The Counseling Center is offering all services remotely during spring semester (Feb. 1 through the last day of classes, May 14, 2021). Please see below for details on how to reach us -- whether for counseling services, a brief Let’s Talk consultation, or crisis counseling. We are here for our St. Catherine University community.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please see the Crisis Counseling section (below) for after-hours and crisis counseling resources.
About the Counseling Center
Our caring staff offers a variety of services to support student mental health, at no cost to students. We provide confidential services including short-term individual counseling for students, Let’s Talk consultations, a weekday 2 p.m. crisis hour, phone crisis counseling through a collaboration with ProtoCall, referrals to campus and community resources, and consultation to students, faculty, and staff.
We provide quality counseling services to students coping with emotional, social, behavioral, and identity-related difficulties common to the college population. Each therapist has expertise in mental and emotional health and views students’ concerns in the context of human development and cultural identity. Our counseling staff brings a professional and personal commitment to providing services within a multicultural framework. Please refer to our bios on Student Success to learn more about our team.
You are welcome here. We are deeply committed to creating a welcoming, emotionally safe space in which you can be seen and valued in your entirety, including your intersecting identities and unique cultural background. Our counseling center strives to be a system that is attuned and responsive to how students may be affected by both current social-political circumstances and historical marginalization. As mental health professionals, we recognize the impact of bias, discrimination, oppression, and historical trauma on psychological, emotional, and physical distress. We also acknowledge that this pain is often silenced and unaddressed, and we strive to be space in which your voice can be heard and valued. We want to support you in whatever you are facing and invite you to connect with us.
Current Services for Students (Academic Year 2020-2021)
While we have moved all of our services to a remote format to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Counseling Center remains open and committed to continuing to provide support to St. Kate's students. This year, our January-term schedule will run from Monday, January 4 to Friday, January 29. Our spring-term schedule will run from Monday, Feb 1 to Friday, May 14. Please note that we are not open on university-declared holidays. Counseling sessions will be offered to currently enrolled students by secure video platform or phone.
Our remote counseling sessions focus on stress management and well-being. Sessions typically last 30 to 45 minutes. The first session typically focuses on gathering basic background and information about your current experience and needs. Any ongoing sessions aim to increase functioning levels, emotional wellness, and resilience through emotional support and skills for well-being. If more intensive counseling support or treatment is needed, or if circumstances or location* require alternative options, your counselor may support you in identifying additional resources and referrals in your community. Please scroll down for more information regarding referrals in the Referral Support section.
** Please note that we may be unable to provide ongoing counseling services to students located out of state due to licensing guidelines for psychologists in Minnesota. These guidelines vary by state during the COVID-19 pandemic. We welcome you to contact us at counselingcenter@stkate.edu with any questions about this or if you need help identifying resources and referrals in your area.
** Please note that our center does not provide assessment or documentation for ADHD or emotional support animals. Feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss referral ideas for off-campus resources.
How do I make an appointment?
To be contacted with appointment options compatible with your class schedule, please submit an appointment request form here. If you prefer to discuss your availability and scheduling over the phone, please call 651-690-6805 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. (noon) or 1–5 p.m.
Shortly before a scheduled appointment, you will receive a calendar invitation for a secure Google Meet session, which you will be able to join at the appointed time by either video or phone.
What if I need to cancel?
If you are unable to keep an appointment, please send an email to counselingcenter@stkate.edu to let us know as soon as possible, preferably at least 24 hours in advance. This allows us to use the appointment time for another student who is waiting to see a counselor.
How many sessions are available to me?
The Counseling Center operates within a framework in order to meet the needs of many students. On average, students use 5 sessions per academic year. Appointments are typically scheduled weekly or bi-weekly; decisions about frequency and length of counseling are discussed with your counselor. If you need long-term counseling (more than 8 sessions per academic semester), we can help identify therapists in the community who can provide this. We also offer referral assistance to specialized counseling programs, such as eating disorder or chemical dependency treatment. (Scroll down for more information regarding referral support.)
Who will know?
Counseling center staff maintain professional standards as defined by state law, including regarding confidentiality and safety. This means that we will not share information from your counseling sessions with other people unless we have your written permission or need to ensure your safety or someone else's safety. You will receive our written privacy and confidentiality policy when you make your first appointment, and your counselor will be happy to discuss any questions or concerns you might have.
If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, please contact one of the following mental health crisis resources:
- 911 or
- St. Kate’s Public Safety (651-690-8888)
Or contact a mental health emergency resource such as:
- Ramsey County Urgent Care for Adult Mental Health (651-266-7900)
- The National Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741)
Crisis Counseling Hour
The Counseling Center offers a Crisis Counseling Hour with virtual sessions provided by counseling center staff from 2–3 p.m. on weekdays when the university is open. Appointments typically run 20–25 minutes and are arranged on a first-come, first-served basis.
To request a Crisis Hour counseling session, reach out to us in one of the following ways before 1:45 p.m. on the day you wish to have your session:
- email counselingcenter@stkate.edu
- call 651-690-6805
- or submit a Crisis Counseling Request Form
You will be contacted by email between 1:45 and 2 p.m. with further information regarding a specific appointment time and instructions for accessing the virtual session. (Your patience and understanding regarding timing is greatly appreciated as the volume of requests with this type of system is difficult to predict.)
