Scheduling Your First Appointment at Counseling Services
If you are facing a life-threatening emergency, please call 911 or go to your local emergency room.
For all other urgent situations:
- During normal working hours (9 a.m. -12 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday): You may call Health and Counseling Services at 413.559.5458 and ask to schedule an "urgent" or "same-day" appointment.
- At ALL other times, you may call Health and Counseling Services at 413.559.5458 and press 1 to speak with a mental health clinician. Please know that there is sometimes a wait of up to 5 minutes before you connect with a counselor. Please do not hang up.
Making an appointment
To make an appointment with one of our psychotherapists, call Health and Counseling Services at 413.559.5458 or come down to the office to schedule in person. If you have a preference to meet with a particular therapist, you should ask for that person, and, if there is an opening that fits your schedule, you will be scheduled for that time slot. You are likely to get in more quickly, however, if you are able to be flexible about who you see.
We try to get people in for their first appointments within a week. During our busiest times (generally the last six weeks of the semester), scheduling can be tighter, and it may be hard to find an open appointment time that fits your schedule. In these cases, you may need to be flexible with your schedule and take the first appointment that is offered. In urgent situations, we are often able to see you for a same-day consultation.
What to expect at the appointment
A first appointment with a mental health provider is a consultation. Please plan to take this time to share your hopes and expectations about what type of support you believe will work best for you. During the consultation, the psychotherapist will likely ask you about your current concerns and what led you to make the appointment. They may also ask you a bit about your family background and about life experiences that may be influencing the current situation.