Gregory T. Eells is associate director of Gannett Health Services and director of Counseling and Psychological Services. He hopes that this column will help allay some of the fears on campus that have resulted from last week's shooting deaths at Virginia Tech.

The terrible tragedy at Virginia Tech has brought considerable attention to colleges, universities and their counseling services. Questions have been raised about what could have been done to prevent this shooting and what can be done in the future to prevent similar incidents. The reality is that complete prevention is not possible. However, much can be done to reduce the risk of violent incidents.

One of the first steps is for all members of the higher education community to have a good understanding of what counseling services can and cannot do. Counseling is a process that is founded on the autonomy of the person seeking those services. Students occasionally are mandated for assessments by a judicial administrator's office when there is a violation of the campus code of conduct. These assessments can work to leverage students into the care they need; but therapy remains a voluntary process, and students do have the right to refuse care.

When members of the campus community are concerned about a student's risk of doing violence to self or others and the student already is receiving care, counseling professionals always conduct a risk assessment. If the professional feels there is imminent risk that clients might hurt themselves or someone else, that professional has the legal authority to hospitalize a client, with or without consent. That same professional still has an obligation, as established by state and federal law, to maintain the confidentiality of that student; so telling parents, administrators or others in the campus community is not standard practice. The law does allow and encourage placing safety over confidentiality when there is clear risk of harm.

New York state law also supports the professional's duty to protect others from a client who is clearly threatening and at imminent risk of harming others. The assessment of imminent risk is based on professional judgment, including an exploration of risk factors such as a history of violence, the client's willingness to comply with treatment and concern from others on campus.

Such concern is something that Cornell has taken very seriously in the last decade. A variety of interconnected initiatives have been generated at various levels, echoed in particular by President David Skorton, who has called for all of us to work to become an "even more caring community." In 2004, Provost Biddy Martin and Vice President Susan Murphy launched the Council on Mental Health and Welfare, comprising students, staff, faculty and deans, charged, among other things, with increasing support for members of the Cornell community facing mental health challenges.

Academic departments and offices responsible for student support work closely to weave a safety net for students. For example, members of the Dean of Students Office, Gannett Health Services and academic advising units are attending department meetings across campus. The goal is to engage faculty in discussions about mental health concerns and the important role faculty members play in recognizing students in distress and helping them access supportive services. Similar conversations are held with staff members, residence advisers and others in a position to notice, care and act.

Addressing the worry that students may "fall through the cracks," a small, highly confidential group of staff members from key departments across campus meets regularly to consolidate information about students who may be distressed or at risk and to develop a plan to get them appropriate help. Cornell also has a Mental Health Policy Team dedicated to identifying best practices and policies to guide communications and interventions at high- risk times and with students perceived to be at risk.

At a clinical level, reducing barriers for students to access counseling is a priority for Gannett's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), whose phone assessment system allows a student to talk with a counselor within 24 hours of the first call. (Emergencies are seen on the same day.) Our popular "Let's Talk" program, at nine walk-in locations around campus, offers accessible consultations to students who may be hesitant to access traditional counseling services. We also have two dedicated psychologists whose primary role is to provide community consultation and intervention for troubled students who are reluctant to seek help.

These coordinated initiatives, together with increasing awareness about mental health issues, do lower the risk of tragedies occurring on our campus. Beyond that, they are vital to our growing, shared commitment to "becoming an even more caring community."