FAQ

It's time for a person to talk with a counselor when:

He/she is starting to have feelings of wanting to harm him/herself or someone elseSomeone whom he/she knows and trusts, such as a family member, ecclesiastical leader, physician or teacher, suggests that he/she talk with a counselorThe symptoms are interfering with work, school, relationships, or functioning in generalThe situation requires more than his/her social support can handleHe/she has already tried all that he/she knows and things are not getting betterHe/she is simply tired of suffering.

The process starts with a call to the receptionist at (801) 422-7759 who will schedule a time for one of our intake workers to give you a call. This phone intake interview will normally be scheduled within 1-3 business days of when you call. During the interview you will be asked general information about yourself and the nature of your concern. You will also be asked some screening questions to ensure that our counselors can provide you the level of service you need. The intake worker will either give you a referral for possible services in the community or, he/she will forward your case and a counselor from the BYU Comprehensive Clinic will contact you to schedule the first appointment at a time that is good for both of you.

We are located at 1190 North 900 East in Provo at Brigham Young University, diagonally across the street from the BYU Creamery on Ninth. This is on the Southeast corner of 900 East and Birch Street in the John Taylor Building (TLRB). Visitor parking is in the east and south parking lots. If you come to the Clinic before 4:00 PM you will need to get a parking pass from the downstairs receptionist to put on your rear view mirror.

September - April:Monday 8:00 am - 7:00 pm;Tuesday - Thursday 8:00 am - 10:00 pm,Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.

May - August:Monday and Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm;Tuesday - Thursday 8:00 am - 9:00 pm.

Individual, couple, or family counseling costs $15/session. Fees may be decreased for financial need. Please discuss fees with your assigned counselor when you come in.

Psychological assessments are $50. Typical questions include whether a person has a learning disability, an attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or to clarify a psychological diagnosis.

Neuropsychological assessments to evaluate for possible brain damage or brain malfunction in children and adults cost $400.

Participation in groups usually costs a one-time fee of $15 per person

More about Assessments

We accept cash, check, and credit and debit cards. We are not set up to accept insurance payments or Medicare/Medicaid. We also do not accept payments from ecclesiastical sources. However, clients may arrange to be reimbursed by their ecclesiastical leader after the client first pays the Clinic.

BYU students are currently provided individual counseling services at no charge. Assessments are not discounted for BYU students. If non-BYU spouses or dependents are to receive counseling services or are to participate in groups, please discuss the fee with your assigned graduate student intern. Fees can be decreased for financial need. Free counseling is also provided to full-time BYU students through the Counseling and Career Center in the Wilkinson Center (801-422-3035).

The phones at the Clinic are not manned 24-hours a day, and the student counselors are not crisis workers. If you have an emergency and need to talk to someone immediately, call the Utah County Crisis Line at (801) 226-4433, Wasatch Community Mental Health Crisis Line: (801) 373-7393, the national crisis line at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or 911.

We ask information such as religion, education, and salary for two main reasons. The first is to get to know you better, and the second reason is for statistical purposes. Since we are a university-run clinic, there are ongoing research projects that are conducted by the professors and students. Your information remains confidential and will never be used in research in a way that would identify you personally. The demographic information helps us know the general characteristics of the clients we treat. Often this information is needed when the programs go through the accreditation process.

We do not accept clients who need us to testify in court for custody hearings or other court proceedings.

No. While Brigham Young University is run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we provide services to all eligible clients regardless of religion. During the initial interview you will be asked your religious preference, but this is to help us know you better.

There are usually studies in progress that use the Clinic’s clients as participants. Some studies have a compensation that they provide for participation in the study, but not all studies do so. If you are interested or willing to participate in a study, let the intake worker know during your first interview. Please click here for current research projects at the Clinic.

Family Services is in the same building, but the academic programs that provide counseling services by student interns are not linked to Family Services and do not share any information. If you wish to access services from Family Services you can call them at 801-422-7620.

The Clinic occasionally conducts research studies that require the participation the participation of qualified individuals. Information about these studies will be posted here.

The Clinical Psychology Program is limited in how many assessments it can perform per semester. The Clinic has a waiting list to manage the requests for these services. Assessment cases are assigned to students at the beginning of each semester. When there is an opening for another assessment, people from the waiting list are notified in order according to the date they called into the Clinic. Once we leave notification you will have two business days to respond. If we have not heard from you after two days we will move down the list. Being on the waiting list not guarantee that you will receive services. It will still depend on whether we have someone who can provide the particular type of assessment that you need. We won’t know that until after an intake interview is completed. Being on the waiting list does not make you a client at the Clinic nor does it open a case for you. We would encourage you to seek services elsewhere if you can’t wait. When you call to place someone on the waiting list please state the age of the person who will be assessed and the type of assessment needed (e.g. learning disability, neuropsychological, AD/HD, etc.). The Clinic usually does not do assessments during July and August.

That depends on the purpose of the assessment. To assess a learning disability, the child should be at least 6 years old. To assess for a developmental or neuropsychological disorder (brain malfunction), the child should be at least 4 years old.

