Counseling Partners

North Country Community College recognizes students and employees may need support to maintain wellness in mind and body. We support and encourage you to seek counseling services on and off campus through our many community partners.

If you need help with a referral to counseling services, please complete our Counseling Services Referral Form online.

Campus Counseling Services and Partners

988: More than a Number

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is the new, three-digit number that has replaced the ten-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL). It is now available nation-wide in English and Spanish. You can contact 988 by chat, text, or phone.

988 is more than just an easy-to-remember number. It is a direct connection to confidential caring support for anyone in mental health distress. This may include:

  • thoughts of suicide
  • substance use crisis
  • emotional distress

988 is a free service available to everyone.

Call or text 988 to be connected with a trained crisis counselor. When you call, you can access support in Spanish by pressing 2. Interpretation services are available in over 150 languages.

To access 988 via chat, visit 988lifeline.org/chat.

 

NCCC is a member of the SUNY SUNY Student Tele Counseling Network (STCN ), facilitated through SUNY Upstate Medical University. SUNY STCN is a grant funded initiative through SUNY legislature which offers psychiatric care through HIPAA compliant Zoom sessions to SUNY students who reside in New York State, including medicine management and psychotherapy (CBT and DBT as well as regular therapy).  These services are completely free for SUNY students!

For a referral to the Student Telehealth Counseling Network, please click here.

The Human Services Department supports to our North Country students through a partnership with Community Connections of Franklin County. In Fall 2021, NCCC introduced our Student Peer Advocates who assist students with problems such as mental health, addiction, health care, financial problems, housing, food, health insurance, etc. These Peer Advocates are current NCCC students who have been trained to provide resources and referrals for those in need. 

Contact NCCC Peer Advocates at 518-521-8480 and receive a response within 24 hours! 

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Kathleen Dowd-Maloney, MSW, Human Services Department Chair.

Peer Advocates Hotline flyer

When possible, we also bring community providers on campus to enable easier access to these services for our college community. Please see our regional counseling resources listed below for details on schedule tele-health or face to face appointments with our partnering providers.

Citizen Advocates Logo

Saranac Lake Campus
Convenient, confidential and free access to counseling services from Citizen Advocates on Wednesdays from 1:00-5:00 p.m. p.m. Sessions are held in person in Hodson Hall room HH 108 by appointment. 
Call the Saranac Lake Clinic at 518-891-5535 to set up a new client profile and schedule your first appointment.

Malone Campus
Convenient, confidential and free access to tele-counseling services from Citizen Advocates Sessions are held in person in Ballard Mills by appointment. 
Call the Malone Clinic at 518-483-3261 to set up a new client profile and schedule your first appointment.

Email studentlife@nccc.edu for more information.

To schedule a counseling appointment on or off campus, please call 518-891-5535 to set up a new client profile and mention you are an NCCC student.

In-person and Tele-Mental Health Services available by calling:

  • Malone Clinic: 518-483-3261
  • Saranac Lake Clinic: 518-891-5535
  • Massena Clinic: 315-764-8076

Crisis & Recover Center Services call 518-483-3261. Crisis & Recovery Center located at 15 Fourth Street Malone, NY.

Regional Counseling Providers

In-person and Tele-Mental Health Services available by calling:

  • Elizabethtown Clinic: 518-873-3670

Toll Free Emergency Services available after hours, weekends and holidays: 1-888-854-3773

For more information visit: Essex County Mental Health Services

If you or a loved one are experiencing anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges during this time of increased stress and would like a caring professional to talk to, please do not hesitate to call St. Joseph’s Open Access Center, located on the grounds of Adirondack Health.

St. Joseph’s Open Access Center offers a safe and stigma-free environment for people with mental health challenges, substance use disorders, and other challenges to seek help whenever they are ready – including extended hours into the evening, weekends and holidays. St. Joseph's Addiction Treatment and Recovery Center is located at 253 Old Lake Colby Rd. in Saranac Lake. 

Call (518) 354-5390 if you need assistance. After hours, please call (518) 897-6174. All calls are confidential.

  • Malone Campus - to schedule call 518-483-6566
  • Saranac Lake Campus - to schedule call 518-891-5353
  • Ticonderoga Campus - to schedule call 518-585-7934

For more information visit: St. Joseph's Addiction Treatment and Recovery Centers

Sexual Assault Services (SAS) of Planned Parenthood of the North Country New York offers counseling, education and advocacy for survivors of sexual assault in Clinton, Essex, and Franklin Counties. Whether the assault took place five minutes ago, or five years ago, SAS can provide hotline services, free and confidential counseling, support at the hospital or with law enforcement, information and referrals, and educational programs.

