Counseling Center

Our Services

In addition to short-term individual counseling, you can take advantage of a range of services.

• Alcohol and other drug information, and preventive programming
• Psychiatric medication services
• Anonymous online mental health screening around depression, anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, substance use, and bipolar disorder
• Resource and referral services
• Consultation to students, student groups, faculty, parents, and the Lesley community
• A graduate-level internship training program

• Meet our Counselors, Staff, and Interns
  • Deborah Levans
    Associate Director
  • Ellen O'Neill
    Administrative Assistant 
  • Tracy Greenfield
    Counselor
  • Mary Cannon
    Intern 
  • Gabby Chudnow
    Intern 
  • Eileen Geiger
    Intern 
  • Karley Petersen
    Intern 
  • Teresa Yeh
    Intern 
• Issues We Address

  Some of the issues we address at the Counseling Center include:

  • Abuse
  • Alcohol and drugs
  • Anger
  • Anxiety/panic
  • Body image
  • Communication skills
  • Depression
  • Eating concerns
  • Ethnic/cultural issues
  • Family concerns
  • Grief/loss
  • Life adjustment issues
  • Loneliness
  • Relationships
  • Roommate difficulties
  • Self-confidence issues
  • Sexuality/sexual orientation
  • Stress management
• Referrals

  When the Counseling Center is unable to provide the type of service you need or request, your counselor will refer you to appropriate mental health professionals in the area.

  In this case, it’s important to know your insurance coverage and the benefits. If you would like us to help you with a referral, bring your insurance information with you.

  Get a list of local providers from your company's Customer Service Office or website. If you provide us with this list, we can review it to see if we can make recommendations.

  If you'd like to find a mental health professional on your own, we recommend HelpPro.com, an online National Mental Health Service Finder. It’s been in existence for over 10 years, and has a database of providers for individual and group therapy, medication assessment, and monitoring. You can search by location, area of specialty, theoretical approach, and payment options (for example, insurance type).

• Drug and Alcohol Screening, Resources, and Support

  The decision to use alcohol or other drugs, or to abstain, is a choice that all college students must face.

  Whether you’re already in recovery or are seeking to moderate your use, we want to support you in your decision-making process. Our guidance is non-judgmental and non-directive. We’ll help you determine for yourself what’s best for you.

  If you’re concerned about your use of alcohol or other drugs (or the use of someone close to you) please explore our resources, and reach out with questions or to set up an appointment.

  Confidential Consultation

  We offer confidential assistance and information, and we'll work to meet your needs. Feel free to offer feedback to help us make our services more useful to you and other students.

  Anonymous Online Screening

  Interested in knowing more about your use of alcohol or marijuana? Check out e-CHUG and e-TOKE.

  These are 2 online screening tools that can give you a sense of how your drinking or use of marijuana compares with national averages of college students. These tools can give you a sense about whether your use is heading toward a danger zone, or if it seems like you’re moderating your use and maintaining a healthy life balance.

  Resources

  • Half of Us, sponsored by MTV, explores mental health and substance abuse issues of young people. Find young stars sharing their own stories.
  • Signs that someone is suffering from acute alcohol poisoning from the Mayo Clinic.
  • B.R.A.D addresses responsible drinking. A parent who lost her son to a "rite of passage" (over-drinking on his 21st birthday) started this organization to give young people information about the consumption of alcohol.
  • Go Ask Alice is an informative, non-judgmental advice column for college students and their questions about alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Sponsored by Columbia University.
  • College Binge Drinking provides information about the myths, dangers, and issues surrounding college alcohol abuse.
  • National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism 
  • Mothers Against Drunk Driving 

  Support

  • Are you affected by the drinking of someone else? An Al-Anon support group meets on Lesley’s campus every Sunday morning at 11:00 am in University Hall. You'll find them on the third floor, Room 3-100.
  • Need another kind of support? Join an online support group and choose from more than 220 topics.
  • Always feel free to email Doug Weiskopf at weiskopf@lesley.edu with confidential questions or concerns regarding your own substance use or regarding someone you care about.
• Crisis Hotlines

  • Crisis Text Line: You can text from anywhere in the United States, anytime, about any type of crisis. A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds, all from their secure online platform. The volunteer Crisis Counselor will help you move from a hot moment to a cool moment. Text “HOME” to 741741.

  • 211 (community resource specialists): Aids in times of crisis, emergency, disasters and loss of essential needs. All languages available. 

  • Suicide Prevention Lifeline/National Crisis Hotline: This Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. Call 800.273.TALK (8255) or chat online.

  • Samaritans Crisis Hotline (national suicide prevention): Call 877.870.HOPE (4673).  

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Disaster Distress Hotline: SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters. Call 800.985.5990 or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746.