After-Hours Crisis Counseling
If this isn’t a life-threatening emergency, but you feel an urgent need to talk with a crisis counselor, the St. Kate's Crisis Counseling line (in partnership with ProtoCall) can be reached by dialing 651-690-6805 and pressing 1 at the prompt (evenings, weekends, holidays, or anytime the counseling center can’t be reached).
Let's Talk is a free and confidential service for St. Kate's students meant to provide easy access to consultation and support. Students are able to meet with counseling staff from the St. Kate's Counseling Center for 15-minute informal consultations available on a first-come, first-served basis. The counselor will listen to your concerns and provide support, perspective, and suggestions for resources. Let’s Talk is accessible virtually Monday through Thursday from 1–2 p.m. By completing the brief request form at the link below, you can learn more about Let’s Talk and request a Let’s Talk consultation with a counselor.
Let's Talk is for brief consultation; it is not counseling. Let’s Talk may be a good fit for topics like these: You have a question about counseling and what it’s like to be in counseling; you'd like to briefly explore options for addressing a challenge; you want ideas about how to support a friend, or you'd like to briefly get the perspective of a counselor.
If you are in crisis and need urgent assistance, Let's Talk is not the best option to meet your needs. Please scroll up for more information on crisis counseling options.
If you anticipate needing a longer conversation or are seeking ongoing counseling, please scroll up to request a remote counseling session instead.
At times, a student’s counseling needs may be best served by referrals to off-campus resources, such as a therapist with a particular specialization or treatment within a longer-term model than our center can offer. We are happy to meet with students to explore and assess their counseling needs, in order to make recommendations and offer assistance about referrals to mental health resources in the surrounding community. This might include private practitioners, intensive outpatient programs, or specialty treatment centers.
At times, students seek to connect with a counselor with a specific shared aspect of identity or lived experience that may or may not be currently represented among our small counseling staff. Each of our counselors would welcome talking directly with you about any questions or concerns about lived experience, shared identity, or areas of expertise. Whenever a student prefers, know that our counselors can offer assistance in referrals to BIPOC-identified therapists, LGBTQ-identified therapists, and other mental health resources in the community that might best fit your needs and interests.
If you prefer to search for an off-campus therapist independently, without individual referral support from our center, you might try a therapist directory such as Psychology Today's database or TherapyDen. Simply put in your zip code to find therapists within a certain radius of where you live, and you can include other search criteria such as health insurance accepted. The St. Kate’s Counseling Center is not able to make recommendations using these therapist directories, since we do not have personal knowledge of their skills. For this reason, we encourage you to also look through APA's tips for choosing a therapist to help you determine whether any given therapist might be a good fit for you.
Please note: Our center does not provide assessment or documentation for ADHD or emotional support animals. Feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss referral ideas for off-campus resources.
Recent events continue to illuminate the long and entrenched history of structural and systemic injustice in this country and in our communities. Overt prejudice, individual and systemic racism, ableism, religious stigma and Islamophobia, and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals and communities have been propagated by this social-political climate. The current pandemic has increased anti-Asian racism and has disproportionately impacted the Black community and many communities of color.
As mental health professionals, we recognize the impact of discrimination, oppression, and historical trauma on psychological, emotional, and physical distress. We condemn all forms of oppression. As the majority of our staff members identify as white, we are deepening our commitment to more effectively support those who have experienced individual discrimination and structural acts of aggression and racism. This includes examining ourselves and our work to ensure we are doing what we can to act and provide services within an anti-racist framework. As part of our commitment, we are also strengthening intentional collaboration with campus and community partners. Please consider us a resource and support, whether you are facing anger, grief, exhaustion, or other reactions to these patterns of violence and systemic injustice, or working to better understand your privilege and move toward anti-racism and allyship.
At times, students seek to connect with a counselor with a specific shared aspect of identity or lived experience that may or may not be currently represented among our small counseling staff. Each of our counselors would welcome talking directly with you about any questions or concerns about lived experience, shared identity, or areas of expertise. Whenever a student prefers, know that our counselors can also offer assistance in referrals to BIPOC-identified therapists, LGBTQ+-identified therapists, or mental health resources in the community that might best fit your needs and interests.
The following webpage lists several of the offices and organizations that together support inclusive excellence at St. Kate’s.
The following resources offer some good ideas of key ways to support mental health and general well-being in this complex time. These offer an important starting point for reflection and self-care strategies.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful and unsettling for everyone. While reactions can vary and people are affected in different ways, everyone is feeling the impact in some way. We recognize this pandemic has increased anti-Asian racism and xenophobia and has disproportionately impacted the Black community and many communities of color.
Whatever your emotions are — afraid, sad, hopeful, angry — your feelings are valid. When we tune in to our experience and emotions, we can then better recognize what we may need in any given moment and take steps to care for ourselves during these challenging times. We would be glad to talk with you about your thoughts and reactions to this time, and invite you to make a counseling appointment.
The following brief articles from our counseling staff highlight some strategies for well-being during the pandemic. Read more articles on health and well-being on CampusWell.
The following resources, for both students and parents, offer some good ideas of key ways to support mental health and general well-being at this time. These offer an important starting point for reflection and self-care strategies.