  • The Sexual Assault Hotline is 1-877-212-2323. The hotline is available 24-hours-day.
  • For counseling appointments, advocacy, and education services, contact Sexual Assault Services at 518.561.4430.

For more information visit: Sexual Assault Services (SAS) of Planned Parenthood of the North Country

STOP Domestic & Sexual Violence is a NYS certified program assisting victims of domestic violence, 24 hours a day. Please call our hotline at 518-563-6904 or email us at stopdv@bhsn.org if you, or someone you know, is in need of help. 

Our Goal: STOP Domestic & Sexual Violence is the voice of victims and survivors. We are the catalyst for changing society to have zero tolerance for domestic violence. We do this by affecting public policy, increasing understanding of the impact of domestic violence, and providing programs and education that drive that change.

Services Include
    • 24-hour hotline: 1-888-563-6904
    • Crisis intervention
    • Safe dwellings for temporary shelter
    • Individual and group supportive counseling
    • Educational materials and presentations about domestic violence and its effects
    • Advocacy with law enforcement, medical services, local departments of Social Services, etc.
    • Information and referrals to other local, state and nationwide domestic violence services
    • Information and referrals regarding Human Trafficking
    • Assistance in applying for Victim Compensation through the Office of Victim Services

For more information visit: STOP Domestic Violence, a program of BHSN 

Vocational Rehabilitation to assist individuals with disabilities to achieve and maintain employment and to support independent living. To schedule a meeting please contact Jodi Luxford

For more information visit: ACCES -VR: Adult and Continuing Education Services 

The Mission of the Essex County Suicide Prevention Coalition is to work together as a community to increase suicide awareness and prevention

Essex County Mental Health Services:
Monday-Friday 8am-5pm: (518) 873-3670
Toll Free Emergency Services 1-888-854-3773 (after hours, weekends, and holidays)

Mental Health Association Hopeline: 1-800-440-8074
Westport Office (518) 962-2077

Other Mental Health Services

DISCLAIMER: North Country Community College offices and employees who cannot guarantee confidentiality will maintain your privacy to the greatest extent possible. The information you provide to a nonconfidential resource will be relayed only as necessary to investigate and/or seek a resolution. North Country Community College will limit the disclosure as much as possible.

 
Wellness
 

It’s easy to put off taking care of ourselves while we are busy with our multiple commitments and responsibilities on top of adjusting to a pandemic. When that sense of feeling overwhelmed is constant, it's even more important to prioritize self-care. And while it may feel like “just one more thing” to do, research shows that taking a walk, practicing yoga, or other stress reductions techniques such as mindfulness, can truly shift our mood and help us increase our immune system response. Practicing gratitude also has the power to center us with practice.

NARCAN Training

New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports Offers Free Online Narcan Training

WANT TO GET NARCAN TRAINED? Citizens and first responders can find registration information at https://oasas.ny.gov/keywords/naloxone. Events are offered multiple times per week on a variety of schedules and are open to anyone.  An internet-connected device with sound and video is required.

This free NYS OASAS naloxone training is supported under the State Opioid Response grant from the federal SubstaFINDnce Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

QPR for Suicide Prevention

Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) suicide prevention training: This user-friendly online training is intended to equip all of us—administrators, faculty, staff and students—with the skills needed to identify and respond to a mental health crisis, much in the way that CPR training is designed to prepare people to respond to a cardiac event.

QPR training is brief; it takes about an hour to complete the course. Participants learn how to identify and safely engage with someone who may be having a mental health crisis, in order to direct them to assistance. The training is appropriate for a range of settings and relationships—at work, across campus, or at home, and in both personal and professional settings. The training does not require any clinical expertise, just a willingness to listen, care, and help.

You can participate in Question, Persuade, Refer training by accessing http://www.qprtraining.com/setup.php and using the organizational code SUNY. Participants will also receive a free copy  of Dr. Quinnett's eBook: "Suicide the Forever Decision."

WANT TO GET TRAINED IN QPR? Ask for the SUNY Access Code by emailing StudentLife@nccc.edu.

Additional Resources:

NEW! North Country Community College has Tobacco Treatment Specialist Services available for FREE for students and employees through the Student Life Office. BOOK AN APPOINTMENT ONLINE.

Truth Initiative Quit Juul Text Support