Getting started with our services

Welcome to the Counseling and Testing Center web site.  Our services are available to all currently enrolled Missouri State University students.  If you are a Missouri State University employee, please click here for more information.

Mission and Services
The primary goal of the Counseling and Testing Center is to promote students' development and psychological well-being.  Services are provided for individuals with personal-social concerns and life-planning issues.  Experienced professional counselors, psychologists, social workers, and graduate students assist clients in resolving conflicts which may interfere with their progress at the University.

Your First Appointment
Your first visit, called the intake session, will include a brief period of time discussing your present concerns.  This session will help both you and the counselor decide how the Center services can best help you.  These services may consist of individual, couples, or group counseling at the Counseling and Testing Center or possibly a referral to an on campus or off campus service that may be more appropriate to your needs.

Cost
*Intake, counseling, and referral services are provided at no charge.
*Interest inventories and other testing require small fees to cover the cost of materials.

Rights
You have the right to:
* ask questions and be informed about the nature of Counseling and Testing Center services.
* a defined counseling goal mutually decided upon by you and your counselor.
* be referred to another helping professional if you desire or if your concerns go beyond our expertise.

Responsibilities
You have the responsibility to:
*be on time for appointments with your counselor.
*inform the appointment secretary by phone as soon as possible if you cannot meet  your appointment time.

Confidentiality
All communication within the Center is confidential.  No record of counseling is contained in any academic, educational, or job placement file.  Information regarding the content of interviews or the results of testing can be released only with the written permission of the client.  The exceptions to this policy are: 
1) when the information relates to clear and imminent danger to an individual
2) when state law requires the reporting of information (threats of violence, child/elder  abuse or neglect),
3) when parental consent is required to provide services to a minor student, and
4) when information is requested by court order.   
Any disclosure in these situations will be made to an appropriate authority, and will be limited to material directly pertinent to the issue involved.