Counseling Services

Do you need to speak to someone immediately?  Contact our 24/7 UMN Phone Counseling and Crisis Line by calling 218.281.TALK (8255) or text "UMN" to 61222.  

For immediate danger, please CALL 911. Dangerous crisis situations include suicidal behaviors or threats, homicidal behavior or threats, irrational dangerous behavior, or excessive consumption of alcohol or drugs.  If you are not sure whether the situation represents immediate danger, err on the side of caution and place the call. 

For Family, Friends, Faculty, or Staff

If you are concerned for someone's safety, your options include: 

1. Contact a crisis line together if the person of concern is willing.  
2. Contact a crisis line yourself to talk through your situation and understand your options.
3. Call 911 if the danger is imminent or you are unsure. 

You may also consider submitting a report to the Care Team to ensure that the University is aware of the student's situation and following up with them.  

Local Resources for Crisis/Urgent Needs

For students located in Crookston or the surrounding area at the time of the crisis, contact the 24/7 Crisis Response Team from Alluma by calling 800.282.5005 or text "MN" to 741741.  If you think you need a safe place to stay for a short period of time, ask about their Crisis Stabilization Unit.    

National Resources for Crisis/Urgent Needs

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free and confidential support available 24/7 for people in distress or crisis and for their loved ones.  Call 1.800.273.TALK (8255) or chat online confidentially with a trained counselor.  Support is available in Spanish and TTY.  

The Steve Fund 

The Steve Fund provides mental health support for students of color.  Text STEVE to 741741 and a live, trained crisis counselor will respond. 

The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project offers 24/7 Lifeline, Text, Chat and other supports for LGBTQ+ youth and allies.  

The JED Foundation

The JED Foundation's Mental Health Resource Center provides expert advice on what to do when you are worried about yourself or someone else with a variety of struggles.  

For Sexual Assault Victims:

Responding to Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Relationship Violence, and Stalking - UMN Crookston

Confidential Resources on Campus:
Counseling Services: 218.281.8571 or 281.281.8348
Student Health: 218.281.8512

Title IX Coordinator
Jason Tangquist
218.281.8424

Community Resources for Sexual Assault

Community Health Service Inc. 
24/7 Crisis Line: 800.342.7756
310 S. Broadway
Crookston, MN 56716

Community Violence Intervention Center
24/7 Crisis Line: 701.746.8900
211 S. 4th St
Grand Forks, ND 58201

Polk County Victim Services
Court advocacy for victims
223 East 7th Street Suite 101
Crookston, MN 56716
218.281.1554

Emergency Contraception Number
1.888.NOT.2LATE

General Crime Protection
800.524.1993 or 218.281.4347

Counseling Services provides referral assistance to community based mental health providers in your locale.  For assistance, email umccoun@crk.umn.edu

Call the UMN Crisis Line at 218.281.TALK (8255) or 

UMN Textline is available 24/7 by texting 'UMN' to 61222

Another option for crisis counseling is The Steve Fund Crisis Text Line. The Steve Fund is a resource developed to provide students of color with mental health support.  Text STEVE to 741741 and a live, trained Crisis Counselor will respond. More information is available here.

Free online screening assessment for mental health issues: click here

• National and International Resources for Online Students
• Minnesota Resources
• Stress Management
• How to Help a Friend
• CampusWell
• Telecounseling

Responding to Students in Distress

If you are working with a student who is experiencing significant distress, appears to be having difficulties managing stress, and/or experiencing difficulties managing mental health symptoms, your response will depend on the level of urgency in the situation and your relational engagement with the student.  

Red Folder

The Red Folder is our campus guide for recognizing and responding to students in distress and connecting them with appropriate referrals.   The 2021 updates highlight the importance of referring people to the Care Team.  

Urgent Needs and Crisis Situations

For any situation where you determine that the student should talk to someone right away,  call our 24/7 UMN Phone Counseling and Crisis Line by calling 218.281.TALK (8255). Stay on the line with them together until you are dismissed by the crisis line professional, during which time you remain nearby.  If a student exhibits behaviors that indicate IMMEDIATE DANGER to SELF or SOMEONE ELSE, call 911.  View our additional crisis supports.

