Returning from a Medical Leave

At times the HWS deans require students who take a medical leave from the Colleges to secure mental health treatment at home before returning to school. In such instances, deans may require students to arrange for their home treatment providers to endorse students' readiness to resume their studies before allowing students to return to HWS. Further, deans may require that the home treatment providers communicate their endorsement to the staff at the Counseling Center, who then forward a recommendation relating to readmission to the deans.

In evaluating whether a student has successfully participated in treatment while on medical leave, Counseling Center staff require a written statement from the student's home treatment provider. The home treatment provider must be a licensed or certified mental health professional. The statement from the home treatment provider must include the following:

• A summary of the student's participation in treatment.
  
  
• A statement that specifically addresses the student's readiness to return to HWS.
  
  
• A statement that indicates whether there is any need for ongoing mental health treatment, and, if applicable, specific recommendations relating to ongoing treatment.

In order to share information received from a student's home treatment provider with the deans, the Counseling Center staff require a signed release from the student. A sample release (in Microsoft Word format) can be viewed and downloaded by clicking here . The signed and completed release should be mailed  to the Counseling Center staff, at the following address:
HWS Counseling Center
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
119 St. Clair Street
Geneva, NY 14456

Once the signed release is in hand, Counseling Center staff will share relevant information received from a student's home treatment provider by means of a memorandum sent to the deans and copied to the student. Students should be advised that, even in the best of circumstances, the process of confirming their successful participation in treatment typically requires a few weeks, and sometimes takes longer. Ultimately, the decision to allow a student to return to school following a medical leave rests with the HWS deans, and not with the staff at the Counseling Center.

Any questions about this process should be directed to the HWS deans or the staff of the Counseling Center. The Hobart College deans can be reached by calling 315-781-3300; the William Smith deans can be reached by calling 315-781-3467; and a Counseling Center staff member can be reached by calling 315-781-3388.