Counseling Services

The Hamre Center offers short-term individual counseling services. The goal of individual counseling is to talk through mental health concerns and help students heal, grow, and move toward more satisfying and meaningful lives. It is an opportunity to explore feelings, thoughts, behaviors, beliefs and build self-awareness, to receive support and guidance, to consider solutions to life’s challenges, and to set personal goals to work toward change. You will work with a trained mental health counselor in a caring and confidential environment.

Note: Many concerns resolve or improve with short-term therapy while other more complex or on-going concerns may require off campus, specialized, or long-term counseling. 

At your initial meeting, you will meet with your counselor for 45 minutes to discuss your current concerns and relevant history. Together, you will come up with next steps for your care based on your needs and available resources (i.e. short-term individual counseling, group counseling, off campus support, other recommendations, or you may decide no further care is needed). If the next step is short-term individual therapy at the Hamre Center, a follow-up meeting will be scheduled (usually in 2 – 3 weeks). If the next step is off campus counseling, then your counselor or the Hamre Center Care Manager will work with you to find resources in the local community. 

To schedule a one-on-one individual counseling appointment, you can: 1. Fill out the Request an Initial Individual Counseling Appointment form, 2. Call our front desk at 651-696-6275, 3. Stop by our office in the Leonard Center,  4. Email us at health@macalester.edu, or 5. Contact a counselor via email or phone directly. 

Same Day Appointments are individual counseling appointments with a mental health counselor that can be scheduled within 24 hours of the listed appointment time, if available. These appointments are reserved for students that are in distress, seeking immediate care within 1 – 2 days, and are unable to wait to schedule an individual counseling appointment (see Individual Counseling). The goal of these appointments is to focus on the immediate needs that are bringing someone in. A counselor will offer support, help problem solve, identify additional resources, and help brainstorm next steps. Same Day appointments are available to new or established students seeking mental health care at the Hamre Center. 

To reserve a Same Day Appointment, you can: 1.  Call our front desk at 651-696-6275 or 2. Stop by our office in the Leonard Center. If you leave a voicemail requesting a Same Day Appointment, you will receive a confirmation email once the appointment is scheduled. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact our office again.  

Press 2 is a free telephone crisis response service in partnership with ProtoCall Services. This brief and confidential service is available to all Macalester students 24/7/365 (including evenings, weekends, breaks, summer and weather closures). You can call Press 2 from anywhere in the world to speak with a trained and experienced call taker.

Press 2 call takers are familiar with the on-campus resources and can connect with Macalester Public Safety if needed. They also communicate with our Hamre Center counseling staff during business hours, so you have access to complete wrap-around care.

If you want to speak with a trained professional right now, simply call the Hamre Center at 651-696-6275 and press option 2 when prompted to be connected. If it is during business hours, the front staff may answer the phone. In that case, please ask the front staff to connect you with Press 2.  

Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Speech Limited Callers can access these numbers through MN Relay 711.

Counseling groups are a powerful tool for growth and change. The intention of counseling groups is to help students address mental health concerns, connect with others, and learn new tools and skills with the guidance of 1 – 2 licensed counselors. The groups may focus on a particular theme or concern or may be tailored to a specific group of individuals. Groups range from unstructured to structured, typically last 4 – 8 weeks, and have between 5-10 members. Members are encouraged to offer alternative perspectives, support, encouragement and feedback while in a safe and confidential environment. Some groups require an individual 15 – 30 minute meeting with a counselor before starting to make sure it’s a good fit. 

To schedule your initial 15-30 minute counseling group meeting, please email the facilitator of the group directly.

Care Coordination is the process of helping you access a range of different services that would best meet your needs. The care coordinator will talk with you about what you are looking for to determine the most appropriate type of care. The care coordinator can help you find and connect with an off campus mental health counselor, a psychiatrist, ADHD testing, eating disorder treatment, substance use disorder treatment, outpatient and inpatient mental health programs, and more. The care coordinator can also assist with insurance and financial questions, offer you a list of referrals, and can even help you make phone calls / draft emails to schedule your appointments or narrow your options.

Note: If you know that you would like services beyond the scope of the Hamre Center or are unsure what services would be appropriate for your needs, you can schedule an appointment with the care coordinator versus scheduling an initial individual counseling appointment.

