Center for Student Counseling & Development
Welcome to Stellenbosch University

PSS FAQ

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  • Q:     Will my lecturers/parents know what I share here?

         A:     No. The service is confidential and private.

 

  • Q:     What costs are involved?
    A:     The service is free of charge, except the psychiatrists who comes in and charges contracted-in fees, as well as certain workshops for which we charge a nominal fee.

     
  • Q:     Can you prescribe medication for me?
    A:     No, we cannot prescribe medication. However, we can refer you to a general medical practitioner or psychiatrist, who will make an evaluation and prescribe medication based on the evaluation. Medication is not provided free of charge. If necessary, we shall refer a student to the local hospital or a clinic.

     
  • Q:     If you are a free service, does it mean you are not professional?
    A:     Our service is entirely professional and the personnel are registered psychologists and social workers who are accountable in terms of our professional councils.
     
  • Q:  Can I get a letter?
    A:   It is standard practice not to provide letters to students. Letters of any kind will be provided to students in exceptional circumstances only, and is always at the therapist/social worker's discretion. 

                       If, in the course of the TREATMENT PROCESS the therapist forms the opinion that the student's psychological problems likely influenced his/her academic performance, the therapist may decide to provide the student with a letter stating this opinion. If a student was seen for only one or a few therapy sessions, it is very unlikely that the therapist would have sufficient information to form a thorough, professional and honest opinion. You may request a note stating the dates on which you attended therapy sessions. 

                        (As a rule, we write letters only if we already know students or if students are already utilising our services.)
     
  • Q:  My doctor/psychiatrist has sent me for cognitive behavioural therapy.
    A:   We provide cognitive behavioural therapy as one of the modalities, but it depends on the therapist's training and assessment of the client's need/profile – therefore, this is only one of the ways in which we work and not always indicated for all clients and problems.
     
  • Q:  Must I make an appointment?
    A:   Yes. We work according to appointments. An appointment can be made at our reception at 49 Victoria Street.
     
  • Q:  Do you have an electronic service? For example, can I receive therapy by e-mail or Skype?
    A:   No. We do face-to-face individual and group psychotherapy at our offices and use e-mail only for communication when necessary.
     
  • Q:  What are your office hours?
  • A:   We are open between 08:00 and 16:30 and closed during lunchtime (12:45 until 13:45). However, we do have a 24-hour Crisis Service that assists students who experience emotional/psychological crises 24 hour a day, 7 days a week. The Crisis Service is closed only between 15 December and 15 January.

 

  • Q:  Can you see my family member/family/wife/friend?
    A:   We only see registered students and shall see parents/"partners" from outside the university only in exceptional cases with the student if it is in the interest of the student's psychotherapeutic process.
     
  • Q:  Can I be seen immediately?
  • A:   We work according to appointments. Every afternoon, we have sessions that are kept open for students who experience crises, but this is for students in an emergency. We have brief "screening discussions" during which the student's need and the urgency of it are assessed, and students are then scheduled for the next available appointment.