What We Do

Make an Appointment for Ongoing Therapy

FOR CRISIS AND ON-DEMAND SERVICES

If you or someone you know is experiencing a life threatening emergency, call: 9-1-1 or UNIVERSITY POLICE: (813) 974-2628.

If you are not in a life-threatening emergency and are need of immediate support:  

  • You can use a same-day in-person appointment with any of our counselors.  You may complete the necessary paperwork once you arrive.

  •  You can call the Counseling Center front desk (813-974-2831) if you have questions and we will be happy to clarify the different options. 

For ongoing Therapy

Making Your First Appointment

This page outlines the process for making an appointment with a counselor in Tampa. Please click the following links to make an appointment in St. Petersburg or Sarasota-Manatee. It's easy to make your first appointment at the USF Counseling Center!

If you are interested in receiving any one of the following services, your first step is to set up an intake appointment with one of our providers:

  •  Short-term individual counseling 
    • We specialize in goal-oriented, short-term therapy.  Most students attend 3-4 sessions per semester (on average), which occur about every 2-4 weeks (but there’s no session limit).  You can return any semester that you’re a registered student.  If you’re looking for more in-depth services, we can also help connect you to them.
  •  Group counseling
  •  Relationship/Couples counseling  

STEPS FOR MAKING AN INTAKE APPOINTMENT 

Make an Appointment Steps

Before requesting routine Counseling Center services, please be sure that you are enrolled at a USF campus or have paid the student health fee for the current semester.  

1. Complete “ALL Required Center Paperwork ”.

    • If you need assistance with the forms, please call us at (813) 974-2831.
    • See “Tips for Completing the Online Forms” below for more details 

2. Check out our awesome providers to see if you have a preference for who might be the best fit for you, and we will do our best to match your preferences based on availability.

    •  By selecting multiple counselors that you would be interested in working with, we can facilitate scheduling that best matches your availability.
    • If you do not have preferred counselors in mind, you can also ask for the soonest available appointment that best matches your schedule.  

3. Call our front desk (813-974-2831)  to schedule your first appointment and have your calendar ready.

    • You have the option of participating in either an in-person or telehealth appointment.
    • If you choose a telehealth appointment, you will need to:
      • Be in the state of Florida at the time of the appointment.
      • Identify a private and confidential location for your appointment.  

NOTE: If for any reason you are unable to keep your scheduled appointment,

  • Please contact us no later than 5:00 pm the business day before your appointment to avoid the $30 late cancellation fee.

Before your appointment, feel free to use these online tools or join one of our drop-in groups for some additional coping skills while you wait.  

During Your First Appointment (Intake)

During your first appointment, we will focus on getting a detailed understanding of why you are seeking counseling and identifying your goals for therapy.

Tips For Completing the Online Forms

It is important to be aware of the following information:

  1. The online paperwork will take 20-30 minutes to complete and must be completed in one sitting. Unfortunately, you will not be able to save your information once you have started completing it. If you are idle for too long, the forms will time out.
  2.  If you have difficulty completing forms, we recommend trying a different browser or clearing your cache and cookies in your current browser.
  3. If you have not completed your paperwork online, or if you have incorrectly or incompletely completed it, you will be asked to complete it before you schedule your first appointment. If you need assistance with your online paperwork, please call the front office at (813) 974-2831 to verify.
  4. Completing online paperwork does not constitute treatment or the beginning of a treatment relationship with a mental health provider. Your online paperwork will not be reviewed by a Counseling Center provider until you arrive for your appointment. If you are in need of immediate assistance, please call the Center during business hours, or call (813) 974-2831 to speak to a licensed provider after hours.
    • Forms will be deleted if you do not call within 7 days of completing them to schedule an appointment.
  5. Before each of your appointments (up to 1 day before) complete the brief assessment (OQ) about your current functioning.
    • You will receive instructions for taking this assessment after making your first appointment.

Ready? Complete forms here. Then, select 3 or more Providers here.

Call us at at 813-974-2831 after completing forms to schedule an appointment.

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