STUDENT WELLBEING
Our Health and Counseling Services are committed to an integrated healthcare approach to serve the students in a holistic manner. We are a multidisciplinary team comprised of medical professionals and mental health counselors. We aim to be collaborative partners within our Division of Student Affairs in effort to educate our students and community to promote overall wellbeing.
Locations
Health Services is located in Doyle Hall 122
Counseling Services is co-located with Student Development/CPRC on the 2nd floor of the Reilly Center
Hours of Operation
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Monday-Friday
We operate similarly to an outpatient clinic, seeing our students by scheduled appointment. We do our best to serve all students in a timely manner and schedule appointments to avoid disrupting their academic schedule. Under normal circumstances, walk-ins are welcome. However, same day appointments cannot be guaranteed, nor can being seen at the time of walk-in. Each day varies and depends on if there is a waitlist or backlog.
Health Services
Students who are full-time and currently enrolled in any of our on-campus undergraduate or graduate programs are eligible to see our providers.
We operate as a health clinic, with medical staff who can provide general health care to the student body. Students are encouraged to maintain a relationship with their primary care physician for ongoing health care needs, given our care is intended for urgent needs and short-term maintenance that arise while students are in academic session.
Although students are required to have health insurance, there is no cost associated with a visit to Health Services and we do not collect a co-pay. Health insurance is used for services outside the scope of a college health clinic, which may include referrals to the urgent care, emergency department, off-campus providers, or imaging that is not provided on campus, such as X-rays and ultrasounds.
The Center for Student Wellbeing does not issue medical excusal notes for missed classes. In the event of illness or injury that is expected to result in significant academic disruption, the student is advised to contact their professor(s) as soon as possible to notify them. Whether the disruption is a missed test, late assignment, or absence from class, early notification to the professor is very important. It is to the discretion of individual faculty to determine whether they will accept a personal report of illness as a valid excuse. The Center for Student Wellbeing does not communicate directly with faculty or other staff (supervisors, athletics) on a student’s behalf.
The Center for Student Wellbeing will provide a verification of attendance note to confirm the student was seen if one is requested at the time of visit and the scheduled appointment conflicts with a scheduled class. We do our best to accommodate students and schedule visits during times that do not interfere with a student’s academic schedule. The verification note will be issued directly to the student, and it is the student's responsibility to provide the note to faculty/staff. Please be advised an appointment verification note does not excuse a student's absence; it is still at the faculty/staff discretion to consider the absence excused. The Center for Student Wellbeing cannot provide appointment verification note for illnesses or injuries that occurred in the past nor for illnesses or injuries that were not treated by our office.
Counseling Services
Students who are full-time and currently enrolled in any of our on-campus undergraduate or graduate programs are eligible to see our counselors. Services are generally provided throughout the academic year, excluding winter break and summer. An exception is when students are on-campus and enrolled in classes during the summer sessions.
Our mental health counselors offer confidential individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, education and prevention services, and support groups (as needed) on a variety of issues to include, but not limited to, adjustment/transitions, anxiety, depression, family/relationship issues, disordered eating/body image, grief and loss, and sexual assault. Our counselors may also be seen presenting on various topics related to emotional and mental wellbeing.
To schedule an appointment, you can complete the Counseling Request Form in the
patient portal, or call 716-375-2310, option 1.
For students who would prefer another or an additional resource to counseling, we have partnered with Togetherall — an anonymous, online peer-to-peer community where students can connect with others who have real lived experience. We get that everyone is on their own mental health journey and sometimes you can feel like no one understands what you’re going through. The Togetherall community is free to all our students (undergraduate and graduate) and active 24/7. You must use your university email to register and access the platform at
https://account.v2.togetherall.com/register/student .
Once a student has a scheduled appointment, typically called an intake, they can expect to meet with a counselor for 30-45 minutes. This first appointment is not a counseling session and is intended to gather information, determine counseling goals and appropriate next steps (i.e., individual counseling, group counseling, or referral for other support services).
Each counselor practices within their scope and has their own approach to the counseling process. Since each student brings their own unique concerns, we do not practice in a “one size fits all” approach. Instead, we do our best to tailor our approach to the student’s needs.
At times, a referral to an outside provider may be warranted due to the nature of a college setting and limitations within this setting. The majority of students will resolve their concern in 3-6 sessions; however, some students may need more sessions (i.e., long-term counseling) where the goal is to reduce symptoms/improve management of symptoms, rather than resolve a problem.
A crisis occurs when you have reached a level of distress that is beyond your ability to cope. Counselors are available for crisis intervention and given that these times are unpredictable, we will do our best to accommodate a student during our business hours by having our first available counselor meet with the student.
Crisis intervention is not a typical counseling session. The goal is to assess the student’s safety first, then work to reduce the level of distress for the student to return an acceptable level of functioning.
After-hours response is available to students experiencing a mental health crisis/emergency by calling campus safety at (716) 375-2525. Campus safety or the RD on-call will typically arrive to your campus location and be present while the counselor on-call assesses the student by phone. The counselor on-call, RD and campus safety will work collaboratively to address the needs of the student in crisis.