Faculty and staff may find these tips helpful when preparing for assisting students in distress.

Care Team Referral

In addition to any of the above resources, students of concern should be referred to the Care Team.  Faculty, staff, and students can fill out the Care Team's online referral form and the multi-departmental team will create an action plan to connect the student with appropriate resources.  

Referring Students for Counseling Services

Faculty and staff play an important role in encouraging and connecting students with Counseling Services.  As you're working with students who disclose or display signs of distress, feel free to ask them if they are open to accessing Counseling Services for support.

If they say YES: 

1. Ask if they would like assistance with getting set up for services.  
2. Bring them to the website and show the FOUR WAYS TO GET STARTED with Counseling Services.  
3. Ask if they would like you to take action for them. 
4. Send an email to the student AND to umccoun@crk.umn.edu to connect Counseling Services with the student.  Counseling Services will reply to the student only with resources and links for getting scheduled.  

If they say NO:  

1. Remember that students have the right to decide if they want to engage in Counseling Services.  Respect their decision.  They will seek help in the time that is right for them.  You are planting seeds of encouragement. 
2. Counseling Services staff cannot contact a student unless there is an immediate risk of harm to self or others, in which case, crisis intervention strategies may be implemented.

Remember:  Counseling Services staff cannot disclose information about identity, participation, or involvement with services without the student’s permission and signed release of information.  See Confidential Services for further explanation and exceptions.    

See also Responding to Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Relationship Violence, and Stalking.

Be Proactive:  Trainings for Supporting Students

Responding to Student Suicidality training: Developed for the Mental Health Advocates program, led by Student Counseling Services and Boynton Health, through a systemwide, interdisciplinary collaboration. The training takes approximately 30-60 minutes to complete and is designed to equip faculty and staff with the knowledge and skills to respond to and support a student experiencing suicidality. It also highlights the University’s mental health resources on each campus.

Mental Health Resources for Faculty and Staff

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides confidential professional consultation and referral services to address any personal or work concern that may be affecting your wellbeing. You can receive up to eight sessions per issue at no cost.  

EAP is available to all benefits-eligible employees on all system campuses. Your spouse and dependent children are also eligible for EAP services.  

Additional Resources for Faculty and Staff

• Learn to Live (enter code "UMN")
  Provides free online programs and tools to help with stress/anxiety/worry, depression, social anxiety, insomnia, and substance use. The programs are designed for those who want a self-paced mental health resource.
• Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing Resources:  
• Mindful Mondays:  Free virtual drop in sessions on Mondays from 12-1
• Free Webinars
• COVID-19 Information and Resources 
• Effective U:  Manage Your Stress

Virtual Peer Support

Wellness in the Woods offers daily virtual peer support and warmline services for people located in Minnesota.   

Mental Health Apps

Featured: 

• Learn to Live:  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy modules for depression, anxiety, social anxiety, insomnia, and substance use.  Free to all UMN students, faculty, and staff using code "UMN."
• Sanvello:  A feel-better toolkit including coping techniques, meditations, coaching, and therapy.  Limited free content.  Premium version is free to benefitted UMN employees using Medica ID.    

Free Apps:  

• Mindshift CBT:  Free evidence-based anxiety relief using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) from Anxiety Canada.  
• ACT Coach:  Free app from the Department of Veterans Affairs using tools from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help you "live with unpleasant thoughts, feelings, and impulses without avoiding them or being controlled by them."   
• PTSD Coach:  Self-help strategies for those struggling with trauma from the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Subscription-based apps with limited free content:  

• Headspace:  Mindfulness app with guided meditations, sleep stories, and breathwork with limited free content and a special student rate of $9.99/year.
• Calm:  Sleep, relaxation, and meditation support app with limited free content.  
• The Tapping Solution:  Tap on acupressure meridians to reduce stress levels.  Several tapping meditations are available in the free version.  

YouTube Videos for Mental Well-Being

Developing Coping Skills

Gentle calm breathing from Resources for Resilience.  

Gentle Tapping Technique to release stress through gentle tapping on acupressure meridians.  

Stress Blow Out by Resources for Resilience.  

