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Brooks College of Health

Individual Counseling

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Making An Appointment 

If you are a current UNF student and are interested in seeking support and services from the UNF Counseling Center, you may do so by completing the online appointment request form

Please send an email to counselingctr@unf.edu to cancel or reschedule an appointment with your current counselor. You will get a response within 48 hours. New clients will be scheduled for a consultation and will be asked to complete paperwork online. Consultations will take about 45 minutes to complete and are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Consultation Appointments

During a consultation, your counselor will talk with you about some of the reasons you are seeking support, explore your mental health history, and will evaluate what services or resources will be most helpful for you. Some students find that talking with a counselor once is sufficient to resolve their immediate concerns. If further services would be beneficial, these will be discussed and a recommendation will be made by your counselor. These additional services may include resources offered by the Counseling Center or a referral to another campus or community resource. Please be aware that service recommendations are based upon your counselor's assessment of your presenting concerns and clinical needs and may not always include individual counseling.

Immediate Support

During office hours, students in crisis can either walk in to speak with a counselor in person or call the crisis support line. This line is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week. To speak with a counselor by phone call 904.620.2602 and select option 2. Please see our Crisis Services page for more information about our helpline and other crisis resources.

Session Limits

If individual counseling is recommended following the initial consultation, students can receive up to a maximum of 12 sessions per year. The number of sessions is based on the student’s therapeutic needs and the provider’s clinical assessment. Individual counseling appointments will be scheduled, at most, every other week. Missed appointments and late cancellations will count toward the session limit. If it is determined by your counselor that you would benefit from more frequent individual appointments and/or more than six sessions, you may be referred to a community mental health provider.

Other than the embedded Housing and Residence Life counselor, all other counselors staffed by the UNF Counseling Center are located in our main office.

Community Referrals

There are many great group therapy options in the local community. If you are interested in working with a mental health provider in the community and have health insurance coverage, most insurance carriers provide referrals for mental health services through their website or over the phone. Below is information on how to navigate using health insurance to receive mental healthcare services. As an additional referral source, Psychology Today provides a therapist directory and can help you connect with therapists in the community. As the UNF Counseling Center is not affiliated with any insurance carriers or Psychology today, we are unable to vouch for or endorse any of the providers you may be referred to.
  • Questions to Ask Your Health Insurance Company
    • Does my insurance plan cover outpatient and/or inpatient mental health services? If so, what kind of services? (e.g., individual counseling, psychological assessment, group counseling, couples counseling, psychiatric evaluations, and/or medication management) 
    • Does my insurance plan require pre-authorization for services obtained? 
    • Does my insurance plan authorize me to see only certain mental health professionals? (i.e., Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Licensed Counselors, Licensed Social Workers, etc.) 
    • Do I need to obtain a mental health provider referral from my primary care physician (PCP) for these services? 
    • May I have a list of counselors in my area who are on your preferred provider list? (Many insurance companies have an arrangement with some counselors for a larger percentage of coverage of the fees associated with counseling) 
    • If I want to see a provider that is not on the preferred provider list, how much of the cost will insurance cover? 
    • Is there a limit to the number of sessions my insurance will cover in a benefit year? Can a counselor request that the number of sessions is extended? 
    • Is there a co-pay for services? If so, what is the co-pay amount? (A co-pay is the fee you pay out-of-pocket at the time of the appointment.) 
    • Does my plan have a deductible? If so, how much is the deductible? (The deductible is how much you have to pay before the insurance will start paying for some or all of the counseling fee. For example, if the deductible is $100, then you must pay the first $100 of the covered medical costs before the insurance will pay anything at all.) 
    • Does my insurance plan have a maximum benefit (a maximum dollar amount) they will cover per calendar year for mental healthcare services? 
    • Do I pay the counselor and get reimbursed by the insurance company or does the insurance company pay the counselor directly? (if the insurance company reimburses you, ask for the form(s) you will need to fill out and submit to get reimbursed.)