Let us help you inspire positive change during your time here at NMT!
Mission Statement:
We support an environment of holistic well-being as it pertains to the emotional,
inter-personal, and academic development of the entire Tech community through clinical
services, outreach, psychoeducation and consultation.
Vision:
Building a skillful, inclusive community where students, faculty and staff are empowered
to reach their full potential.
Why is Minority Mental Health Is So Important?
Studies suggest that racial minority groups and sexual minority groups show higher
levels of anxiety, depression, suicidal tendencies, post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD), and other mental health disorders.
While millions of Americans struggle with the reality of mental health conditions–
whether they themselves have mental health conditions or their loved ones, thebackground and identityof an individual can make access to mental health treatment much more difficult.
In many minority communities, mental health problems are increased by less access
to care, cultural stigma, and are more likely to use emergency departments (minorities
are more likely to reach an extreme point like suicidality, panic attacks, heart attacks,
due to mental health issues).
Mental Health Disparities: Diverse Populations
Minorities are less likely to receive diagnosis and treatment for their mental illness,
have less access to mental health services, and often receive a poorer quality of
mental health care.
Studies suggest that racial minority groups and sexual minority groups show higher
levels of anxiety, depression, suicidal tendencies,post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD), and other mental health disorders. This can be explained by society’s deep-rooted
prejudice towards such stigmatized minority groups. In many cases, this causes major
feelings of rejection, estrangement, and harassment amongst these communities.
Despite advances in health equity, disparities in mental health care continue. It
is also the case that in minority and marginalized communities, mental health is often
considered a taboo, weakness, or something a higher power will heal. For many of these
reasons, in 2008, July was named National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month!
Why is Mental Health Important?
Being aware of your overall health is important so that you can detect any symptoms
and seek professional help when necessary. While everyone is familiar familiar with
the symptoms and treatment options for common illnesses that affect their loved ones,
like the flu, migraines, or and (most recently) COVID-19, many people are unsure how to look after their mental health.
Why is Mental Health Awareness Important?
Raising mental health awareness can help you to understand your symptoms, find professional
treatment, and, perhaps most importantly, break the mental health stigma that leaves
so many people suffering in secret.
What is Mental Health?
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects
how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate
to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from
childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
Not sure if you or someone you know is living with mental health problems? Experiencing
one or more of the following feelings or behaviors can be an early warning sign of
a problem:
Early Warning Signs
Eating or sleeping too much or too little
Pulling away from people and usual activities
Having low or no energy
Feeling numb or like nothing matters
Having unexplained aches and pains
Feeling helpless or hopeless
Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
Yelling or fighting with family and friends
Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
Having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head
Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
Thinking of harming yourself or others
Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work
or school
Quote of the Month:
Summer/Fall 2022: COVID-19 and Counseling
The Counseling Center will still be offering sessions mainly via telehealth. However,
limited in person visits at the Counseling Center are open to students who are fully
vaccinated and can show proof of vaccination and booster shots according to the CDC
recommendations. Each request for in-person sessions will be considered on an individual
basis.
Here is why:
We are all being asked to take steps to keep each other safe and healthy during a
pandemic of a contagious illness. The normative practice of having various students
come to an office to meet with a counselor throughout the course of a day would risk
the spread of the virus between unvaccinated students and anyone the counselor interacts
with outside their roles of providing counseling.
We acknowledge that there are certainly advantages to in-person counseling over on-line
delivery. However, those are significantly reduced with the requirements of wearing
a face covering. While not always the case, it is certainly quite common for emotions
to surface in counseling. So much of the expression of emotion is hidden when most
of the face is covered by a mask, making on-line counseling where the clients and
counselor can see more of each other's facial expressions, a more helpful and informative
experience. For many students, strong emotions in counseling often result in sniffling
or needing to blow their nose, and wipe tears, all of which can't be done while wearing
a mask.
This is why online counseling is the safer and more effective way to reach the goals
of counseling at this time of those who are unvaccinated or not boosted. While there
are some unique considerations related to on-line counseling that we want you to keep
in mind, we believe this is the most responsible, caring, and helpful approach to
maintain our commitment to your well-being.
If you have any questions, please contact our office at 575-835-6619 Monday - Friday
from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, or email us at counseling@nmt.edu. Students can complete intake paperwork online under "Schedule An Appointment."
For a mental health emergency, please call us at our office number during regular work hours or call campus police after hours at x5555.
Our Top Picks for Morning and Bedtime Yoga:
For more links to yoga videos for students, staff, and faculty, visit our Yoga and
Meditation page here.
Short on Time? Here's a 5-Minute Meditation:
Office Hours and Location:
Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The Counseling Center is located on the first floor of the Joseph A. Fidel Center.
The entrance is outside of Fidel on the NW side of the building, adjacent to Workman.
