Counseling Services at Penn State Scranton is committed to supporting the emotional, psychological, educational, social and cultural development of our students. We provide short-term counseling for academic and personal concerns, as well as proactive programming and consultation.

Counselor and student in comfortable office setting.
 

Personal Counseling for Students

Our licensed counselor Katherine J. Stefanelli, Ph.D., LPC is on campus to assist all our students with group and individual counseling, crisis intervention, and case management.  All services are confidential and available to students at no cost.

Counseling Services at PSSN strictly protects the confidentiality of information shared during sessions. Information about you and your use of counseling services cannot be released to anyone without your written permission.

Counseling Appointments Fall 2021

We will provide continued access to all services for the Fall of 2021. However, due to the on-going circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, we will provide services to our students through telehealth appointments in order to keep everyone as safe as possible.

Phone

Counseling via the telephone at Penn State is HIPAA complaint. 

Zoom Video Conferencing

Zoom Video Conferencing at Penn State is HIPAA complaint when NOT recorded, and encrypted for such use by the distributor. Zoom may be an option for  counseling sessions. Dr. Stefanelli must ZOOM from her office on campus.

Schedule an Appointment

Office Hours: Monday and Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. - 5 :30 p.m. and Wednesday, Thursday, Friday at 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Current Student Clients

  • To schedule an appointment for counseling, email Dr. Stefanelli at kjh14[email protected] or call 570-963-2694.

First time client appointments timeline:

  1. Call or email the office requesting an initial screening appointment 
  2. You will be asked to fill out forms through your email using a HIPPA compliant link
  3. Once the forms are completed, you will meet with a counselor (Dr. Stefanelli or a graduate student intern) via Zoom for approximately 45 minutes

Emergency

If there is an emergency after hours, contact the 24/7 Penn State Crisis Line at 1-877-229-6400.

Crisis Line

Students experiencing emotional distress can:

  • Call the 24/7 Penn State Crisis Line: (877) 229-6400
  • Text the 24/7 Crisis Text Line: Text “LIONS” to 741741.
  • For emergencies, please contact 911.

Referrals

When to Refer

Although students are most often self-referred for counseling, referrals can come from faculty, staff, parents and friends. Please refer a student to Counseling Service if you see concerning behaviors that may include:

  • Frequent absences
  • Sudden decline in quality of academic performance
  • Significant decrease in energy or motivation
  • A highly adverse event such as assault, abuse, or death of loved one)
  • Escalating stress or anxiety
  • References to bodily injury, suicidal thoughts, or harm to others

Off-Campus Resources

Penn State Counseling and Psychological Services provides short-term individual services.  We often refer students with ongoing or chronic conditions to local providers. To find a private practitioner in the local community, visit psu-scranton.thrivingcampus.com.

Stress Management

Finding ways to reduce stress and anxiety is critical to your overall health and wellness. Try to create meaningful breaks for yourself throughout the day. You might taking time to read a book, keep a journal, meditate, get out into nature, explore a new hobby, etc.

Below are 4 resources to help you get started:

  1. Healthy Penn State “Manage Stress Workbook”
  2. Penn State Pro Wellness Mindfulness Journal – A guide for bringing healthy choices to life!
  3. Life Hacks hosted by CAPS
  4. Penn State Lion Pulse Mental Health  and Wellness Materials