How can counseling services help someone like me?

Counseling Services can help you with a wide variety of personal difficulties, such as self-esteem, depression, sexual identity, relationship conflicts, eating disorders, and family concerns.  Personal counseling within a supportive, professional environment can help you understand yourself better and gain healthy coping strategies.

Counseling can help you:  

• Identify and resolve personal, social, emotional, or academic problems 

• Develop decision-making skills needed to meet the challenges of living and learning

• Develop academic skills needed to meet the challenges of the classroom 

• Talk about things you couldn’t discuss with a friend, roommate or family member.

Types of Services:                             

• Individual Counseling:  Meet with a counselor for regularly scheduled individualized sessions.

• Group Counseling:  Meet with 6 to 8 other students with similar problems to discuss those areas that interfere with functioning at an optimal level.

• Wellness Workshops:  Specific groups and seminars that focus on various life skills (e.g., stress management, time management, assertiveness, anger management, and relaxation training).

• Consultation:  Provided to students, staff, and faculty who may be concerned about a particular student but aren’t sure how to approach him/her.

• Referral to a Community Agency:  Because we offer primarily short-term counseling, we provide referral information to appropriate community resources to help students whose needs are beyond the scope of our services. 

• Testing Accommodations:  Students who have documented disabilities and receive services through the Office of Disabilities may receive testing accommodations through our office.  

Confidentiality:

In Counseling Services, confidentiality is a high priority and is respected to the limits provided law and judicial decisions.  The most obvious exception to confidentiality is in the case of imminent harm to self or others.  Other exceptions include child or elder neglect/abuse.  No record of a student's use of personal counseling is kept in placement files or on official transcripts.  No information about a student (who is 18 years or older) can be shared with another (even a parent) without that student's written authorization.