Counseling

If you have a crisis emergency while on campus, contact the Counseling Department immediately at 309-796-5199 or counseling@bhc.edu.

After hours: Call the Robert Young Center at 309-779-2031 or 24-hour Crisis Intervention at 309-779-2990.

For physical safety emergencies: Call the BHC Police Department at 309-796-5911 or call 911. If calling from an on-campus phone, dial 5911.

Other emergency hotlines are available.

Let’s talk

All counseling services are free to current BHC students. To schedule a confidential appointment, please call, email or stop by our office on either campus.

During your first appointment, a professional counselor will:

• Help clarify your concerns
• Explore ongoing counseling needs
• Determine if additional services would be beneficial

We will help you whether your concerns are personal, educational or social. We assist you in exploring alternatives, weighing consequences and learning new skills to help you cope with and resolve the problems you are facing. Everything you discuss during your counseling session will be completely confidential.

Resources

There are Quad-Cities Campus local resources and East Campus local resources for clothing, domestic violence programs, food programs, health care resources (pregnancy, medication assistance, testing, etc.), housing resources, job assistance, legal assistance, rent/utility assistance and transportation.

Additional counseling resources include: Emergency hotlines, Online resources, Veteran’s counseling resources, Mental health screenings, Support groups and Quit smoking support.

Confidentiality

Your counseling information is confidential. No information about who is receiving counseling or the nature of their visits is released without the written permission of the person. Exceptions to this include subpoena, in cases of current child abuse, or if there is an expressed intent to harm one’s self or another. Black Hawk College counselors adhere to the ethical standards and practices of the American Counseling Association, Alexandria, VA.

Counseling Events

Be sure to keep an eye out for these special events hosted by BHC Counseling:

• Social Services Fair at each campus in the fall
• Pet therapy is provided by the Quad Cities Canine Assistance Network (QC CAN) the first Tuesday every month and the week before finals each fall and spring. Come pet a dog in the lobby just outside the QC Campus library!
• Awareness month activities

SUICIDE PREVENTION 

ASK!! Are you or is anyone you care about suicidal? Here are some links that may help! As always, you are more than welcome to talk to a BHC counselor about how to start the conversation, how to help someone you think might be hurting, or how to help yourself!

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call the National Suicide Hotline at 800-273-TALK. Or call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

BHC Food Pantries

According to Hunger on Campus, 50 percent of community college students and 47 percent of four-year college students reported food insecurity. Twenty-five percent and 20 percent (respectively) had very low food security.

We have partnered with River Bend Food Bank to provide perishable and non-perishable food to any BHC student.

Even if you feel you have enough to eat, sometimes redistributing financial resources can help. Feel free to visit either BHC food pantry and use the money you had reserved for food for a different need.

Quad-Cities Campus Food Pantry – Hawk’s Cupboard

Quad-Cities Campus Food Pantry – Hawk’s Cupboard
***NEW LOCATION: With the Building 3 remodel, the Hawk’s Cupboard has moved to a temporary location.***

1. Walk-up location – Building 4, Restaurant (2nd floor, next to the Hawk’s Nest) when there is a student worker present.
2. Drive-up events – Available the first and third Wednesdays of the month during the fall and spring semesters. Please pre-register so we know how many bags to pack. Pull up outside Building 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and we’ll put bags of food in your trunk or back seat. Reminders with dates and a map will be emailed to every student before every drive-up event.

Spring 2023 QC drive-up dates:

• Jan. 25
• Feb. 8 & 22
• March 8 & 22
• April 5 & 19
• May 3 & 17

Sign up for a Hawk’s Cupboard drive-up date.

Registration is available a week before each date until noon the Tuesday before.

East Campus Food Pantry – The Kitchen

1. Walk-up location – Building 1 (next to BHC’s EC Police Department).
2. Drive-up events – Available the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month during the fall and spring semesters. Please pre-register so we know how many bags to pack. Pull up outside Building 1 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and we’ll put bags of food in your trunk or back seat.

Spring 2023 EC drive-up dates:

• Jan. 11 & 25
• Feb. 15
• March 1, 15 & 29
• April 12 & 26
• May 10

Sign up for a The Kitchen drive-up date.

Registration is available a week before each date until noon the Tuesday before.

CEC Food Pantry

Sign up for the CEC Food Pantry

Questions? Email counseling@bhc.edu.

Want to make a donation? Food items & hygiene items can be dropped off at either campus’ pantry at any time. Cash donations can be made at www.bhc.edu/pantrydonations.

Policies & Forms

In accordance with the Student Optional Disclosure of Private Mental Health Act (IGP 59.1), Black Hawk College is providing students the opportunity to authorize, in writing, the disclosure of certain private mental health information to a designated person of their choosing.

The Student Optional Disclosure of Private Mental Health Information Act in the state of Illinois provides you with the opportunity to designate an adult whom you would like us to contact in the event that you experience a mental health emergency that puts you or others at risk for serious injury or death. You are not required to designate a contact. If you would like to designate an Emergency Mental Health Contact, please fill out the online form.

Student Mental Health Emergency Contact Release Form

This Act states that an institution of higher learning may disclose mental health information if a qualified examiner makes a determination that the student poses a clear danger to himself, herself or others to protect the student or other person against a clear, imminent risk of serious physical or mental injury or disease or death being inflicted upon the person or by the student on himself, herself or another. The qualified examiner shall, as soon as practicable, but in no more than 24 hours after making the determination under this section, attempt to contact the designated person and notify the designated person that the qualified examiner has made a determination that the student poses a clear, imminent danger to himself, herself or others.

If you desire to designate a person who would receive certain private mental health information in such a situation, complete the form and indicate if you authorize, or decline to authorize, the disclosure of the information.