Mental Health & Support Services

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Coping Corner

Purpose

The purpose of the Indiana Academy is to provide a physical, intellectual, and social environment in which students with exceptional academic ability can thrive in an appropriate learning community. Our objective is to provide a caring, secure learning environment for all students. In order to help students thrive, the Academy provides a variety of programs and services that promote wellness and help to prevent emotional and psychological distress.

Emotional & Mental Health Services

The Office of Mental Health and Support Services (OMHSS) strives to provide students with the support and resources in order to help them achieve their personal and academic goals while at the Indiana Academy. Counseling services are provided by the Psychologist, along with doctoral students in the school and counseling psychology program.

The Office of Mental Health and Support Services is located in Wagoner Hall. The office is open Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. If you are interested in scheduling an appointment please contact:

Mindy Wallpe, Ph.D., HSPP
Licensed Psychologist
Assistant Director of Mental Health and Support Services
Wagoner Complex Rm. 160C
Phone: 765-285-5483
Fax: 765-285-8137
Email:

Services Provided:

  • Brief, time-limited individual counseling with students to support their social, emotional, and psychological needs
  • Collaboration with other mental health providers
  • Referrals to community therapy providers
  • Serve as a mental health resource for Academy parents and staff
  • Coordinate opportunities for programing around social, emotional, and psychological topics
  • Work as a liaison with Indiana Academy faculty and staff

Why might students come to counseling?

Stress management/coping skills
Anxiety
Depression
Perfectionism
Self-esteem/self-confidence
Disordered eating and body image concerns
Family concerns
Relationship difficulties (roommate, friends, romantic)
Understanding one’s sexual/gender identity
Adjusting to the Academy
Homesickness
Grief and Loss
Alcohol/substance use
Trauma
Self-care
Having a rough day
Concerned about a friend

Confidentiality

All information gathered in counseling, including the fact that a student has come to OMHSS, is held in strict confidence. In some situations, the OMHSS is required by Indiana state law or by the guidelines of the profession to disclose information, whether or not the OMHSS have your or your student’s permission. Below are some of these situations.

Confidentiality cannot be maintained when:

  • The student reports they plan to cause serious harm or death to themselves, and the OMHSS believe they have the intent and ability to carry out this threat in the very near future. The OMHSS must take steps to inform a parent or guardian or others of what the student has told staff and how serious the OMHSS believe this threat to be and to try to prevent the occurrence of such harm.
  • The student reports they plan to cause serious harm or death to someone else, and the OMHSS believe they have the intent and ability to carry out this threat in the very near future. In this situation, the OMHSS must inform a parent or guardian or others, and the OMHSS may be required to inform the person who is the target of the threatened harm (and the police).
  • The student is doing things that could cause serious harm to them or someone else, even if the student does not intend to harm themselves or another person. In these situations, the OMHSS will need to use professional judgment to decide whether a parent or guardian should be informed.
  • The student tells the counselor, or the OMHSS otherwise learn that, it appears that a student is being neglected or abused–physically, sexually or emotionally–or that it appears that they have been neglected or abused in the past. In this situation, the OMHSS is required by law to report the alleged abuse to the appropriate state child-protective agency.
  • The OMHSS is ordered by a court to disclose information.

Mental Health Counseling E-mail Policy

At the Indiana Academy email is frequently used to schedule, re-schedule, or cancel counseling appointments. However, we strongly prefer that you handle all consultation and discussion of counseling issues via phone or face-to-face contact with us.

The nature of email is much like sending a snail mail postcard and we cannot guarantee the confidentiality of messages. In terms of discussing issues, we believe email is not as useful as in-depth, in-person contact.

Staff access to e-mail is also limited to Counseling Office work hours. There is no expectation that Counseling staff will check e-mail after hours. Also, there is no way of knowing whether a specific staff member is unavailable due to illness, vacation, or other reasons. This means that a message may not be read immediately.

This becomes especially problematic with messages about crisis situations. We take your time and confidentiality very seriously and therefore consider it imperative that you understand the limitations of our use of email technology.

E-mail should never be used for urgent communication of any sort. If you are experiencing a crisis during business hours (8:00–5:00 M–F) it is recommended you come to the counseling office and if it is after business hours contact a Student Life Counselor, the Front Desk at 765-285-8125 or dial 911.

Resources

https://academy.bsu.edu/student-life/mental-health-services/