Contents of this document
Page 2: EMAIL POLICY
Detailed explanation of our use of email at the Counseling Center.
Examples of Use: You can give this to clients with whom you will be using email, or to
clients who request at intake to be contacted by email.
Page 3: AUTOMATIC REPLY
This is the text that is automatically sent back to anyone who sends email to our
generic email address couns-psy@acsu.buffalo.edu.
Examples of Use: If you ever receive email that seems inappropriate (e.g., request for
on-line counseling) you may email back document (edit it if you wish) to clarify the
services you can and cannot offer.
Hard copies of this document will be kept in the front office with the release forms.
The Word version will be on the server under the directory: H:/General/Forms – Releases etc
A Web version is located at: http://ub-counseling.buffalo.edu/email.html
See David if you have questions, suggestions, comments about this document
Page 1
E-mail Policy
Counseling Center, SUNY Buffalo
Counseling Center e-mail address: couns-ctr@acsu.buffalo.edu
A hyper-text version of this policy can be found at:
http://ub-counseling.buffalo.edu/email.html
The staff of the Counseling Center welcomes your
contact. We also value your privacy and time and
therefore offer the following information to help you
decide on the best method for reaching us. We hope
that these guidelines are helpful to you as you decide
how best to reach our staff. We take your time and
confidentiality very seriously and therefore consider it
imperative that you understand the limitations of our
use of e-mail technology.
1.
If You Are Looking For On-line Counseling or
Advice
Unfortunately, e-mail is not an appropriate medium for
personal counseling. Therefore, we do not offer on-line
counseling. If you are a UB student seeking counseling
or assistance with a problem, please visit our office or
call to make an appointment with one of our counselors.
If you need immediate assistance, please stop by our
offices or contact us by phone (our hours are Monday Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm).
Please contact us at:
Counseling Center
120 Richmond, North Campus
645-2720
HOURS: M-F 8:30am - 5:00pm
Alternatively, you can call the Crisis Services telephone
hotline at 834-3131 -- they are open 24 hours a day, 365
days a year.
2.
Important Information About Email
Confidentiality
We cannot guarantee that your e-mail will remain
confidential. We will do our best to keep your
communications private. However, our university
administration, like many other employers, reserves the
right to monitor our e-mail usage and might therefore
see the text of your message. If you are in any way
concerned about the contents of your e-mail being read
by someone other than the person you are contacting,
you should consider alternate ways of contacting us.
When we respond to your e-mail, we will respond to the
address from which it is sent. If you do not wish others
who may have access to the e-mail account you are
using to also have access to our response, please
consider another means of communication.
3. How quickly you can expect a reply
While we try to check our e-mail regularly, you have no
way of knowing if one of us is unavailable due to illness,
vacation, or other reasons, or if there are problems with
the network itself. This means that your message may
not be received immediately.
If time is of particular concern for you, you should
consider calling our office at 645-2720 or calling Crisis
Services, a 24 hr hotline, at 834-3131.
4. If you are not a University at Buffalo student
Due to conflicting demands on our time, we have had to
develop priorities to help us determine how to best
spend our resources.
First and foremost, since we are funded by UB student
fees, we place the highest priority on responding to email from UB students. While we welcome e-mail from
others, at times of high demand we may not be able to
respond to those not affiliated with UB.
Likewise, we can not promise to respond to requests for
assistance with a class project, homework assignment, or
other academic pursuit.
Referral Suggestions
Buffalo area:
http://ub-counseling.buffalo.edu/Referrals/referrals.html
Elsewhere in the U.S.A.:
http://www.apa.org/practice/state.html
Counseling Center, Division of Student Affairs, State University of New York at Buffalo
December 1, 1997
Portions of this Email Policy were adapted from the policy developed by Career and Counseling Services at the University of Houston-Clear Lake
This is an automatic reply to the message you sent to
couns-ctr@acsu.buffalo.edu.
*UB COUNSELING CENTER EMAIL POLICY*
------------------------------------------------------------------------A more detailed version of this Email Policy can be read at:
http://ub-counseling.buffalo.edu/email.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------There are several ways you may have come upon our email address. Every once in a while we receive an email
message seeking services we do not provide. We therefore send this automatic reply to everyone who emails us
to clarify our services.
WHAT WE ARE
---------------------The Counseling Center at the University at Buffalo provides counseling for UB students at our offices, Monday
- Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm. We also offer extensive outreach and consultation services for the UB community,
as well as provide training for graduate students in our Practicum and Externship placements and our APAaccredited Internship program. Our office is staffed by doctoral level psychologists and pre-doctoral trainees.
We maintain a web site at http://ub-counseling.buffalo.edu where you can learn more about our services and
find other helpful information.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR ON-LINE COUNSELING OR ADVICE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Unfortunately, e-mail is not an appropriate medium for personal counseling. Therefore, we do not offer on-line
counseling. If you are a UB student seeking counseling or assistance with a problem, please visit our office or
call to make an appointment with one of our counselors. While we try to check our e-mail regularly, you have
no way of knowing if one of us is unavailable due to illness, vacation, or other reasons, or if there are problems
with the network itself. This means that your email message may not be received immediately. If you need
immediate assistance, please stop by our offices or contact us by phone.
Alternatively, you can call the Crisis Services telephone hotline at 834-3131 -- they are open 24 hours a day, 365
days a year.
Or visit our on-line referral directory at: http://ub-counseling.buffalo.edu/Referrals
IF YOU ARE NOT A UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO STUDENT
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Due to conflicting demands on our time, we have had to develop priorities to help us determine how to best
spend our resources. Since we are funded by UB student fees, we place the highest priority on responding to
e-mail from UB students. While we welcome e-mail from others, at times of high demand we may not be able
to respond to those not affiliated with UB.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT EMAIL CONFIDENTIALITY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------We cannot guarantee that your e-mail will remain confidential, although we will do our best to keep your
communications private. However, there are many ways that an email message can be intercepted. Therefore, if
you are in any way concerned about the contents of your e-mail being read by someone other than the person
you are contacting, you should consider alternate ways of contacting us.
The staff of the Counseling Center welcomes your contact. We also value your privacy and time and therefore
hope the above information helps you decide on the best method for reaching us.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Counseling Center
Division of Student Affairs
State University of New York at Buffalo
120 Richmond Quad
716-645-2720
Buffalo, NY 14261
Monday - Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm