FAQs

A: If you contact your counselor between scheduled sessions, they will get back to you as soon as possible, no more than 24 hours after your message.  If you need to speak with someone immediately, you may call the Marin County Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or Marin County Psychiatric Emergency Services at 415-473-6666 for additional support. Additionally, you can access the Timely Care talk now feature by logging in here: timelycare.com/dominican 

If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency at any time, you should call 9-1-1 or go to your nearest hospital immediately.  

A: Counseling sessions occur on a weekly basis for 50 minutes. This can be in person or through telehealth based on you and your counselor's preference. If you do not have a private location to join your telehealth session, ask your counselor about using our private Edgehill Room. If meeting weekly does not fit your schedule, scheduled Timely Care sessions may be better option (bi-weekly appointments). timelycare.com/dominican

A: When submitting your counseling request form, you may request a specific counselor you prefer and/or any demographic preferences you may have. Meeting these requests will be based on counselor capacity and schedule compatibility. 

A: UCS counseling is only offered to students currently enrolled at Dominican. Therefore, you will need to end treatment with your counselor upon graduation. UCS counseling sessions do not occur over academic breaks. Timely Care can be used as an alternative during these time periods. Timely Care counseling is offered up to 3 months post graduation from Dominican. 

A: If your UCS counselor graduated, we ask that you resubmit the counseling request form with your updated availability. 

A: If you need to cancel, we request that you provide notice to your counselor by 9 am on the day of your appointment.  If you miss more than three appointments without providing notice by 9 am that day, we will discontinue counseling services for the remainder of the semester.  You will be eligible to return to counseling the following semester if you are still enrolled at Dominican.

A: UCS is unable to provide a diagnosis for academic accommodations. However, Timely Care is able to provide an assessment for academic accommodations over the course of a few sessions. You can log into Timely Care here: timelycare.com/dominican 

A: It is allowed to have a psychiatrist while working with a UCS counselor. However, working with another therapist or attending scheduled Timely Care appointments is not allowed when seeing a UCS counselor. 

A: Yes, If you have met with another mental health professional outside of University Counseling Services (psychiatrist, psychologist, therapist, counselor) in the last three months, please advise your counselor so we may determine the best way to coordinate your care.   

A: On average, each counselor remains at UCS for 3 semesters before graduating. As long as you and your counselor remain at Dominican University and agree the treatment is helpful, you can continue with the same counselor. Some UCS counselors stay for longer than 3 semesters due to becoming staff members. 

A: No, the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) does not allow MFT Trainees or Associate MFTs to provide letters to clients in order obtain an emotional suport animal. 

A: Yes, If you wish to view your counseling record or get a copy of it, we will provide a copy within 10 business days of your written request sent to  Director of University Counseling Services, Bertrand Hall, room 100.

A: The Director of University Counseling Services receives and responds to complaints regarding the services of any counselor. To file a complaint, contact Diane Suffridge, Ph.D., 415-485-3258 , diane.suffridge@dominican.edu.