All contacts with the Center for Student Wellbeing and health records are kept confidential, stored in a HIPAA-compliant electronic health record system. Information cannot be released without the student’s consent, most often obtained via a signed release of confidential information. Exceptions are made in limited situations as permitted by federal or state laws.
Parental notification is the responsibility of the student (over the age of 18). This includes when students are transported to the emergency department for further evaluation or after other prevention/intervention efforts are made by counselors or medical staff. Exceptions are made for students under the age of 18 and if a parent is an emergency contact listed by the student (over the age of 18). In the latter exception, the student needs to be determined incapacitated or not otherwise able to notify a parent on their own within a reasonable time frame.
Carmella Bartimole, Ph.D., LMHC
Carmella has been working as a mental health counselor in the Wellness Center at SBU since fall of 2019. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in English from Sacred Heart University, a Master of Education in community counseling from St. Bonaventure
University, and Ph.D. in counselor education from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
In addition to her previous role as associate professor and coordinator of the Counseling and Career Center at Jamestown Community
College, she has more than 30 years of experience in counseling and teaching, and her area of expertise is grief counseling. Carmella also worked as the bereavement coordinator for Hospice where she facilitated support groups and worked individually
with family members who lost a loved one due to a terminal illness.
She is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) and has earned a Fellow in Thanatology (FT) through ADEC. Her dissertation research
on teen suicide led her to meet with and learn about high risk teens at the Youth Psychiatric Unit at Erie County Medical Center. Her work allowed her to gain a new-found understanding of how teens who attempt suicide think.
She loves working with students in an educational setting and considers it a privilege to assist individuals who are finding their way in life. One of her favorite quotes is from C. S. Lewis: “You can’t go back and change the beginning,
but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
Abigail Dlugosz, MSEd, LMHC
Abigail joined the Wellness Center in 2022 as a mental health counselor.
She focuses on assisting individuals to enhance motivation through positive behavioral change and to create a healthy environment for one to flourish in.
Abigail has previous work experience in co-occurring disorders, which has allowed
her to assist others’ progress and recovery of substance use and mental health disorders. Her previous work experience, in a hospital behavioral health inpatient unit, has allowed her to conduct therapy for individuals undergoing psychosis, trauma,
suicidal thoughts or attempts, crisis, depression and anxiety. When conducting psychotherapy, Abigail uses dialectical behavioral therapy and it’s modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness.
Abigail graduated from St Bonaventure with a bachelor's degree in psychology and Master of Science in clinical mental health counseling. As an alumnus, she is eager to work with the students of St Bonaventure and is overjoyed to continue her
journey in the Bonaventure community.
Hailey Gattuso, MSEd
Halley joined Wellness Services as a mental health counselor in August 2021. She works individually with students to balance academic and athletic responsibilities by strengthening mental, emotional and physical health. As a former Division I athlete,
her perspective allows her to support students in developing the skillset needed to adapt to high pressure situations while maintaining self-care.
Hailey’s previous experience working with families as an in-home therapist allows
her to view the individual in the context of a system. She helps students navigate the process of understanding their identity within and beyond the context of the St. Bonaventure community.
She is passionate about utilizing her Adlerian theoretical approach to help students work through crisis experiences while building their sense of self-esteem and self-efficacy.
Hailey holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism/mass communication
with a minor in Spanish, and Master of Science in Education in clinical mental health counseling from St. Bonaventure University.
When not working with students, you can find Hailey skiing, rollerblading or making memes.
Chance Olivas, MSEd
Chance joined the Wellness Center in 2021 as
a mental health counselor embedded in the Department of Athletics.
He works with students to assist them in developing effective coping strategies via cognitive behavioral therapy and internal family systems therapy to aid students in managing old and new challenges that may occur in their academic, athletic, professional,
and/or personal lives.
Chance holds a Master of Science in Education in mental health counseling from Alfred University.
Health insurance required of all full-time students
All students attending St. Bonaventure full time must have health insurance. Students may purchase the SBU Student Health Insurance Policy or maintain coverage through a parent/guardian's policy.
All full-time undergraduate students (at least 12 credits) will be automatically enrolled in the St. Bonaventure plan and the charge will be added to your student account. Students may, however, elect to opt out of the SBU plan if they desire to keep their current health insurance coverage.
If you are coming to St. Bonaventure from another state or another region in New York state, or if you are an international student, please give serious consideration to enrolling in the SBU plan to ensure coverage in the Olean, Allegany and Bradford (Pa.) area.
For all undergraduate and graduate students enrolled full time at St. Bonaventure University, the cost of appointments with the campus medical provider and counselors, some on-site medications, and on-site medical supplies is built into the cost of attending
SBU. There is no fee and no need to use insurance.
Insurance coverage is required, however, for certain services. These include:
- To pay for any medical testing or bloodwork that the campus medical provider may need to perform that must be sent out to an external laboratory;
- To purchase prescription medications not provided on campus;
- To pay for costs associated with any referrals made to off-campus providers such as emergency room services, specialists, radiology (X-ray) services, urgent care providers, etc., in the event that the SBU Health Services medical provider is unable
to meet a student’s medical needs on campus; or
- To pay for medical transports (such as ambulance and EMS rides) to other facilities.