To schedule a Care Coordination appointment, you can: 1.Call our front desk at 651-696-6275, 2. Stop by our office in the Leonard Center, 3. Email us at health@macalester.edu or 4. Contact our Care Coordinator, Jon Vaughan-Fier (he/him) directly at jfier@macalester.edu.

Off Campus Individual Counseling Resources: Hamre Center for Health and Wellness has partnered with MiResource to help students easily and confidentially find the right off campus mental health provider. You can search by your specific care needs, insurance/payment options, provider identity, and location. For mental health urgent or emergency resources, visit here. For additional community mental health resources, visit here.

We hope to create and foster an environment that is respectful, transparent, accessible, and welcoming within communities that are underserved in mental health care. In our efforts to better support our historically marginalized community at Macalester College, we compiled identity specific mental health resources to support you in navigating your college experience. We are committed to continuing to listen, learn, and advocate with you and for you. We encourage and invite feedback about our work with you, successes, and areas for improvement. Read Hamre Center’s statement on racism and anti-racist work. 

In addition to Urgent and Emergency Care Resources, the Hamre Center offers a 24/7 telephone crisis support service called “Press 2.” To talk with a trained professional right now, please call the Hamre Center at 651-696-6275 and press option 2 when prompted.

Please know that you can use this service at anytime. If it is during business hours, the front staff may answer the phone. In that case, please ask the front staff to connect you with Press 2.  Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Speech Limited Callers can access this service through MN Relay 711.

We look forward to assisting you with this process and appreciate your patience. We have both in-person and virtual counseling appointments available Monday – Friday from 10:00AM-5:00PM. According to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, the average wait time for counseling in the community is six weeks. At the Hamre Center, students can typically schedule a first appointment within 1 – 2 weeks and up to 3 weeks during busier times of the year like the beginning of the semester, midterms, and finals. Length of time between a submitted request and a scheduled appointment depends on many factors: student flexibility with their schedule, specificity of counselor preferences (i.e. gender identity, racial/ethnic identity, therapeutic modality, etc…), the availability within the counselors’ schedule, and more.

We compiled a short list of tips to scheduling to assist with this process. You can try:

• Requesting the first available appointment regardless of your counselor preferences. If you want to be seen sooner, you can start with one counselor while you wait for an appointment with your counselor of choice. 
• Prioritizing your well-being over other responsibilities for a short time. Since there are limited first appointments slots, you may need to be flexible with your schedule for that initial appointment in order to be seen sooner. We have more appointments available for follow ups that may align better with your schedule. 
• Providing your availability in your initial request will expedite the scheduling process.
• If you want to be seen by a specific provider, you can reach out to them directly via email to request a first appointment. Counselors have more agency and flexibility to shift their schedule to better align with your schedule, when possible.

If you are needing to be seen sooner than your scheduled appointment, you can call the front desk at 651-696-6275 and request a Same Day appointment. These appointments are available on every weekday from 2:00-4:00pm and can be reserved up to 24 hours prior to the designated time. 

For immediate access to care, students can use Press 2, our 24/7 telephone crisis response service, to speak with a trained professional. To use Press 2, students can call the Hamre Center at 651-696-6275 and press 2 when prompted. Visit our Mental Health Urgent or Emergency Resources for additional options.If you have additional questions or concerns, please reach out to us via email at health@macalester.edu, phone at 651-696-6275, or stop by our office. 

We understand that waiting for your first counseling appointment can be difficult, and we thank you for your patience. There are several actions you can take while waiting to start counseling to cope with your mental health and prepare for your appointment.

• Spend time thinking about your reasons for seeking out therapy and what you hope to get out of this experience. 
• Work towards the basics. Sleep, eating, and movement are vital to your overall mental health. Sticking to a sleep schedule can help you improve your sleep quality. Choose fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, and other foods with less processing. Keep yourself hydrated with water, as this serves your whole system well. Make movement a part of your daily routine.
• Seek community support. Who else can be a supportive person or a community support to you? Consider reaching out to a friend, parent, mentor, your RA, identity collectives, or other clubs and campus organizations. Or campus resources such as the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, the Center for Disability Resources, and the Max Center.
• Write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal. It’s been shown to help people manage stress, reduce anxiety, and cope with depression. If you don’t have much to write about, try making a list of three to five things you feel grateful for. Studies suggest that gratitude journaling can help alleviate stress and promote greater well-being.
• Check out mental health care apps such as Calm, Shine, Moodfit, or Happify.
• Try picking up a self-help book or downloading a psychology-related podcast while you’re waiting for counseling. Check out some of the New York Times’ book recommendations for stress.
• Crisis Helplines: Helplines offer a free, confidential resource where a trained professional can recommend coping strategies, connect you with resources, or simply offer an empathetic ear. Visit our Mental Health Urgent & Emergency Resources webpage for options. 

