MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. – Dr. Mark Parisi, director of the SUNY Orange Wellness Center, has been invited to participate in a panel discussion regarding unique current legal issues faced by mental health professionals in higher education at the annual Mental Health Conference hosted in Albany, N.Y. on Jan. 7-8 by the State University of New York (SUNY) Office of General Counsel.

The two-day conference, entitled “Navigating the Legal Terrain of Mental Health Issues on Campus,” will be held at the Albany Capital Center and will bring together mental health experts, SUNY administrative leadership and personnel from many of the 64 campuses within the SUNY system to address current issues affecting mental health and higher education.

Panelists will address such varied topics as client confidentiality, reasonable accommodations for students and employees, behavioral assessment and intervention teams, mental health considerations in student conduct decisions, licensure of mental health professionals, emotional support and service animals on campus, university liability stemming from mental health-related issues, and the intersection of Title IX and mental health regulations.

Parisi’s participation in the “Current Legal Issues Unique to the NYS Mental Health Professions in the Higher Education Context” panel will close out the conference on Jan. 8.

Parisi has served as director of the College’s Wellness Center since July 2014.  He oversees the provision of both physical and mental health services to employees and students at the College’s Middletown and Newburgh campuses. The Wellness Center provides a wide array of wellness initiatives, offers educational programming, and partners with many local and regional agencies for the benefit of the College and local communities. 

Parisi completed his pre-doctoral internship in psychology at the University of Delaware’s Center for Counseling and Student Development and, upon graduation from his doctoral program, worked as a senior counselor at SUNY New Paltz. He also maintained a private practice for many years and before starting in his current position he worked briefly as a counselor at Dutchess Community College.

Early in his career he taught English as a second language at several community colleges in New Jersey prior to becoming a psychologist.  He earned his Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University at Albany and is a licensed psychologist. He has a master of education degree in counseling and human services from Lehigh University, a master of arts degree in linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor of arts degree in Japanese studies and linguistics from Bucknell University.

For more information on the SUNY Orange Wellness Center, call (845) 341-4870 or visit www.sunyorange.edu/wellness.