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Background.  A medical leave of absence (MLOA) allows students whose academic progress and performance has been seriously compromised by a mental health condition or illness to take time away from the University without academic penalty.  Such leave affords students time to pursue treatment and eventually return to the University with a significantly improved chance of success academically and personally.

Whenever a student is granted this kind of leave, the student's program at Georgetown requires our office (the Counseling and Psychiatric Service, or CAPS) to assess a student's status and issue a recommendation regarding that student's progress so that the student can then be considered for re-enrollment at the University.  The purpose of the assessment process is to determine the student's degree of recovery and readiness to resume the demands of university life.  While CAPS makes recommendations for both MLOAs and returns from MLOAs, the authority for granting leaves and returns rests with the dean's office.

Recommendations for students.  After meeting with a student considering an MLOA, we put our recommendations in writing.  We generally recommend that students going on MLOA obtain outpatient psychotherapy on an intensive basis, which often means a minimum of weekly face-to-face sessions for the duration of the leave (and consultation from a psychiatrist regarding medications if that is needed).  We also recommend other types of treatment if there is a specific problem such as an eating disorder or substance abuse.  Treatment should be initiated immediately upon taking the leave from the University.

In addition, we recommend that a student undertake a daily work or volunteer experience or an internship to test out the capacity to handle day-to-day activities, task requirements, and interpersonal demands found in a work setting.  Generally, students must petition or otherwise secure the permission of their Georgetown dean if they wish to take courses elsewhere while on MLOA.  When deemed appropriate, this may be another viable test of one's ability to handle academic pressure, course requirements, deadlines, paper writing, participation in classroom activities, and studying, at least some of which are often impaired when there is need for an MLOA.

Time frame.  We generally suggest that students take at least six to twelve months off in order to have an opportunity to fully undertake the steps listed above.  

Requirements for return.  In order to receive a positive recommendation from CAPS to return, a student must demonstrate that the issues which resulted in the leave have been substantially addressed through treatment and resolved to the point where it can reasonably be assumed that these will not continue to undermine the student's ability to function in school.  To help us assess that, we look for information from treaters and evidence of satisfactory functioning as demonstrated by successful completion of classes taken elsewhere or successful participation in a daily work experience, as noted above.  We then make our own further assessment by means of an in-person interview.

The return process.  When a student feels ready to come back, we ask that student to undertake the following steps as part of the process of being considered for re-enrollment.

We advise students to contact the Dean's office and our office to let us know of their intention to re-enroll approximately 3 months in advance of the intended return date, with deadlines for receipt of all written materials by November 1 for consideration for the spring semester, April 1 for the summer sessions, and July 1 for the fall semester.  If materials are missing or are received after the relevant deadline, consideration for clearance is made for the following semester rather than the semester for which a student was initially seeking clearance.

We ask the student to provide us with Release of Information forms so that we may communicate with relevant parties such as deans and healthcare providers.  We use a Community Provider Report Form which enables a provider to document treatment as well as the student's initial clinical status and current clinical status.  We also look for a transcript and/or letter of reference from a work supervisor as to academic work and/or job performance during the period of the leave.  Letters of reference need to be written on the employer's letterhead stationery, signed, dated, and list the dates of service, hours per week, attendance record, and the nature and quality of the work.

In addition, we ask the student to provide a brief statement (no more than two pages) describing (1) his or her experiences and activities while away from Georgetown, (2) his or her current understanding of the factors that led to the need for a leave, (3) the insights he or she has gained from treatment, and (4) a description of how the student plans to implement these insights and what he or she will do differently in order to ensure a successful return to Georgetown University.

Once a student has sent in all the required documentation, our CAPS MLOA committee reviews the materials to determine if the various criteria have been met.  If so, we contact the student to arrange a personal interview so that we can assess first-hand the student's readiness to return.  Following the interview the committee looks at all the data that has been collected, including information about how a student walks through the process.  For example, has the student sufficiently addressed the issues which culminated in the need for a leave of absence?  Has the student shown evidence of successful daily functioning?  Did the student show good judgment, foresight, and planning abilities as he or she made plans to return?  Was the student combative or collaborative through the return process?  All these data points provide a picture of the student's adjustment, readiness to return, and ability to handle stresses the student will find in the University environment.

We then contact the dean's office to indicate our observations and opinions.  The dean's office takes these into consideration when deciding whether or not to re-enroll a student.  As noted earlier, final authority for granting a return rests in the dean's office.

While the return process is time-intensive for our office as well as for students, it is methodical and designed to ensure that a student obtains the help that is needed so that the student will function well and thrive when he or she returns to school.  We follow the same practice for all students.