Cummings Support Center

The mission of the Cummings Support Center (CSC) is to create a positive environment to nurture and sustain the overall well-being of the Cummings School community. The CSC aims to assist students throughout their time at the Cummings School, including periods of critical transition and crisis, by providing support, guidance, and intervention (when necessary). Students are supported through the Student Academic Support Service, the Career Counseling Service, and Cummings Behavioral Health Service.

The CSC is conveniently located on Cummings School's Grafton campus on 6 Captain William O'Brien Road (next to the Alpha Psi house).

Components of the Center

Student Academic Support Service

This service of the Academic Affairs Office provides a venue for addressing academic issues that commonly arise during the veterinary school experience, including difficulties related to course load, frustration regarding performance self- expectations, academic “burn out,” emotional stressors, or pre-existing mental health issues.

The service is designed to do the following:

educate students on academic policy
identify students who are at risk for academic difficulty
provide supportive services to those students experiencing any level of academic distress in the format of tutoring and academic counseling
monitor and track students with a history of academic difficulty
identify students in emotional distress related to academic difficulty and refer them to appropriate counseling or support services

Cummings Counseling Services

The aim of this service is to offer support and intervention to students, drive programs that support help-seeking behavior, and implement critical campus-wide mental health programs and policy.

Counseling Services

The counseling service provides traditional college counseling and referral services to the campus student body. Support is available by appointments, through walk-in consultation, and in any crises that may involve a student at the Cummings School.

This service offers the following:

24/7 telephonic counseling services
confidential and free onsite counseling with licensed masters level counselors
short-term counseling and referrals to area practitioners
small group and individual counseling sessions

To make an appointment to see a counselor call 800 756-3124. This number can also be used to reach a licensed counselor 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. For more information, click here.

Career Counseling Service

This service provides students with the opportunity to explore career options, to discuss a variety of career-related topics with members of the veterinary profession, and to engage professionals from a variety of areas of veterinary medicine. The Career Counseling Service is staffed primarily by faculty (clinical or research mentoring), alumni, and Massachusetts Veterinary Medicine Association (MVMA) member volunteers.

This service allows students to

learn about the professional expertise of featured veterinary mentors on a Career Counseling Service website
meet with professionals from a variety of areas of veterinary medicine
receive counseling in various topics not covered in conventional classroom discussions or clinic rotations, such as considering professional setting, managing loan payments, and establishing work-life balance
participate in informal, low-stress, 1:1 or small group interaction with a veterinary mentor of choice

Mental Health Taskforce
The Task Force will consist of key campus and extra-campus personnel who will 1) recognize student emotional distress; 2) intervene when emotional distress is identified; or 3) effect change in campus policies that can promote the overall mission of the CSC.

The aims of this taskforce:

to support campus community awareness and normalization of mental health issues
to encourage campus-wide communication among staff, students, and administration
to proactively address potential conflicts between mental health and campus policy
to develop and coordinate mental health safety protocol and post-crisis follow-up plan, as well as leave of absence and re-entry protocols