Student Counseling & Health Services

The Wellness Center is the integrated office of Counseling and Student Health, providing mental health counseling, nursing care, and wellness education and promotion. The multidisciplinary staff empowers students to make informed choices regarding their overall health and well-being so that they can thrive on the Hill and beyond.  

The Wellness Center is located in Winslow Center, 2nd Floor. Office Hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm or by appointment.

Email: wellness@mcdaniel.edu Call: 410-857-2243

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Programs designed to promote student wellness.

The Wellness Center's mission is to partner with students as they strive to achieve and maintain their holistic well-being so that they can optimize their capacity to learn, reach their potential, and achieve their goals inside and outside the classroom.

Integrated Health Support

Counseling Services

The Counseling Services team consists of licensed clinical social workers, professional counselors, and graduate student interns (under supervision of a licensed staff member) who join with students in a collaborative process of positive change. Our primary goal is to assist students in addressing challenges and acquiring the self-awareness, information, skills, and resources necessary to succeed in the college environment and pursue productive, meaningful lives.

Common concerns addressed in confidential counseling services include stress and anxiety, depression, adjustment and transition, identity development, relationship challenges, grief, anger, unhealthy eating, and substance use.

While our counselors utilize a variety of approaches, the orientation of Counseling Services is grounded in relational theories, interpersonal process, cognitive-behavioral strategies, and solution-focused therapy- all within a culturally responsive framework.

Preventative Care and Education

The Wellness Center works closely with students on preventative health care and education. This includes coordinating COVID-19 and flu vaccination clinics, STI testing, offering Mindfulness Group drop-in sessions and other opportunities for education and health maintenance. During finals, our Wellness Center partners with other campus organizations to host stress-reduction events where students can visit a relaxing, recharging oasis of calm with calming sounds, coloring, puzzles, and much more.

Short-term individual counseling
Group counseling: an effective intervention for helping students address relationship patterns and/or experience the benefit of group support focused on specific issues or experiences
Skill-based workshops
Crisis intervention: urgent walk in appointments are available for students needing immediate mental health support
Referrals to community mental health providers for longer-term and/or specialized treatment
Educational programs on various mental health and wellness topics to enhance the well-being of the campus community
Consultations with faculty, staff, family, and community providers

A partnership with Lifebridge Health Student Health Services

McDaniel College partners with LifeBridge Health to offer health services to McDaniel's students. A licensed registered nurse is available for appointments and walk-in health visits in the Wellness Center. Students receive compassionate and confidential nursing care with evidence-based, protocol driven treatment plans and follow up as needed. When situations require higher levels of medical care, the nurse assists students with understanding and accessing local community resources.

McDaniel students receive prioritized scheduling for routine medical care directly with the providers at Carroll Health Group Primary Care. This affiliation also offers greater access to medical specialists within the LifeBridge Health network as well as coordination with Carroll Hospital when necessary.

Making a Primary Care Appointment is as easy as 1-2-3!

Call

the Carroll Health Group Primary Care College Square office directly at 410-751-2595.

Inform

the office that you are a McDaniel College Student.

Schedule

your appointment! (Telehealth and in-office appointments are available.)

Through the partnership with Lifebridge Health, McDaniel students receive:

Access to the Carroll Health Group Primary Care College Square Office, a primary care practice located approximately 1/2 mile from campus. The practice will meet the routine medical needs of full-time students through telehealth and in-office appointments.
Appointments scheduled 5 days a week as well as after-hours on-call medical consultation for students along with the Department of Campus Safety emergency response services.
Greater access to medical specialists within the LifeBridge Health Network.
Transportation available to students to and from the primary care practice.
Safeway Pharmacy is located in the College Square Shopping Center so prescriptions may be filled easily.
A licensed registered nurse is on staff in McDaniel's Wellness Center to serve as the medical liaison with the Carroll Health Group Primary Care practice and to assist students in navigating the medical resources available to them in the Westminster area.

Student's personal health insurance will be billed for services and students are responsible for any costs not covered by insurance.

Westminster - College Square

444 WMC Drive, Suite 100
Westminster, MD 21158

Phone: 410-751-2595
Fax: 410-751-2593

Office Hours:

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Tuesday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Student Health Services FAQs

When a student calls to make an appointment with the Carroll Health Group PCP, they should identify themselves as a McDaniel College student. Through the college's partnership with LifeBridge Health, our students receive prioritized scheduling which typically means same day or the following day.

The medical practitioner will determine if the student's situation can be handled through a telehealth appointment or if an in-person visit is necessary.

Recently, the CDC changed the guidelines for COVID isolation and respiratory symptoms for low-risk persons.

Students should stay away from others (including people you live with who are not sick) when they have symptoms that include fevers, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose, and headache, among others.

Students can return to normal activities, like going to class, when for at least 24 hours, symptoms are improving and they have not had a fever (without using fever reducing medications).