Progressive Muscle Relaxation with Therapy in a Nutshell

Dealing with Difficult Emotions

• Anxiety Skills YouTube playlist by Therapy in a Nutshell
• Depression Skills YouTube playlist by Therapy in a Nutshell
• How to Process Your Emotions - Learn to Control Your Feelings YouTube playlist by Therapy in a Nutshell

Test Anxiety

Tap along with and repeat aloud after Brad Yates to apply Emotional Freedom Techniques to reduce test anxiety.  

Improving Sleep

• How to Sleep Better YouTube playlist by Therapy in a Nutshell
• Binaural Beats app:  Set an auditory bilateral beat to the background to enhance your alpha, theta, or delta waves.  Learn more about Binaural Beats.  
• Emotional Freedom Techniques tapping mediation for a Good Night's Sleep with Brad Yates

Understanding and Releasing Trauma

• Trauma and PTSD Recovery YouTube playlist by Therapy in a Nutshell

Cultivating Self Worth and Self-Compassion

Dr. Meag-gan Ann O'Reilley compares frameworks of conditional acceptance with inherent worth.

Dr. Kristin Neff shares The Space Between Self-Esteem and Self-Compassion in her TEDx Talk. 

Dr. Brené Brown shares about cultivating connection in her Power of Vulnerability TEDx Talk.

See how Dr. Brené Brown dealt with her own shame after her previous TEDx Talk went viral in Listening to Shame. 

Did you know . . . that parents are the #1 influence over their sons/daughters educational and career choices!

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UMN Crookston wants to help parents support their college students to prepare for and make sound choices and educational decisions.

University freshmen aren't the only ones who may feel a little anxious when they arrive on the University of Minnesota Crookston Campus. Parents face their own uncertainties about how to let go and yet remain involved in their students' lives throughout their college careers.  The transition to college can be exciting, and stressful for families. Parents may be unsure what to expect for their students and what the transition means for their families. 

Remember that your student’s transition to college is a transition for you as well and can be a stressful experience, especially if they have not lived away from home before. During this important time of transition for the family, many parents put their own feelings and reactions “on hold” while helping their students prepare for university life. However, attending to your own emotional needs will go a long way toward helping everyone feel comfortable with the challenges that college presents.

You may feel a variety of emotions as your student prepares to leave home for the first time. You may feel anxious, anxiety, and excitement that are common during this period of transition. It is also normal to look forward to the relative peace and quiet of having your older son or daughter out of the house. You may be excited to have the place to yourself or to have more time to spend with your spouse and or other children.

Remember that coming to the University is a tremendously important developmental step for your son or daughter toward adulthood. It represents a culmination of 17-18 years of learning. This is the time when your hard work as a parent will show itself as your son or daughter begins to make independent choices. Many parents find that it helps to focus on the fact that providing their son or daughter with this opportunity is a priceless gift. Be proud of yourself!

Here are some ways you can help your student from a distance:

• Stay in touch. Even though your student is experimenting with independent choices, they still need to know that you're there and available to discuss both normal events and difficult issues. Make arrangements to write, call, email, or text on a regular basis. It may be helpful to have a conversation about how often s/he would like you to contact them.
• Be realistic about financial matters. Students should come to college with a fairly detailed plan about who will pay for tuition, books, fees, and room and board, and what the family's expectations are about spending money. Being specific at the outset may help avoid misunderstandings later. Don't forget the costs of social activities, which are an important part of the college experience.
• Be realistic about academic achievement and grades. The University attracts bright, and not every student who excelled academically in high school will be a straight-A student at UMC. Developing and refining the capacity to work independently and consistently, to demonstrate mastery, can be as important as grades, as long as the student meets the basic academic requirements set out by the University. Again, these are choices that each individual student makes, though certainly, it is appropriate to help your student set his or her own long-term goals.

