Faculty and staff are often the first to observe students in distress. The Care Guide is a quick reference guide to help recognize, respond
to, and refer distressed students.
Counseling Center Services
About Us: The Bellarmine University Counseling Center located in Nolen C. Allen Hall, Suite 403, provides free and confidential short-term mental health services to any currently enrolled Bellarmine student. Currently, we are providing services both in-person and via telehealth. See below for a description of our services. Our hours of operation are Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Some evening hours may be available, and hours may change based on COVID-19 guidelines. Please contact our office or go to our COVID Health and Safety site for more information.
Contact Us
Our services include the following:
Mental Health Screening: Take a free and anonymous mental health screening to assess if you are experiencing symptoms consistent with a variety of mental issues (Depression, Generalized Anxiety, PTSD, Disordered Eating, Substance Abuse, etc) by clicking on this link.
Online Workshops: Please click this link to check out our anxiety management series. We will also be offering a series of workshops on how to build your emotional toolbox. Please watch for more details about this.
Phone Consultation & Support: Any student wishing to receive emotional/psychological support and guidance can contact our office and speak to one of our counselors. Whether you are just wanting more information about our services, wanting tips on stress management, guidance on how to help a friend, please email us at counselingcenter@bellarmine.edu to arrange a time to speak to a counselor.
Crisis Intervention: If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, contact the Counseling Center at 502.272.8480. If no one is available to answer your call or if it is after standard hours of operation (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.), please dial “2” on our voicemail menu to speak to an on-call counselor.
Initial Needs Assessment: To determine how we can best support you, we encourage you to schedule a 30-minute appointment via video conferencing (Microsoft Teams). You will complete some forms online and meet confidentially with one of our counselors, who will then help assess your mental health needs and connect you with the necessary recommendations and resources to address those needs. To schedule an appointment, please click on this link and choose the first tab, "Schedule a First Time Appointment.” If the appointment times offered do not fit your schedule, please indicate that on your online forms and call us at 502.272.8480 to discuss your availability. You may also request for this appointment to be in-person by emailing us at counselingcenter@bellarmine.edu.
Short-term individual therapy: Following your needs assessment appointment, short-term individual therapy may be recommended. Sessions are typically 45-50 minutes in length. The frequency and number of sessions will be determined based upon the nature of your concerns, but mostly commonly goals can be achieved in 4-8 sessions. Individual therapy sessions are often in-person; however, we continue to offer services via Telehealth using Microsoft Teams (HIPAA compliant platform). This is based on your needs and preferences, as well as counselor availability. Due to ethical considerations and licensing laws, telehealth may be restricted in some situations. During counseling sessions, we help you to work on your specific treatment goals such as managing anxiety, improving mood, managing stress, or improving relationships.
Racial Trauma Therapy: Through a newly established partnership, the Bellarmine University Counseling Center will serve as a satellite site for the Collective Care Center (CCC) Racial Trauma Clinic. The CCC is a premier racial trauma clinic based in Louisville, KY devoted to the development, research, and implementation of treatment that effectively targets the impact of racial trauma. Racial trauma, which can be defined as ongoing and consistent exposure to racism, prejudice, and discrimination, has major negative impacts for people of color. Racial Trauma Therapy seeks to aid individuals in reducing the negative mental health impacts related to racial trauma through the development of racial identity, processing experiences of racial trauma, and practicing and building skills to cope through and manage future experiences with racial trauma. To learn more about working with a clinician on racial trauma click here.
Referral: While we are able to address most mental health issues, some concerns may require more specialized or intensive service that we are able to provide. We can help connect you to resources within the community to support you with those needs.
Confidentiality
All personal counseling services and medical records are strictly confidential. There are some limitations to confidentiality as mandated by law or professional ethical code. Your counselor can explain those limitations.
Questions, comments or concerns
Please contact Dr. Gary Petiprin by email gpetiprin@bellarmine.edu.