CMHS Resources for Parents of Tufts Students
Entering college is a significant milestone for students, one that reverberates throughout the family. It can take time and work to get accustomed to your student's growing independence, both for you and for your student.
FAQs Regarding Counseling & Mental Health Service (CMHS)
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Counseling can provide support and help students gain a better understanding of themselves, as well as help them develop skills to cope better emotionally, socially, or academically. Each year, approximately 25% of Tufts students seek support through CMHS for a wide range of issues including but not limited to: adjustment issues, anxiety, depression, overall stress, grief, issues related to a student’s identity, concerns around substance use, eating concerns, sleep, trauma, and many more.
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We offer time-limited counseling services based on students’ individual needs. Students may be seen for a single session or up to a semester (typically every other week). An individual plan regarding the type, length, and frequency of counseling is tailored to the specific needs of each student and is created by the student and their counselor, often in the first meeting. Sometimes students need help with concerns that are beyond our scope of practice.
For more questions about our scope of practice, see the main page of our website here: go.tufts.edu/counseling
Students who need help with concerns beyond our scope of practice may be assisted with referrals to providers in the community for further services after a course of treatment at CMHS, whereas in other situations students may be referred more quickly, including after the initial assessment. If a student would benefit from long-term counseling, weekly therapy, or needs a specialized treatment modality that CMHS does not provide, our team is happy to assist students with connecting to local mental health supports.
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- If you think a student is in immediate danger, call TUPD at 617-627-6911 at any time of day.
- For any other urgent mental health concerns, call CMHS at 617-627-3360, and choose option 1 to be connected to the counselor on call.
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If your student is interested in seeing a CMHS psychiatry clinician for evaluation and consideration of medication treatment OR if your student is currently receiving psychiatric services and would like to transfer care to a CMHS psychiatric clinician, please see the link here for specific eligibility requirements, and potential fees: go.tufts.edu/psychiatry
If your student is not eligible for CMHS psychiatry services, our team would be happy to assist with local referral options.
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All currently enrolled full-time students as well as currently enrolled part-time students who have paid the Health and Wellness fee are eligible for services through CMHS. Counseling sessions are free of charge for eligible students.
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Typically, if a provider is licensed in Massachusetts, your student can continue meeting if the provider offers telehealth services. If your student’s provider is located outside of Massachusetts, your student should consult with their provider directly about their ability to continue services.
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As a parent or guardian, it is completely understandable that you want to know whether your student has connected with a counselor and how your student’s treatment is going. However, mental health patient confidentiality makes this information exchange between you and your student’s counselor complex.
In emergency situations, the counseling center may contact you (the parent/guardian) without permission from the student.
In other less urgent situations, your student can decide to sign a Release of Information Form (ROI) with their counselor. An ROI specifies what information can be released and to whom, as well as the length of time that the ROI is valid. A student can change their mind about this consent at any time.
For more information about CMHS Services and policies, see the links below:
Developmental Stages and the Transition to College Life
Although each student—and each family—is unique, some issues commonly emerge for parents and families. It may be helpful for you to reflect on some of the many changes taking place for your student during this time of life:
- Greater independence: College students learn to take care of themselves in important new ways, and they become increasingly self-reliant while still depending on their parents in other ways.
- Developing intimacy: Typically, students develop strong ties with peers—including intimate partners—and develop greater self-awareness within relationships.
- Changing role in the family: Students need to re-negotiate important aspects of their family relationships, including their roles and boundaries within the family.
- Intellectual growth: College is a time when students experience rapid intellectual growth and explore new and different ideas, opinions, and ways of thinking.
- Identity development: Students at this age are exploring different facets of their identity and may experiment with different styles and behaviors.
For more information, visit Set to Go, a program that guides students and families through the social, emotional, and mental health challenges related to transitioning out of high school and into college and adulthood.
Tips for Parenting Through the College Years
Every family will likely have their own experience of this life passage, with their own particular challenges, joys, expectations, and concerns. Here are a few ideas to help nurture a growth-promoting and satisfying relationship with your college student throughout their college years:
- Set reasonable expectations about academics. Your student may have been a super academic achiever in high school but may not get straight A's in college. Help them to accept that doing the best they can is terrific, even if they do not make the Dean's List. If they truly do need academic assistance, encourage them to seek it out.
- Be a good listener. Support your student in exploring options and finding their own solutions, without taking it upon yourself to solve problems for them. Remind them about the resources available to them at Tufts, and encourage them to seek those out for further assistance. The Student Life website is a good place to start.
- Be emotionally supportive. Be positive and encouraging, but don't push your student to follow a particular course of action or pressure them about majors or grades. You can express your own opinions; imposing your opinions on your student, however, will likely create unproductive conflict.
- Stay in touch. It can be tricky to walk the line between maintaining a connection with your student and giving them the space they need at this age. Email, letters, care packages, and phone calls or texts from home can help fight homesickness. Express interest in your student’s experiences at school by asking them about their classes, activities, and friends.
- Ask them what they need from you. When you are not sure what to do, it is okay to ask your student what they feel they need from you at that moment. They may want you to just listen, for example, while they "vent" about something, without being told how to handle it. Perhaps they need sympathy, a hug, a visit, a phone call, or some distance.
- Get the support you need. This can be a confusing time and may sometimes even feel like an emotional rollercoaster. One day your student may reach out for your support, the next day rejecting any offer of help. Stay in touch with your own supportive friends and relatives, and talk with other parents who have been—or are now going through—the same thing.
Popular Books for Parents
- The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College, Harlan Cohen (2017)
- The iConnected Parent: Staying Close to Your Kids in College (and Beyond) While Letting Them Grow Up, Barbara K. Hofer and Abigail Sullivan Moore (2011)
- Letting Go: A Parents' Guide to Understanding the College Years, Karen Levin Coburn and Madge Lawrence Treeger (2016)
- The Campus Cure: A Parent's Guide to Mental Health and Wellness for College Students, Marcia Morris (2018)
- College Mental Health 101: A Guide for Students, Parents, and Professionals, Christopher Willard, Blaise Aguirre, and Chelsie Green (2025)