We are co-located with the Student Health Center.
Our Providers:
We adhere to the Code of Ethics of the New Mexico Board of Clinical Mental Health
Counselors . Crisis intervention is available; counseling is provided on-site by a
New Mexico independently-licensed clinical mental health counselor (LPCC).
Angela Gautier, MS, LPCC - Director
EDUCATION
Northeastern University, Boston, MA Master of Science, May 2004 Counseling Psychology
Northeastern University, Boston, MA Master of Science, September 1998 Criminal Justice
University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA Bachelor of Arts, May 1997 Summa Cum Laude
LICENSURE
State of NM - LPCC
Eligibility
Currently enrolled NMT graduate or undergraduate students registered for a minimum
of 6 credit hours are eligible for our services. The initial appointment is an opportunity
for your counselor to determine if the services we offer are appropriate for your
needs and for you to decide if our services are a good fit for you.
Confidentiality
The State of New Mexico legally recognizes that communication between a counselor
and their client as privileged and confidential. We will not disclose your contacts
with us to your spouse/partner, your parents, professors, or anyone else without your
permission.
There are few narrow exceptions:
If you are in imminent danger to yourself or are a significant danger to someone else,
we have a legal obligation to break confidentiality to protect you and/or others.
If you are abusing children/vulnerable adults or inform us concerning someone who
is, then we have a legal responsibility to report this to the proper authorities.
Such a report could potentially lead to disclosure of your being a client and require
testimony concerning the suspected abuse.
If, as part of an employment process or security screening you sign a release of records
form about services received from us, we will ask that you sign our form to ensure
that you are freely and knowingly releasing a brief summary of your contact with us.
Your records can also be subpoenaed by a court of law (e.g. if you claimed emotional
damages in a lawsuit).
We also reserve the right to consult with the NMT Health Center and NMT Behavior Intervention
(BIT) Team when professionally appropriate.
Scheduling an Appointment
You will be contacted within 1 to 2 business days by email to schedule an appointment
based on the availability indicated on the intake form you submit. Students with emergencies
can be seen immediately during regular office hours Monday-Friday 8:00 am to 5:00
pm. For after-hours emergencies please contact Campus Police at 575-835-5434.
New Clients
The Counseling Intake Form is for students seeking services from the Counseling Center for the first time. Please complete the form below, and be sure to complete the last question requesting three
(3) different dates and times that you are available for an appointment.
If you have not been seen within the last two (2) academic semesters by the Counseling Center, please
complete the returning clients form below.
If you have been seen within the last two (2) academic semesters, please email the
counseling center at counseling@nmt.edu and be sure to include 3 dates and times that you are available.
Purpose: The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to students regarding no shows
or late cancellations of appointments for the Counseling Center. Why: The Counseling Center is funded, in part, by student fees and there is an expectation
that student fees be handled in a responsible way. When students do not show up to
a scheduled appointment, valuable professional time goes without being used and other
NMT students are not able to access services in a timely manner. How: In order to cancel an appointment, students need to call the Counseling Center at
575-835-6619 or email at counseling@nmt.edu by 3 pm the day before the scheduled appointment.
A $25 No-Show Fee will be billed to the student account for any missed in-person or tele-therapy appointments
not cancelled by 3 pm the day prior. Waivers: We understand that there are unforeseen circumstances that may prevent someone from
providing adequate notice of a cancellation. If you believe that you have a justifiable reason
for missing an appointment without notification and would like consideration for waiving
this fee, notify the Counseling Center in writing within 1 week (5 business days)
of missed session. Every late cancellation or no-show waiver will be assessed on an
individual basis and each student will only be allowed 1 waiver. We reserve the right
to deny services to any student who has missed two or more counseling appointments
without notice during the course of the academic year. Students who are denied services
will be referred out to local/community providers for their mental health needs.
Release of Information (ROI)
If you would like to request your file be sent to another provider, please follow
the procedure stated below. If you are a client who was seen more than 7 years ago,
we are not able to provide this request as we are only legally required to save records
for 7 years after last contact.
How to Request
Since all health records are strictly confidential, including mental health records, you must provide a written request specifying the information desired and where you wish it to be sent. The forms provided must be mailed or faxed to :
The Counseling Center New Mexico Tech 149 Fidel Building 801 Leroy Place Socorro, NM 87801 Fax: 575-835-6001
The Release of Information (ROI) must include:
Copy of a photo ID
Your name and address
Telephone number and e-mail address
Banner #900
Dates attended (including when you left, and whether or not you graduated)
Your signature
If you choose to continue treatment with a new mental health provider and you would
like your information sent to them, send us an ROI and we will send your records to
your new mental health provider. Please allow at least two (2) weeks to process the request.
To download our Release of Information (ROI), click here.
