CS: Scope of Practice | Counselling Services | Seneca Students

Scope of Practice – Seneca Polytechnic Counselling Services

Your Mental Health & Well-Being Support 

At Seneca Polytechnic, we believe your mental health and your academic success go hand in hand. Our services are designed around academic stabilization, giving you the tools, coping strategies, and care frameworks you need to balance your well-being and thrive in your studies.

We use a scaffolded or stepped care model, which means we help you find the right level of support for your unique situation, ranging from self-guided tools to direct clinical care.

🧭 Explore Our Services

Whether you want to build new wellness habits on your own, talk to a peer, or need immediate help during a difficult time, we have a support tier that fits your needs.

🟢 Tier 1: Self-Directed Resources

• What it is: Digital tools, wellness apps, self-assessments, and articles you can access anytime, anywhere.

🟡 Tier 2: Peer Supports

• What it is: Student-to-student connection. Connect with trained peer leaders who understand the unique pressures of post-secondary life.

🔵 Tier 3: Experiential Mental Health & Workshops

• What it is: Action-oriented, interactive workshops and groups focusing on practical skills, grounding techniques, and stress management.

🟠 Tier 4: Case Management & Wrap-Around Care

• What it is: Holistic coordination to help you navigate campus life. We connect the dots between your mental health, academic advising, financial aid, housing, and academics.

🔴 Tier 5: Clinical Counselling

• What it is: Personalized support for more complex or on-going mental health concerns through individual therapy with a professional counselor.

🟣 Tier 6: Specialized Community Referrals

• What it is: A guided, warm transition to external healthcare partners, community clinics, or hospitals for long-term or highly specialized care.

🚨 Urgent & Crisis Support

If you are experiencing acute distress, an immediate safety risk, or a mental health crisis during regular campus hours, same-day triage and stabilization support is available through our Well-being Specialist team.

⚠️ After-Hours & Emergencies: Seneca’s on-campus services are short-term and operational-hours only. They are not a replacement for 24/7 psychiatric emergency response. If you are experiencing a medical or life-threatening mental health emergency outside of business hours, please call 911 or visit your nearest hospital emergency department.

🔍 Understanding Our Limits of Care

To ensure we can provide equitable, timely care to all students, Seneca Counselling Services focuses strictly on short-term, academic-focused stabilization.

What is outside our scope:

• Long-term, ongoing intensive psychotherapy for chronic psychological conditions.
• Formal psychiatric diagnostic assessments or medicalized addiction treatment.
• Mandatory, court-ordered, or legally coerced forensic counselling evaluations.

If your clinical needs require these specialized services, our team will work closely with you via Case Management to seamlessly connect you with trusted community providers.

Eligibility for Services

Counselling Services are available to all students currently enrolled at Seneca Polytechnic. Access to services may vary based on demand and availability. While most programming is available broadly, individual counselling is reserved for enrolled students during their active term of study.

*on a case-by-case basis students may be able to access support in the semester immediately following their last enrolled semester.