If you believe that your child might have a learning disability of some kind, our clinical psychology students can provide psychological assessments. A psychological assessment can test for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), learning disabilities, or behavioral issues. If your child was in an accident, or if you suspect neuropsychological (brain) damage, a neuropsychological assessment can be performed. To request an assessment, call the receptionist at (801) 422-7759.

There is a one-time $80 fee for a psychological assessment (e.g. clarification of a diagnosis, learning disability, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and a one-time $400 fee for both child and adult neuropsychological assessments.

The Clinic does not perform assessments for “sensory integration disorder” or “central processing disorder.” We refer requests for auditory processing disorder to the Communication Disorder Program at (801) 422-5117. The intake forms for those services can be found here.

Children are welcome if they are participating in counseling. Otherwise, parents will need to make arrangements for child care so that you can meet with your counselor without distractions. This applies to both individual and couple counseling. There is no place at the Clinic for young children to be left unsupervised.

Your child must be old enough to be able to interact with the counselor. While most children who receive services are usually 5 years-old and older, it may be possible to work with a child as young as 3 years old in some forms of therapy (e.g. family therapy, play therapy). Parents are expected to participate actively in their children’s counseling and in parent training.

You and your counselor will discuss the best way to use your counseling time. Parents are expected to participate most of the time in counseling with their children.

While legally you may access your child’s records, we recommend that you choose carefully whether to do so. This is more applicable to older children who may want to talk to their therapist about issues that they would otherwise not discuss. We encourage you to discuss the arrangement of confidentiality with your counselor and your child at your first meeting.

Your counselor will do their best to keep what you discuss confidential. There may be times when your counselor needs to talk with your parents, but they usually will try to discuss this with you before talking to your parents. Please discuss this with your counselor and your parents at your first meeting.

We provide counseling for individuals, couples, and families. We also have psycho-educational groups for individuals, couples, and parents. We also have interpersonal groups for individuals. Please click here for current groups that are available.

We work with a wide variety of clients including individuals, children, couples, and families. Since therapy is provided by graduate students, we screen individuals to ensure that the graduate student interns can provide the level of care that is needed. We do not accept individuals who need long-term therapy, who are suicidal, who are violent or who live in violent circumstances, who have alcohol or drug problems, or who have legal issues that would require the therapist to appear in court. If we don’t have the services you need, we will usually offer information about other possible treatment options in the community in the intake interview.

Counseling sessions normally take 50 minutes. You will need to come at least 20 minutes early to the first appointment to fill out required paperwork. Please come to all other appointments 10 minutes early if your therapist has asked you to complete questionnaires to track your improvement.

Meetings with the counselor usually happen once per week, but may occur more or less often based on what is mutually agreeable to you and your counselor. Counseling sessions usually last 50 minutes.

We ask that you attend all scheduled therapy sessions, but if you know you cannot make it, please call the receptionist (801- 422-7759) at least 24-hours in advance to cancel.

Therapy services at the Clinic are provided by graduate student interns in Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Clinical Psychology. The interns are supervised by faculty members who are licensed professionals.

The supervisors are licensed counselors (Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, or Licensed Clinical Psychologists). The supervisors meet with the counselors at least once a week to discuss what is happening in therapy.

Counseling that deals with couples, families, or children is often handled by the student therapists in Marriage and Family Therapy. The Clinical Psychology students provide individual therapy, psychological assessments, and also occasionally couple and family counseling. Social Work students normally provide individual counseling.

Satisfaction surveys of clients indicate that the vast majority of Clinic clients are satisfied with the services they receive, would refer their friends here, and would return here for services if they needed more counseling. Graduate students receive supervision at least weekly, and can talk to their supervisor any time that there is a major concern. If you don’t feel comfortable with your counselor, please talk to him or her to see if you can resolve your concern.

We record sessions so that the supervisor can clearly understand you and can give clear and helpful feedback to your counselor on how best to help you. These recordings do not leave the Clinic. They are reviewed in the privacy of the practicum supervision that the counselor receives. Usually there are 3-5 counselors in these sessions. Clients are rarely distracted by, or concerned about, the recording equipment in the counseling rooms. Your permission to be videotaped is a requirement in order to receive services at the Clinic.

We are required by ethics and by law to not reveal your name or identifying information to anyone outside the Clinic unless there is a danger to you or others and in some other situations. Your therapist will keep a case record of the nature of your sessions as a way of providing you a high level of care. This record is confidential and is only reviewed by Clinic staff that has a need to know. We are not required to report any information to BYU offices, such as the Honor Code Office. The limits of confidentiality will be discussed at your first meeting with your counselor.

As required by state law, we must report suspected abuse of children or elderly people. If the therapist feels that the client is a danger to themselves or others, we are also required to contact the appropriate people. The limits of confidentiality will be discussed at your first meeting with your counselor.

Your counselor will invite you to discuss openly the concerns that bring you into counseling. If you feel uncomfortable at any time you should express this to the counselor.

You will decide with the counselor what you need to discuss together. The counselor may invite you to discover why you don’t want to talk about a certain issue, but ultimately it is up to you what you discuss.

Many of the student interns speak a second language. We do our best to help those who would prefer to receive counseling in their first language, but we cannot guarantee that someone will be available.