Mount St. Joseph University

TAO (Therapy Assistance Online) is a new service offered by MSJ Counseling Services. Click or select the logo to access their site:

Counselors are available to all students for mental health counseling via tele-counseling through S121. Counseling will be provided for short term counseling (6-8 sessions per semester).  When necessary and appropriate,  we will schedule face-to-face counseling by appointment only.  While two mental health counselors are available for our students for tele-counseling, our counseling licensing jurisdictions do not extend beyond the state of Ohio.   If you are out of state and would like to speak to a counselor and are a full-time student, you have access to a new resource, Lions Health, which also provides immediate contact with a mental health provider through a feature called TalkNow.  The link to Lions.Health is here : Lions.Health​

For students still residing in Ohio, we are open to taking new students who wish to access our services using the confidential and HIPAA compliant videoconferencing feature of the TAO: Therapy Assistance Online. If you are interested in establishing a counseling relationship with one of the counselors, you can contact Patsy.Schwaiger@msj.edu. 

We will continue our Counselor-On-Call service.  If you have an urgent need and want to speak with a counselor after hours, you can call the MSJ On-Call Counselor at 513-807-2516. If you call this number for an urgent need, the counselor on call may be speaking with another student. Please leave your name and number and that counselor will return your call. 

In an emergency  

• Mental Health Hotlines - local and national
  • Call "911" or go to your nearest emergency room if you do not feel safe 
  • National Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 www.crisistextline.org
  • Local Crisis Text Line:  Text "TALBERT" to 839863
  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:  1-800-273-8255
  • National Grad Crisis Line: 1-877-472-3457  http://gradresources.org/crisis/
  • LGBTQ+ Hotline and support: 1-800-273-8255  https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/help-yourself/lgbtq/
  • Veterans Help Line: 1-800-273-8255 Press 1 https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/
• Online resources and mental health screenings
  • https://screening.mentalhealthscreening.org/msju
• To find a Therapist in your home community:
  • TriHealth Behavioral Health  https://www.trihealth.com/institutes-and-services/behavioral-health-services/
  • https://www.nbcc.org/search/counselorfind
  • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists
• Need a local referral?   contact the Wellness Center for a list of local providers or check your insurance for a list of covered providers.
• Tele-Therapy Resources (sign up and pay for sessions with a licensed counselor)
  • Talkspace Online Therapy - online counseling by text, audio or video messaging at an affordable cost www.talkspace.com
  • Better Help - professional online counselors available 24/7, private and affordable  www.betterhelp.com

A MESSAGE TO OUR STUDENTS

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. - Martin Luther King Jr.

As our world struggles with COVID-19 and the grief associated with 100,000+ lives lost in our country alone, we also are faced with the race-based tragedies that have been occurring across our nation.  The incidents we have all witnessed since the tragic death of George Floyd last week, reflect the structural and systemic oppression and injustice that we condemn and are dedicated to addressing.

In the aftermath of experiencing or witnessing trauma, it is normal to experience a range of feelings and emotions, such as shock, fear, sadness, anger, helplessness or guilt.  As mental health providers, we are committed to affirming and providing care for all of our students who have been directly or vicariously impacted by racial trauma.

We encourage all to reach out to people you can trust and who can support you in coping with reactions to current events of racial violence.   We also encourage you to know your limits, and allow yourself permission to set boundaries in conversation and around social media so that you can take care of yourself. Here are resources specific to the needs of our BIPOC students. 

Mental Health Resources for Blacks, Indigenous People and People of Color