If you are needing to be seen sooner than your scheduled appointment, you can call the front desk at 651-696-6275 and request a Same Day appointment. These appointments are available every weekday from 2:00-4:00pm and can be reserved up to 24 hours prior to the designated time. If you have additional questions or concerns, please reach out to us via email at health@macalester.edu, phone at 651-696-6275, or stop by our office.

Yes! Sometimes finding the most appropriate help for you may mean finding resources outside the Hamre Center. Students seek off-campus counseling for a variety of reasons including long term concerns, year round services, or specialized support. Finding an off campus counselor that best suits your needs and preferences can take time and can be an overwhelming process. Our Care Coordinator can help you access off-campus counseling resources, and our Insurance Specialist can help you navigate the US healthcare system. You also have the option to independently seek out an off campus counselor. To assist you with this process, we put together a short list of options:

• To search for counseling services in the local community, visit MiResource to prioritize in-person appointments or Psychology Today for a detailed list of counselors in the US.
• To search for identity specific counselors, visit Queer / Trans Campus and Community Resources and BIPOC Mental Health Care Resources List.
• To search for free, non-insurance based counseling services, visit Walk-in Counseling Center or the Interprofessional Center.

For urgent or emergency mental health resources, visit our Urgent or Emergency Care webpage.

All members of our medical provider staff can meet with you and either continue medications you started at home, initiate new prescriptions, or talk to you about ways to integrate medical and counseling care for your mental health. Learn more about mental health medication services. 

Counseling appointments are hybrid, meaning they are offered via telehealth on a secure Zoom videoconferencing platform or in person at the Hamre Center. We currently have one private office for telehealth appointments at the Hamre Center you can use for appointments with Hamre Center providers. Please consult with your provider for more information about how to reserve this space. 

There are other private spaces around campus available to you as well. We compiled a list of specific spaces around campus:

• Campus Center conference rooms (Second Floor)
• Library study rooms
  • Level 2: 4 group study rooms, reservable
  • Level 3: 12 individual study rooms, not reservable, no built-in tech
  • Level 4: 2 group study rooms, reservable, no built-in tech
• Digital Resource Center (DRC) in the lower level of the Library. They have sound-dampening booths that can be booked online up to two weeks in advance. Visit the link and select “Create a Booking” then the “Editing Suites.” (Here is a brief how-to on booking items in Tech Checkout, which is similar.) For the best internet connection, it is recommended that you use the computers set up in the space.
• To search and reserve most spaces (unless otherwise noted), visit Macalester Reservations EMS. You can email Macalester Reservations at reservation@macalester.edu for guidance on what space might be the right fit for you or if you need help reserving a space.

Tips: If you are living with a roommate, you may consider requesting to use your shared space for your therapy appointment. Explain how it’s crucial for you to have privacy during that time and important for your wellbeing. If you are living in the residential halls, you may consider using one of the study rooms available in the building. Residents have access to any of the residence halls from 8:00AM – 10:00PM. Consider putting a Do Not Disturb sign on the door and reserving a white noise machine from the DRC.

If you are aware of spaces around campus that are ideal for telehealth appointments, please let us know so we can add it to the list by emailing our office at health@macalester.edu.

Consider using a sound machine which are available for check out from the DRC. A sound machine emits white noise, which can be used to effectively mask private conversations by muffling the sound of conversations and other noises. To get the best results from white noise machines:

• Place white noise machines somewhat near doors. White noise machines are the most effective when placed between our ears and the noise source. 
• Keep them at least a few feet from where you sit. This will allow you to operate them at higher volumes without them becoming distractions. 
• The hallway is a good option for placement.