Dear Parents and Families of New Students,
On behalf of our team at the Counseling and Mental Health Service (CMHS), welcome to Tufts! CMHS services include individual and group counseling (currently being offered remotely) for eligible students. Our services are confidential, and with the exception of medication visits, they are provided at no charge. If your student is receiving mental health care, continuity is important, particularly in this time of enormous transition and change.
Students looking for long-term therapy or psychiatric management are encouraged to utilize our off-campus referral page to begin contacting providers to determine availability and fit. Students interested in receiving support while they get connected to a provider in the Boston area or in their current hometown can contact our Care Manager, Jimmy Kane.
Psychiatric services at CMHS are available for students who are concurrently engaged with a local therapist. Once a student has connected with a local provider, the therapist can refer the student directly to our psychopharmacology team by completing the psychiatry referral form. Students not covered by the student health insurance are charged $100 on their tuition bill for each follow-up visit. For questions regarding fees/billing or insurance coverage, contact Health and Wellness' Business Office at 617-627-3350 or StudentHealthInsurance@tufts.edu.
Students can:
- Make an appointment by calling 617-627-3360. (Put this number in your phone!)
- Reach the Counselor-On-Call after hours in an emergency by calling the University Police non-emergency line at 617-627-3030 and ask to speak to the Counselor on Call.
Reminders
To help make your student’s transition to Tufts as smooth as possible, we recommend the following:
- Take a picture of their insurance card: We recommend your student take a picture of their insurance card (front and back) and keep it on their phone for safekeeping and easy access.
- Find a Local Provider: Start early. Begin looking for providers in the Medford/Somerville and Boston area over the summer. Your insurance company can help your student navigate their website to find an in-network provider.
- Medication Management: If possible, your student should get a 3-month supply of any prescriptions they’re taking to cover their needs while looking for a local provider and/or pharmacy.
- Consider Enrolling Your Student in Optional Tuition Insurance. Tuition Insurance protects financial commitments in the event that your student elects to take time away from their studies in the form of a Medical Leave. Enrollment in the Tuition Insurance Plan will be open from the beginning of July until the first days of classes, September 8, 2020.
Additional Resources- We encourage you to explore the CMHS website for more information about common mental health issues, self-help, and referral resources.
- In addition to the services provided by CMHS, the Office of Health Promotion and Prevention offers a range of trainings, educational opportunities, and resources related to alcohol and other drugs, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and stress management, among others. Review a list of their services, or contact Health Promotion for more information.
- Tufts has an office specifically dedicated to sexual health and sexual misconduct prevention, the Center for Awareness, Resources and Education (CARE). We encourage any student impacted by sexual misconduct to seek resources through CARE, or to contact the CARE office with questions or concerns related to sexual health or the University’s Sexual Misconduct Policy or Process.
A Note on "Universal Consent"
Each year, we receive inquiries from parents about having their child sign an unlimited consent that allows disclosures of health information by Health Service and/or CMHS providers to the parents under all circumstances. It is our policy not to accept blanket unlimited advance permission to discuss either physical or mental health matters, and in many cases, we are prohibited by law from honoring a blanket permission and prohibited from disclosing health information without a student’s express consent. Health Services and CMHS also believes that when students are facing significant health challenges, it is often helpful to involve family. Therefore, it is our policy to ask for consent on a situation-by-situation basis. You can learn more about this policy on the portion of the Health Service website that outlines patient confidentiality, and on the confidentiality statement on CMHS's website.
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Again, welcome to Tufts. We’re excited to see your student on campus this August!
Best wishes,
Michelle Bowdler Executive Director, Health and Wellness Julie S. Ross, Ph.D. Director, Counseling and Mental Health Service
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