In the time following the Virginia Tech shootings, much attention has been directed at the mental health services on American college campuses.

The University Health Center offers a variety of mental health services, including counseling, psychological testing, psychiatric services, medical evaluations and monitoring and crisis intervention.

In order to be eligible for counseling, a student must take a telephone screening. If it is determined the student needs counseling, then the health center can provide several kinds of treatment.

Individual counseling is one option the health center offers. Those who receive this type of treatment typically attend weekly or bi-weekly sessions. However, according to the Web site, those who require more intense therapy may be referred to other doctors, either on campus or in Athens.

The health center also offers group counseling. According to the Web site, there are groups for people dealing with relationships, anxiety and stress management, depression, eating disorders and people with family members who are addicted to drugs and alcohol.

The health center takes these steps in order to determine each student’s needs. These steps – two of which include screenings and the other is a meeting with a counselor – all help to place a student in the correct group.

These groups are made up of six to eight people. The Web site says the group meetings – which occur once a week – are confidential. All counseling is available at a lower rate for students who pay the student health fee with their student fees.

In addition to counseling, the health center provides psychological testing. According to the Web site: “Psychological testing may be recommended to help focus the goals of therapy, to clarify difficulties, to target specific problems such as substance abuse or eating disorders, or to assess and treat AD/HD.”

A student should call the health center and participate in a telephone screening in order to receive psychological testing. Then the student will attend an intake and consultation appointment.

The health center also provides psychiatric services. Like students who are interested in counseling, one who is curious about using the University’s psychiatric services must undergo a telephone screening.

If officials at the health center determine the student needs to visit a psychiatrist, then the student will attend a one hour evaluation with a psychiatrist.

At this meeting, the doctor and student will discuss a treatment plan. But, according to the Web site, sometimes the psychiatrist must send the student to an off-campus mental health care professional if the student’s needs are more intense than the problems the health center can solve.

The health center can help students who are being treated with medicine. For this assistance, the student must participate in a telephone screening. Then the student will attend an intake and consultation appointment.

Because of the size of the student body, the health center’s Web site says the center only provides short-term assistance. But the health center will help students find “appropriate treatment.”

Finally, officials from the health center will intervene in crises.

According to the Web site, these situations include suicidal thoughts, psychological conditions, an unexpected death and severe trauma. If a student has an emergency and needs to call the health center after business hours, the student will be routed to the University Police Department and then transferred to the health center.

With this assistance, the health center can turn mental health problems into past issues that were solved positively.