  • Trevor Project LGBTQIA+ Hotline: Trained counselors are available to support you 24/7 if you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgment-free place to talk. Call 866.488.7386.

  • National Sexual Assault Hotline: You'll to be routed to a local sexual assault service provider in your area. Trained staff can provide confidential support and connect you to resources in your area. Call 800.356.HOPE (4673).

  • National Domestic Violence Hotline: Highly trained expert advocates are available 24/7 to talk confidentially with anyone in the United States who is experiencing domestic violence, seeking resources or information, or questioning unhealthy aspects of their relationship. Services available in over 200 languages. Call 800.799.SAFE (7233).

  • REACH MA (domestic violence): REACH MA is a non-profit organization providing safety and support to survivors of abuse while encouraging communities to promote healthy relationships and prevent domestic violence. Call 800.899.4000.

  • Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC): BARCC empowers survivors of sexual violence to heal and provides education and advocacy for social change to prevent sexual violence. Call their 24/7 hotline at 800.841.8371 or their office at 617.492.8306 during regular business hours. Chat online from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

  • Love is Respect:  Loveisrespect is the ultimate resource to empower youth to prevent and end dating abuse. It is a project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Call 866.331.9474 or text “loveis” to 22522.

  • Veterans Crisis Line: Connect with the Veterans Crisis Line to reach caring, qualified responders within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Many are Veterans themselves. Text 838255.

  • Parental Stress Hotline (Massachusetts): Trained volunteer counselors offer a way to relieve stress in an environment which is non-judgmental along with being sympathetic. All languages available. Call 24/7 at 800.632.8188.

• Online Support Groups

  Each of these support groups provides services for anyone struggling. Each group may have a different focus.  

  • 7 Cups: Emotional support and wellness, and therapy options

  • Turn2Me : Various topics including anxiety, depression, and stress

  • Daily Strength : Anxiety support

  • DBSAlliance: Depression and bipolar support

  • ADAA Health Unlocked : Anxiety and depression support; HealthUnlocked Communities App

  • Open to Hope : Grief and loss support

  • Online Intergroup : Alcoholics Anonymous and recovery support

  • The Tribe : Peer-to-peer support

  • Support Group directory: Online support groups covering many subjects

  • Mental Health America (MHA) Directory of Support Groups: A directory to assist you in finding an online or local support group

• Mindfulness Apps

  • Headspace ($10/year for students): Personal guide to health and happiness with guided meditations, stories, soundscapes, and music.

  • Insight Timer: The largest free library of guided meditations for free. 

  • Mood Kit: One-of-a-kind app designed to help you apply effective strategies of professional psychology into your everyday life.

• Confidentiality Policy

  Confidentiality means that under normal circumstances, no one outside of the Counseling Center is given any information about you—even the fact that you have been here—without your written consent.

  Exceptions to this include:

  • If you are a danger to the health and safety of yourself or others.
  • If you disclose the abuse (physical, sexual, or emotional) or neglect of a child under the age of 18, an elder, or a disabled person.
  • If a court orders the release of a record via subpoena.
  • If you are seen by Lesley Student Health Services staff and information about your care is needed as part of your integrated medical treatment.
  • If you file a complaint or lawsuit against the Counseling Center.

  There may be times that your counselor feels it would be in the best interest of your work together to talk with someone outside the Counseling Center—such as advisor, faculty, parent, or former counselor—to ensure you are getting the best care. In this case, your counselor will discuss this with you, ask your permission, and if so granted, have you sign a release.

Intern at the Counseling Center

We offer an internship program each academic year for graduate and doctoral counseling students from local graduate schools.

• Internship Hours

  We have training and administrative meetings each week on Monday and Friday afternoons. Other than these meetings, times are flexible, depending upon everyone's schedule and office availability. Interns are required to work one evening a week.

• Eligibility & How to Apply

  Eligibility

  • Applicants must be 25 years or older.
  • All applicants need to have experienced their own personal therapy.
  • Ongoing clients at the Lesley Counseling Center are not eligible for this internship program.
  • We prefer students doing their second-year internship. We'll consider an unusually experienced or mature candidate doing their first-year internship.

  How to Apply

  We accept applications on a rolling basis beginning in mid-December through mid- to late-January. Submit a résumé and 3 letters of recommendation to the Lesley University Counseling Center. If you do not have all your recommendations in place, send or bring in the information you do have. We'll review all résumés and select candidates for an interview.

  You can apply 3 ways:

  • In-person: Drop off your materials at the Counseling Center, 3rd Floor of Doble Hall, Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • By Email: Send your information to counselingcenter@lesley.edu.
  • By Mail: Lesley University Counseling Center
    29 Everett Street
    Cambridge, MA 02138