Parents-How to Help Yourself:

• Find a new creative outlet. Many parents find that taking on a new challenge is an excellent way to manage and channel their energy and feelings. Have you ever wanted to travel? Volunteer in your community? Assume a new project or responsibility at work? Write a book? Learn to fly? Bike? Run? Or Make a quilt? Make a list of all the things you intended to do while your son or daughter was growing up, but never had the time to do it. Now is your chance!
• Allow yourself to have emotions. There is little benefit in pretending that you don't feel sad, guilty, relieved, apprehensive, worried, etc. about the transition to UMC. A healthier approach is to discuss your feelings with your family, friends, clergy, or whoever is a source of support for you. Talking with other parents of college-bound students can be particularly helpful.
• Make overall wellness a goal for yourself. During stressful times, it helps to get enough sleep, eat healthy meals regularly, get adequate exercise, and do something that you like. If you are feeling good, you are more likely to have the energy to help your son or daughter and be a good role model.
• Be patient with the transition. It is important to recognize that it will take some time to develop the right balance between your son or daughter's developing need for independence and their simultaneous need for support and guidance. Every person is different in this regard and has different needs, and these needs will almost certainly change over time. In addition, students don't know always know how much independence they can handle or how much support they will actually need. So, be patient, and understand that it will likely take some time for everyone to figure this out.

UMN Guide for Parenting College Students

Want more information on how to best support your college student?  The University of Minnesota has assembled this comprehensive online guide for Parenting College Students, helping parents navigate how to have conversations with your student about academic decision making, financial issues, many sensitive subjects, and more.   

To support and enhance the mental well-being of students at the University of Minnesota Crookston.

Counseling Services Provides:  

Brief (time-time limited), goal-oriented mental health counseling for currently enrolled UMN Crookston students for personal, crisis, and developmental counseling services.   Counseling Services also provides virtual, confidential consultation and referrals for student assistance to community-based mental health providers.    

Counseling Services DOES NOT Provide: 

Counseling Services strives to provide support for as many students’ mental health needs as possible. However, we are not able to provide some specialized services, resource-intensive programs, services beyond the scope of Counseling Services mission, or those which pose a conflict of interest.  As such, we do not provide:

• Counseling Services to students located outside of Minnesota or North Dakota at the time of the session

• Services to incoming first-year students prior to Orientation, students who have graduated, or alumni
• Clinical services to staff or faculty
• Long-term counseling
• Psychiatric Services (visit Health Services)
• Assessment or documentation for service or emotional support animals (visit Disability Resource Center)
• Testing for learning disabilities or attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Forensic evaluations
• Neuropsychological evaluations
• Intensive substance abuse treatment
• Intensive outpatient treatment
• Treatment that is required by court or probation or recommended by an attorney in relation to a legal case
• Services to students who are not medically stable or require intensive medical treatment
• Mediation for on-campus proceedings

Although we do not provide these services, we will assist students in accessing these resources off-campus. If you would like assistance in finding resources to meet your needs, please connect with our providers at umccoun@crk.umn.edu or stop in during our Let's Talk drop-in times.  

Jodi Ramberg, MA, LPC, BC-TMH
Counselor and Counseling Services Director
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Prevention Coordinator

Jodi is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Minnesota and North Dakota.  She earned her Master’s Degree in Counseling with an emphasis in addictions at the University of North Dakota.  Jodi enjoys assisting individuals to increase their self-compassion and well-being.  Jodi has advanced training in trauma-informed therapy and specialized training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) for trauma treatment.  She has specialized training in Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for assisting individuals desiring to make behavioral changes.  Jodi has a background working as an addiction counselor and tobacco cessation specialist and enjoys applying this experience to Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Prevention efforts.  Jodi worked at the University of North Dakota’s Counseling Center for eight years prior to coming to UMC Counseling Services in the spring of 2021. 

Christen Schoenborn, MA, LPC
Assistant Counselor

Christen is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Minnesota.  She earned her Master’s Degree at Minnesota State University, Moorhead in 2014 in College Counseling and Student Affairs.  Christen is passionate about helping individuals utilize mindful self-compassion and wellness strategies with individuals, groups, and workshops. She uses an eclectic approach in working with individuals and believes that meeting the individual where they are at and developing a connection with individuals aligns best with her theoretical framework. Her primary strengths include working with individuals with anxiety/stress/worry and wellness strategies.  Christen has experience working with clients in a variety of different settings including outpatient, inpatient, and college counseling centers.  She has been working in Counseling Services at UMN Crookston since the fall of 2017.