Counseling Services

Above all, you should expect a therapeutic environment that is compassionate, empathetic, and safe. A therapist or counselor’s role is to offer you insights into your experiences, advice on how to handle issues, and evidence-based treatment for mental health conditions. For additional information and resources, check out this link: The JED Foundation

Your first appointment is for information gathering to evaluate your needs and determine how to begin moving forward with a plan for resolving whatever is getting in the way of your thriving in day-to-day living. From this conversation, you and your counselor will begin to develop goals and work toward developing a plan to follow for reaching them. This plan could include counseling services provided at ENMU-Ruidoso, possibly a referral to other services at the college, or if services off campus would better meet your needs, your counselor will provide referral coordination to help you connect with mental health providers or other resources in the community.

Off-Campus referrals may include:

• Medication management (supportive counseling at ENMU-Ruidoso may be provided in conjunction with medication management off campus, however medication management is beyond the scope of our practice and will require a referral to an off-campus provider)
• Care outside the clinical expertise of staff, including forensic threat assessment or substance abuse
• Long-term counseling when short-term counseling may be detrimental
• Addressing harassing, violent, or threatening behavior toward Center staff

All interactions with ENMU-Ruidoso Counseling Center, including the scheduling of attendance at appointments, content of your sessions, progress in counseling, and your records are confidential as determined by federal and state laws as well professional codes of ethics. No record of counseling is contained in any academic, educational, or job placement file. You may request in writing that the counseling staff release specific information about your counseling to persons you designate.  Exceptions to confidentiality are delineated within the Consent for Treatment Form to be read and signed prior to beginning counseling.