Counseling Service Procedures

Definitions and Abbreviations
General Principles
Responsibility for Implementation
Procedures

1	University	Sultan Qaboos University (SQU).
2	Center	The Student Counseling Center at Sultan Qaboos University.
3	Counseling and Guidance Specialist	A qualified professional responsible for providing psychological counseling and guidance services and possessing the appropriate academic qualifications and professional competencies required for the role.
4	Counselee	A male or female student, or an entity within the University, seeking consultation or counseling assistance for developmental, preventive, or therapeutic purposes, or experiencing needs or difficulties in one or more areas of life and seeking counseling support.
5	Psychological Counseling and Guidance	A professional process aimed at helping counselees gain a better understanding of themselves, overcome the difficulties they encounter, develop positive attitudes and logical and realistic patterns of thinking, enhance their capabilities and competencies in preventing life-related problems, and make informed decisions concerning their academic and professional future and the difficulties and challenges they may encounter.
6	Individual Counseling	A service provided in the specialist's office or remotely through weekly individual sessions, each lasting approximately 45 minutes. Counseling may continue for one academic semester or longer, depending on the counselee's needs and the nature of the difficulties encountered.
7	Group Counseling	A counseling process provided simultaneously to a group of 5–15 counselees who share a common concern or need. Sessions are conducted weekly in a designated group counseling room and typically last between 45 and 60 minutes.
8	Electronic Counseling Record	An electronic form used to document information, assessment and diagnosis, counseling plans, and follow-up for individual and group counseling cases.
9	Electronic Consultation Form	A form used to collect relevant information and document the consultation plan.
10	Confidentiality of Counseling Services	The protection and confidentiality of all information obtained during the counseling process, including information that the counselee considers personal or confidential, provided that confidentiality does not apply in circumstances involving a risk of harm to the counselee, others, or property.
11	Guidance Programs	Programs provided by the Center, including developmental counseling, extended counseling, and other related programs, events, and activities.
12	Code of Ethics	A set of values, rights, responsibilities, and professional ethical standards governing the practice of specialists and personnel working in psychological counseling. It aims to safeguard the dignity and rights of all parties involved in the counseling process and constitutes a professional code of conduct to which all specialists and personnel working in this field at Sultan Qaboos University shall adhere. See Appendix (1).
13	Consultations	Counseling services provided in response to a clear, specific, and non-complex concern that may be academic, psychological, family-related, or career-related. Consultations may be provided through face-to-face meetings, remotely, by telephone, or via email. A consultation is typically provided as a single session without a predetermined duration.
14	Crisis Case Counseling	Counseling provided to a case requiring urgent attention at the Center. The case is assessed according to established criteria for determining the level of risk and through an initial mental status assessment.
15	Developmental Counseling	Structured developmental lectures addressing psychological, educational, and academic topics. These lectures are delivered by a specialist in a University venue or remotely, normally last one hour during official working hours, and may be attended by students without prior registration.
16	Extended Counseling	Structured developmental lectures addressing psychological, educational, and academic topics. These lectures are delivered by a specialist in a University venue, student residence halls, or remotely. They are generally conducted during evening hours outside official working hours and normally last one hour.
17	Training Workshops	Structured training activities designed to develop specific academic and life skills. Workshops are offered to a limited number of students, not exceeding 30 participants. Participants receive a training certificate, prior registration is required, and workshops are conducted in pre-booked University venues or at the Center.
18	Dialogue Sessions	Specialized sessions organized by the Center in collaboration with various entities within the University. These sessions are typically moderated by a student.
19	Relaxation Sessions	A series of sessions in which students may participate to learn and practice relaxation techniques as an approach to reducing academic and life-related stress.
20	Staff Training Workshops	Training activities designed to develop specific skills among University staff, with participation limited to a maximum of 25 employees.
21	Events Committee	A committee responsible for planning the Center's programs and activities for each academic semester. It is chaired by the Head of the Student Affairs Section and includes the Head of the Psychological Counseling Section, the Head of the Training Section, Center specialists, and other individuals relevant to the planned activities.
22	Community Counseling Services	A range of psychological counseling services provided to entities within the University community as well as external institutions and individuals.
23	Communication Committee	A committee responsible for enhancing the quality of the Center's programs by identifying and developing program proposals that address students' needs and the challenges they encounter. The committee is chaired by the Director of the Center and includes Assistant Deans of the colleges and representatives from the Deanship of Student Affairs, Deanship of Admissions and Registration, Centre for Preparatory Studies, Customer Services Department, and the Behavioral Medicine Department at the University Medical City.