When students go back to their normal activities, wear a mask for 5 days and use other safe practices to minimize spread like hand washing, hygiene, distancing, etc. for those 5 days.

The Safeway Pharmacy is in the same shopping area as the Carroll Health Group office and students can quickly get prescriptions filled there. The Wellness Center also has a list of local pharmacies and some will deliver prescriptions.

In general, student health records will not be needed at Carroll Health Group PCP but if for some reason transferring health information becomes necessary, arrangements can be made to share the information on file in the Wellness Center with the Carroll Health Group PCP practice.

Yes, students are welcome to receive medical attention at the Carroll Health Group PCP Office or any other medical practices in the area, including any of the urgent care offices in Westminster.

Any individual over the age of 18 may authorize a medical provider to share some or all medical information with another individual. This release of information process typically involves signing a form that gives permission to the medical provider to speak with a parent or guardian.

Depending on the nature of the injury, the Athletic Trainers may recommend that you contact Carroll Health Group PCP for an appointment. If a student would like the physician to be able to communicate about their medical record, the student can sign a release of information waiver at the Carroll Health Group PCP office, specifying the individual who can have access to the information.

Expanding Counseling to serve the mental health needs of our students Wellness Extended Support Program (WESP)

In an effort to more fully support the mental health needs of our students, the Wellness Center has created the Wellness Extended Support Program (WESP) to provide long-term individual therapy and clinical case management services right here on campus. This program is for students who need ongoing mental health support beyond the short-term and crisis intervention services available to all students.

Students and families who have participated in WESP rated the program highly, would recommend it to others, and consider re-enrolling in the future. The majority of them even noted that their participation in WESP has made them more likely to stay at McDaniel College!

Program Offerings

Ongoing individual therapy with a licensed mental health professional in the Wellness Center (15 weeks/semester)*
Clinical Case Management and coordination with student's support team to maximize efficacy of treatment and support interventions. Support team members often include community psychiatry, family members, SASS academic counselors, and other medical providers.
Specialized group therapy opportunities as available.

Program Cost

WESP is $1800/semester.
No insurance billing is available at this time.
We offer a limited number of scholarships for students with demonstrated financial need.

Program Benefits

CONVENIENCE: Regularly scheduled on-campus appointments that work with class schedules increase attendance and engagement with therapy.
THE RIGHT "FIT": Our therapists understand young adult development and the McDaniel College experience. Careful consideration is given to identifying a therapist who fits your specific needs and preferences.
CONSULTATION: We can coordinate with your network of support (family, community providers) & and on-campus offices to increase effectiveness of treatment.

Register Online: Contact the Wellness Center with Questions:
410-857-2243
wellness@mcdaniel.edu

Full-Time Mental Health Counselors
Compared to the national average of 2 counselors for colleges our size.

1 in 5

1 in 5 McDaniel students utilized Counseling Services in the past year

92%

of students of students who used Counseling Services indicated that their functioning had improved as a result of their experience.

99%

of students who used Counseling Services reported they would recommend Counseling Services in the Wellness Center to other McDaniel students.

Mental Health Support Together in Healing Therapy Group

The Wellness Center hosts a therapy group for students with adult experiences of sexual assault. Together in Healing is for students seeking support with the recovery and healing process in a safe, confidential environment. As a trauma-informed and consent-based group, students are not required to disclose experiences and are offered a space to re-establish safety, connect, and explore steps forward in their healing journey.

Starbucks coffee cup with BRAVE-McDaniel on paper coffee sleeve sitting on desk next to laptop.

Education & Support Being Brave: Preventing & Responding to Sexual Violence Preventative Education

Since 2012, McDaniel has had a sexual assault prevention committee and we regularly partner with community organizations like the Rape Crisis Intervention Service of Carroll County. Annual events are held to educate our community about consent and all incoming students complete the Understanding Sexual Assault and Alcohol Education.

In addition, McDaniel College, along with nine other colleges and universities, together received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to "generate new strategies to prevent, respond to, investigate, and hold offenders accountable for sexual assault and dating violence, and strengthen trauma-informed, victim services on campus and in the community." Efforts are visible across campus, in large and small ways, to prevent and respond to instances of sexual violence.

Professor Paul Mazeroff and students participating in the ancient Chinese healing art.

Wellness Liaison Program Wellness Liaison Program

The Wellness Center has launched a new Wellness Liaison Program in order to offer more tailored support and programming to specific groups of students and organizations in order to increase accessibility for clinical services and outreach requests and to promote collaboration with campus partners. The Wellness staff liaison serves as a main point of contact who can answer questions, provide information, and offer support. Liaison assignments are thoughtfully considered based on natural connections such as shared identities/experiences and specialized training.

Connect With Us

Heidi Huber

Director

Email Us

Phone: 410-857-2243

Office: Wellness Center

Location

Winslow Center, 2nd Floor
2 College Hill, Westminster, MD 21157

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