Counseling & Psychological Services

C&PS' clinical staff consists of State of Connecticut licensed mental health providers and post-doctoral psychology fellows trained in many modalities of therapy.  Operations Assistants oversee the front desk reception, scheduling, and administrative functions.   Click here to Meet our Staff.

All clinical contact with students in Counseling & Psychological Services is privileged and confidential. Disclosure to parents, faculty, or staff or to any unauthorized person requesting information about the student or the counseling relationship, is both illegal and unethical unless the student has signed a "Release of Information" waiving confidentiality.

Consistent with Connecticut state law, clients who are younger than 18 may receive treatment without parental permission.

Under Connecticut law, confidentiality is only broken under the following circumstances:

• A client poses an imminent danger to self or others. A family member and/or appropriate authorities must be notified by the clinician. The purpose of disclosure is to provide the necessary emergency care or protection.
• A client reveals ongoing abuse or neglect of a child or elderly person. Clinicians are mandated reporters of child and elder abuse.
• A court order mandates confidential information to be disclosed. Clinicians will submit the minimal amount of information possible to comply with the mandate of the court.
• Clinicians are permitted to discuss a client case in supervision or treatment teams within Counseling & Psychological Services.
• A client signs a "Release of Information" to give clinicians permission to discuss their situation with parents, professors, administrators, or other health care providers.

The general mission of Counseling & Psychological Services is to facilitate each student’s fulfillment of their fullest potential – intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, physically, and socially, as envisioned by the Mission Statement of Fairfield University. Mindful of the Jesuit tradition which emphasizes respect for the individual both as a unique person and as a member of the University community, C&PS commits to the following goals:

• The provision of services of superior quality to individual students who may be experiencing psychological, emotional, or behavioral difficulties

• The provision of programming addressing the developmental needs of students to benefit from the academic and social environment of the University community

• The provision of consultation to faculty members, administrators, and/or other university staff persons concerning the psychological health needs of students

• The provision of consultative services to the University community at large to maximize the potential of the University environment as beneficial to the intellectual, spiritual, physical, and social development of the student while respecting and supporting cultural pluralism

• The maintenance of appropriate knowledge of legal, ethical, developmental, and clinical issues and standards as applied to a university mental health setting

• The maintenance of professional standards of practice consistent with those set forth by the American Psychological Association and the International Associations of Counseling Services, Inc. and the ethical codes of individual clinician’s discipline

Fairfield University is committed to supporting and sustaining an educational community that is inclusive, diverse, and equitable, and we embrace these values as being critical to an individual's development, learning, and success. Counseling & Psychological Services' policies, procedures, activities, relationships, and interactions with each other and individuals and groups in the campus community are consistent with these values. We are committed to celebrating the diversity that gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, age, religious orientation, social class, appearance, abilities, and other differences bring. Furthermore, we are committed to confronting prejudice, discrimination, and oppression. 

These links provide information and resources for University Faculty and Staff:

• Recognize and Refer - for identifying students who may be experiencing concerns.
• The Red Folder - informational resource for assisting students in distress.
• Kognito - online training modules for early intervention and prevention of mental health issues.
• Togetherall Slides for Faculty Classroom /Presentations (right click and save file to download)

C&PS offers a 12-month Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Psychology where clinicians work towards license eligibility while developing clinical skills as a college mental health center counselor.

Counseling & Psychological Services' staff looks forward to hearing from you:

• by phone - 203-254-4000, 2146
• by email - counseling@fairfield.edu
• by scheduling an appointment
• visiting the Wellness Center at the Jogues Hall drop-off circle

Additional contact information, including our fax number and mailing address, can be found here.