyD
Alleviating Anxiety and Panic Workshop
Thursdays: 4th Thursday of the February
Offered 12:30-1:20 pm at the Wellness Center (2nd Floor Conference Room)
This is a 50-minute drop-in group workshop which covers the signs and symptoms of anxiety, the difference between worry and anxiety, and the impact of anxiety and panic. The session is full of different evidence-based ways to alleviate anxiety, as well as tips for overcoming Panic Attacks. This is a psychoeducational workshop.
Nicole Lavertue, PsyD
Bunny Break
Thursdays 1-1:45 RSVP REQUIRED IN ENGAGED
Wellness Center Bunny Room
Need a break? Sign up for a bunny break. There is no agenda for this time other than to hang out with the bunnies. Bring a book, bring your homework, and just spend time with Dixie, Otto, Bun Bun and Moxie.
Students must RSVP through Engaged, limit 5 students per break.
Lauren Strunk, Ed,D., LPC
Support Groups
Destination Dickinson Bunnies: Supporting International Students
Tuesdays from 12:00-1:00
This group is geared toward International Students. It offers a welcoming, safe, and supportive space, where international students are invited to (but not required to) share with one another their experiences, specific to being an International Student, as they navigate their journey at Dickinson College. This group meets with the center’s bunnies; therefore, an initial screening must be completed. There is a limit of 6 students per meeting.
Wellness Center 2nd Floor
Nicole Lavertue, Psy.D.
Non-Clinical Support Meeting; Initial consultation required to attend; must sign up for specific dates