To purchase the SBU Student Health Insurance Plan
- If you or your child is a full-time undergraduate (bachelor’s degree) student, and would like to purchase the plan, the charge will be automatically added to your student account. For more questions on billing, please contact the Business Office
at 716-375-2030.
- If you or your child is a part-time undergraduate (bachelor’s degree), part or full-time graduate (master’s degree) student and you would like to purchase the SBU Student Health Plan, you may do so by CLICKING HERE.
(PLEASE NOTE: As a part-time undergraduate or graduate student, you must be taking at least 6 credit hours in order to qualify to purchase the plan.)
To keep your current, existing health insurance plan
If you are a full-time undergraduate (bachelor’s degree) student and would like to keep an existing health care policy, you MUST waive the St. Bonaventure Student Plan.
To WAIVE
the SBU plan and KEEP YOUR OWN POLICY, please
CLICK HERE.
NOTE: When entering your SBU Student ID on the insurance waiver site, do NOT enter the zero at the front of your number. Your ID number actually begins with a non-zero number.
* The SBU Student Health Insurance Policy is underwritten by a company that is not directly affiliated with St. Bonaventure University. Any questions regarding the student policy may be directed to our insurance broker Haylor, Freyer and Coon by phone
at 1-866-535-0456, or by email at student@haylor.com
Other health forms & important information
All incoming students should submit any health forms and immunization records by any of the following methods:
- via fax to (716) 375-7892
- regular USPS mail addressed to:
St. Bonaventure University
Center for Student Wellbeing
PO Box 2469
Doyle Hall
St. Bonaventure, NY 14778
- uploading them to to the SBU Student/Patient Portal
Students requesting a leave of absence for medical reasons are subject to the university's
medical leave of absence and readmission procedures.
New York state requires all K-12 students to have had the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine(s). However, if you are out of state or received an exemption for the individual vaccines or combination (MMR) previously due to medical or religious reasons, please complete the appropriate exemption form.
- Allergy Injection Form
- Club Sports Clearance Form
All students playing a club sport must complete
this form before participating in practices or games. NOTE: No physicals
are provided by the Wellness Center. Please have any physicals required for any reason completed prior to arriving on campus, or by an off-campus provider.
- Release of Confidential Consent Form
NCAA athletes only
There are additional forms to complete and return to the Department of Athletics in Reilly Center. To access the NCAA Division 1 Sports Medicine page and forms, CLICK HERE.
COVID-19 and Respiratory Virus Guidance
On March 1, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released updated recommendations for how people can protect themselves and their communities from respiratory viruses, including COVID-19. The new guidance brings a unified approach to addressing risks from a range of common respiratory viral illnesses, such as COVID-19, flu, and RSV, which can have significant health impacts on some individuals and add strain on hospitals and health care workers. CDC is making updates to the recommendations now because the U.S. is seeing far fewer hospitalizations and deaths associated with COVID-19 and we have more tools than ever to combat flu, COVID, and RSV.
As part of the guidance, CDC provides active recommendations on core prevention steps and strategies:
• Staying up to date with vaccination to protect people against serious illness, hospitalization, and death. This includes flu, COVID-19, and RSV if eligible.
• Practicing good hygiene by covering coughs and sneezes, washing or sanitizing hands often, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
• Taking steps for cleaner air, such as bringing in more fresh outside air, purifying indoor air, or gathering outdoors.
When people get sick with a respiratory virus, the updated guidance recommends that they stay home and away from others. For people with COVID-19 and influenza, treatment is available and can lessen symptoms and lower the risk of severe illness. The recommendations suggest returning to normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, symptoms are improving overall, and if a fever was present, it has been gone without use of a fever-reducing medication.
Once people resume normal activities, they are encouraged to take additional prevention strategies for the next 5 days to curb disease spread, such as taking more steps for cleaner air, enhancing hygiene practices, wearing a well-fitting mask, keeping a distance from others, or getting tested for respiratory viruses. Enhanced precautions are especially important to protect those most at risk for severe illness, including those over 65 and people with weakened immune systems. CDC’s updated guidance reflects how the circumstances around COVID-19 in particular have changed. *As in the past, these protocols are subject to change as conditions evolve.
While every respiratory virus does not act the same, adopting a unified approach to limiting disease spread makes recommendations easier to follow and thus more likely to be adopted. Additionally, this approach does not rely on individuals to test for illness and can be reserved for medical professionals to determine it is medically necessary.
Students with any health-related concerns can contact the Student Health Center, located in Doyle Hall. Students are encouraged to visit the patient portal to request an appointment or contact medical staff at 716-375-2310, option 1. At-home COVID tests can be purchased at most pharmacies and drug stores. Additionally, as of the end of September 2024, U.S. Households will be eligible to order 4 free COVID-19 tests. Students can use their on-campus P.O. Box address to request tests here once ordering is available.