1. Specialists and personnel working at the Center shall adhere to the University's Code of Ethics for professionals engaged in psychological counseling and guidance.

2. Counseling services are voluntary, and University students are encouraged to utilize these services as needed.

3. A dedicated record shall be established for each counseling case. Access to such records shall be restricted to authorized personnel in accordance with the University's Code of Ethics for professionals engaged in psychological counseling and guidance.

4. Information and records relating to counseling cases shall be handled confidentially, protected against unauthorized alteration or misuse, and safeguarded against loss or damage.

5. The confidentiality and privacy of the counselee shall be maintained.

6. All counseling service records and files—including individual counseling, group counseling, and psychological consultation records—containing information relating to counseling cases shall be treated as confidential.

7. Counseling services and guidance programs shall be evaluated periodically to ensure their quality and effectiveness.

8. The specialist shall prepare and submit a report for cases involving identified risks, clearly indicating the assessed level of risk, to the staff member responsible for crisis cases at the Center.

9. Electronic counseling case records shall be closed electronically after confirming that the student is no longer enrolled at the University.

10. The number of counseling sessions required shall vary according to the nature of the difficulties and challenges experienced by the counselee.

11. The specialist shall utilize psychological assessment and measurement tools when required, including tools for assessing traits, skills, and abilities and for identifying or assessing psychological concerns, according to the needs of the counselee.

The Student Counseling Center at Sultan Qaboos University

First: Procedures for Accessing Individual Counseling Services

1. The student may visit the Center in person, contact the reception office by telephone, or send an email to schedule an individual counseling session.

2. If a student is referred to the Center by one of the University's units, such as a college, academic advisor, the Deanship of Student Affairs, the Customer Services Department, or any other relevant unit, the receptionist shall contact the referred student to schedule a counseling session.

3. The receptionist shall receive counseling cases and securely and confidentially record the counselee's information in the designated electronic system.

4. The receptionist shall handle crisis cases presenting to the Center in accordance with the Guidelines for Managing Counseling and Crisis (Emergency) Cases..

5. The specialist shall receive the counselee at the scheduled appointment and provide the required counseling service.

6. The counselee shall evaluate the individual counseling service after the third session using the evaluation form .

Second: Procedures for Accessing Group Counseling Services and Guidance Programs

1. The Communication Committee shall coordinate with the various colleges, deanships, and centers to identify students' needs and challenges.

2. The Events Committee shall meet at the end of each academic semester to identify appropriate developmental and preventive programs to be offered to students during the following semester.

3. The Events Committee shall determine the programs to be offered to students based on the following:

Recommendations of the Communication Committee.

Results of the disclosure form.

Findings of research and studies conducted by the Research and Assessment Section in collaboration with other sections.

Student suggestions obtained from evaluations of previous activities.

Observations made by specialists while providing their services.

4. At the beginning of each academic semester, the Center shall announce the schedule of activities and guidance programs to be offered to students through the University email system and the Center's official social media platforms.

5. The Events Committee shall determine the registration periods for programs requiring prior registration, such as group counseling, training workshops, and other relevant programs. Registration details shall be announced through University email and the Center's social media platforms.

6. Programs shall be delivered according to the approved schedule established for each program.

7. Participants shall evaluate the guidance programs—including group counseling, student training workshops, developmental counseling, extended counseling, staff training workshops, and other programs—upon completion of each program using the relevant program and activity evaluation questionnaires , Group counseling shall also be evaluated during the final session.

Third: Procedures for Accessing Community Counseling Services

For the University and Local Community:

1. A formal request to provide an activity shall be submitted by a University unit or an external community entity through email or the Wasool system at least two weeks before the proposed date of the activity.

2. The Director of the Center shall refer the request to the Student Affairs Section at the Center, which shall coordinate with the Psychological Counseling Section to determine the availability of a specialist to deliver the requested activity on the proposed date.

3. Following approval to deliver an activity outside the University, the Student Affairs Section shall coordinate with the University's Transportation Services to arrange transportation for the specialist delivering the activity, where required.

4. If the Center is unable to provide the requested activity for any reason, the Center shall send an official letter of apology to the requesting entity.

5. Following completion of the activity, participants from the host entity shall evaluate the activity using the evaluation form.