Cancellation of Appointments
We require 24 hours notice by phone 575-835-6619 or email counseling@nmt.edu. Students who miss two or more consecutive appointments (without providing notice) will have their file closed and could be referred to community
services should they require psychological care.
Scope of Our Clinical Services
The Counseling Center invites students seeking counseling to complete and online Intake
Form for an initial consultation appointment to discuss their concerns. This conversation
between the counselor and the student generally involves a discussion of the student’s
current difficulties, a review of treatment options, and recommendations to assist
the student in obtaining the appropriate services. Recommendations may include receiving
services at the Counseling Center (individual or couple’s therapy), connection to
other campus resources, or a referral to community resources when appropriate. Students
who would like to speak with a counselor regarding a concern, but are not considering
therapy at the Counseling Center for themselves, may schedule an information/referral
session with a counselor as a “Consultation.”
Services within the Counseling Center
In order to meet significant student demand and use its resources most effectively,
the Counseling Center utilizes a short-term, individual, brief therapy model. Working
together, the therapist and student determine the goal for counseling and type of
sessions that are needed for the student based on the nature of the student’s concerns
and available resources. Some of the concerns that are commonly addressed in short-term
counseling at the Counseling Center are:
Other Concerns: Effects of trauma, sexual assault, abuse, concerns from childhood or adolescence
Referral to Community Resources
Students whose needs require long-term support will generally be referred to community
resources for ongoing treatment. Similarly, students whose needs require a particular
type of expertise that is not available in the Center are also referred to community
resources. Even in cases where a student’s ongoing needs necessitate a referral to
community resources, the Counseling Center can often assist the student in managing
the presenting concerns and provide support until the student is able to connect to
the appropriate community resources. The Counseling Center may provide referral services
through phone consultation as certain factors become more apparent during the course
of services. Some of the concerns that are commonly addressed through referral to
services outside of the Counseling Center include:
A desire or need to be seen more than once every two weeks, or desire for ongoing
long-term psychotherapy, as indicated by:
Student’s preference or external provider’s recommendations
History of multiple hospitalizations
Chronic thoughts of suicide, frequent self-injurious behaviors, or history of repeated suicide attempts
Clear indications of a need for more intensive services
Indication that short-term therapy may be detrimental or non-beneficial
Evidence or risk of progressive deterioration in mental or emotional functioning
that requires intensive intervention
Exhibiting psychotic symptoms without willingness to follow treatment recommendations
Inability or unwillingness to provide the necessary information to thoroughly assess
symptoms
A need for specialized services not available through the Counseling Center, as indicated
by:
Presence of significant drug or alcohol problems such as substance dependence and/or
past failed treatments; a need for drug testing
Presence of significant or long-standing eating disorder symptoms with no period of
remission or that may pose a medical danger
Request for formal psychological assessment (e.g., ADHD or psychoeducational evaluations)
Request for medications
Request for psychological evaluation for the purpose of employment clearance
Request for services to fulfill students’ court-mandated assessment or treatment requirements
unless the court provides a clear goal for therapy and contact information of court
representative.
The general guidelines listed above are only intended to serve as a guide to assist
treatment decisions. The nature and complexity of presenting concerns and the broader
context are considered in making the appropriate treatment recommendation(s). Cases
are evaluated individually and the professional judgment of the mental health provider(s)
will determine the treatment decision in a particular situation.
Overview of All Services
Individual Counseling
You will meet with a counselor one-on-one to address your concerns in standard up-to-50
minute sessions. During the first meeting, you and your counselor will set goals,
discuss the need for ongoing therapy and talk about a meeting schedule. In individual
counseling, people will often discuss relationship concerns, family difficulties,
feelings of depression or anxiety, academic issues, recovery from traumatic events,
or hopes of wanting to better their lives.
Couple's Counseling
The student and their partner will meet with a counselor to address relationship concerns
in standard up-to-50 minute sessions. Couples will be able to learn effective communication
skills, conflict resolution and to gain better insight into their relationship. At
least one client of the couple must meet NMT eligibility requirements for counseling.
Consultation
Counselors offer free consultation to friends, family members, support network or
any on-looker who is concerned about a member of the NMT community. This may consist
of providing resources, planning next steps, offering support and/or assisting in
safety planning.
Crisis Intervention
Crisis intervention is offered in the event of a mental health emergency, including
safety concerns and recent loss, in order to assist the client to return to a state
of mental equilibrium.
Safety Assessment
A diagnostic service provided by an independently licensed clinical mental health
clinician to assess if a client at risk to potentially harm themselves or others
and next steps to insure the client’s, or others, safety are determined.
Mental Health Outreach
We offer mental health outreach throughout the academic year. We hold events focusing
on increasing skills and reducing stigma, as well as provide mental health/psychoeducation
workshops. If you are interested in partnering with us for an event please fill out
the form below.
