Psychological Support

Initial Consultation

After that you ask for an appointment or you have been referred to us by your trusted  adult, our first session will involve an evaluation of your needs and will serve as an initial  consultation. The assessment of your needs may include the use of psychological tests.  At the end of the evaluation, we will be able to offer you some first impressions of what our work will include and a treatment plan for us to follow, if you decide to continue to work  with us. This is also a time for you to assess your comfort in working with us.  Psychological Counselling and Psychotherapy are collaborative and it is essential that you  feel safe and at ease with the psychotherapist. At the end of our consultation, if we decide  to work together we will schedule a time for the next meeting.  We are also happy to liaise with your psychologist/psychotherapist back home if you are  already working with a mental health professional and/or to refer you to the college  consultant psychologist or to any other external psychologist/psychotherapist if this is a  better option for you.   

Benefits

Counselling and Psychotherapy have been shown to have benefits for many people.  These benefits may include managing negative thoughts and feelings, experiencing less  emotional distress, reaching a greater understanding and acceptance of yourself and your  relationships, knowing your resources and limits, feeling more fulfilled from your life and  your choices, being more available to listen to yourself and being more in touch with  yourself.  

Risks

The possible risks of counselling/psychotherapy include experiencing unpleasant feelings, such as sadness, anger, anxiety or guilt. These feelings, however, are natural and a crucial aspect of your therapeutic process. Other potential risks may be recalling unpleasant experiences, questioning thoughts, values and beliefs, and making changes in various aspects of your life (relationships, studies, etc.).

Termination

Our work together will end after a few sessions in case of counselling with the hope that you will be able to feel well. If necessary/desirable, our work can continue and become psychotherapy. You may also decide to end counselling/psychotherapy for other reasons, but I will encourage that we talk for at least one more session to discuss termination. According to Ethical Standards, I can also terminate our work together if I no longer feel that it is a benefit to you and we can look together for the best strategy to support you. Naturally, in any case, you can come back and see me anytime, my door will be always open and/or we can decide to meet from time to time depending on the best way to take care of your needs.

How to Contact our Wellbeing Counsellor

1. If you want to make an appointment you can go to René’s office (Academic  Building, third floor, room n. 346, next to the Art Department) during school time or in  the afternoon before dinner time. If the door is open, you are welcome to go in. If the  door is closed, please consider that a session might be going on. You can also email René at r.sandoval@uwcdilijan.am. Due to his work schedule, he is generally  not immediately available but will try to respond to your message within 24 hours or  the next working day.  

2. You can also go to the Medical Centre or get in touch with your Toon Parent asking  them to contact our wellbeing counsellor.  To get in touch with the consultant psychologist you must go through the wellbeing counsellor or the resident doctor.

3. In case of emergency or if you need immediate assistance, please go to the Medical  Centre or get in touch with your Toon Parent or any staff on campus. 

4. Cancellation and Late Policy: If you need to cancel a scheduled session, please email  the wellbeing counsellor / psychologist with a minimum of 24 hours' notice. Sessions are generally 45  minutes in length and are scheduled by appointment only. If you are late to a  scheduled session we will still be able to meet with you, but our appointment will end  at the scheduled time. If our psychologists are late for a session, they will make up the  time.  

5. If you do not show up for your appointment with the consultant psychologist without cancelling the appointment with 24 hours’ notice, you will have to pay for the session and your parents will either be sent an invoice to pay for it will be deducted from your deposit as the college deems it necessary.

Student Rights

The law provides you with several rights with regard to your clinical record and disclosures of protected health information.

Limits of Confidentiality: The law provides some protection for the privacy of communications between a client and a wellbeing counsellor/psychologist/psychotherapist. Nevertheless, as required by law and/or ethical standards, if you consult a wellbeing counsellor/psychologist/psychotherapist, especially in a community or in a school, the Designated Safeguarding Lead (Child Protection Officer) and/or your House parent have to be informed that you are seeing him/her. The content of the sessions will remain strictly confidential, with exceptions relating to the following cases in which the DSL needs to be informed:

• Imminent risk of harm to self or others (i.e. anything that puts one’s or someone else’s health and safety at risk, such as suicide attempt or plan, self-injury, eating disorders, addictions, physical violence, illegal behaviors, threats); 

• If a child (under the age of 18) or a vulnerable adult has been subjected to abuse/neglect (i.e. physical, emotional, sexual, or other abuse, either suffered or acted) or exploitation;

•  Use of medication;

• Information about any severe medical condition that is affecting your performance and/or wellbeing;

•  Confidential information may be court-ordered to be disclosed during legal proceedings. This is rare and would generally not happen without your knowledge.

Without using any personally identifiable information (PII) such as your name, your case may be discussed with other medical or mental health professionals or in scientific reports. If there is ever a need to reveal information, we will let you know in advance, and work with you to handle the situation in a way that respects you, your feelings, and your needs.

Support for Activities

If you feel that René can support or facilitate any group or community activity, mainly, but not only, related to psychological wellbeing, please do not hesitate to get in touch with him.