Our Services
The Counseling & Career Planning Center is a place where students can go to receive services designed to help handle day-to-day challenges while encouraging their personal growth and development. Services provided by the Center include personal, career, and academic counseling as well as crisis intervention. Services are confidential and offered by professionally trained counselors and psychologists. Most services are free of charge, however, there is a minimal charge for testing. Please call if you have any questions, or come by to see us.
The Counseling Center is a place where students can benefit from working with an experienced, non-judgemental helper in individual or group counseling. New clients can come to the Center during walk-in hours from 9:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The initial assessment takes approximately 15 minutes. Individuals coming for an intake session are seen on a first-come, first-served basis but the waiting is usually no longer than about 20 minutes. If you are unable to come during intake hours feel free to call for an appointment. Most importantly, our services are confidential and free, except for testing.
What Can I Expect Coming to the Counseling and Career Planning Center?
Students who come to the Center can expect during their initial session to be asked to describe your concerns and what you hope to gain from counseling. This first session is an opportunity for you and the counselor to decide whether the Counseling Center is the best place for you to help yourself. If you decide to continue to meet with the counselor you will set goals pertaining to the issues you choose to work on with the counselor
All students who come to the Center can expect to be treated with respect and compassion. All services provided are confidential, with the only exception being certain circumstances. These circumstances include if you are a serious, immediate threat to yourself, others, or the university community. Also information you provide to the Center will not be included in your academic record, nor is it released to any other office or individual without your permission and signature on a written release form.
The Center also strives to provide quality services which are sensitive the needs of our diverse university. The staff at the Center does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual identity, age, ability or other aspect of culture. Staff has received culturally relevant and appropriate training to serve the diverse student body at the university.
Should I come to the Counseling and Career Planning Center?
If you are struggling to decide whether you should come to the Center ask yourself these 20 questions. If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you may want to come and see us.
Dp you have difficulty finding or sustaining a meaningful friendship or intimate relationship? |
Are you having trouble getting over a relationship breakup? |
Are you unsure about your college major? |
Do you have family problems that preoccupy your thoughts? |
Are you having troubles adjusting to college? |
Are you receiving poor grades in your classes and you are not sure why? |
Do you feel blue or out of sorts most of the time? |
Do you have trouble falling asleep or do you wake up and have trouble falling back to sleep? |
Do you have trouble concentrating or completing your homework? |
Do you have racing thoughts, shallow breathing, rapid heartbeat or other sign of anxiety? |
Do you feel anxious about a particular thing, such as a social function or public speaking? |
Do you feel overwhelmed, get easily frustrated or irritated? |
Do you feel stressed out, overextended, and are you having trouble coping? |
Are you a survivor of abuse and does it still impact you? |
Do you have trouble with your appetite (either eating too much or not enough? |
Are you unhappy with your body image? |
Do you use substances like alcohol, marijuana, etc. more than you think you should? |
Do you use substances to "escape" your problems? |
Have you had legal or relationship problems as a result of using substances? |
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Are you concerned about someone else's substance abuse? |
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What Services are Offered at the Counseling and Career Planning Center?
Counseling
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Individual Counseling- Individual counseling is a collaborative process in which a confidential helping relationship is developed between a counselor and the client. In this relationship, the counselor acts as a facilitator to help the client to understand more accurately themselves and the world around them. The counselor and client explore the client's feelings and behaviors, relationships with others, choices and decisions, as well as the client's current situation. The number of sessions that a student meets with a counselor really depends on the issues he or she is addressing, the severity of the issues, and on the coping mechanisms of the student. All of this will be discussed early on in counseling, so that the student has a good idea of what their commitment and responsibility is in the counseling relationship. Sessions last approximately 50 minutes.
- Group Counseling- Group counseling is a process where a group of individuals meet weekly with one of the counselors to discuss specific issues. Members are encouraged to give support to one another and to provide feedback to other members. A benefit of group counseling is that members are able to relate to others who are in a situation similar to their own. Group counseling is also a safe place where you meet with the same individuals each week. Disclosing group information outside of the group is inappropriate; therefore, it is stressed that what people talk about or share with the group must remain within the group.
Testing
- Sometimes objective evaluations can help counselors and clients gain a clearer picture of the issues. The Center offers a variety of objective tests on issues such as career, personality, college adjustment etc. Your counselor will be able to help you determine if these instruments will be useful.
There is a small fee for this service. The price of the test includes an in-take appointment, testing materials, and a session with a counselor to interpret the results of the assessment.
Career Resources
- Students are able to use the resources available in the Career Library. The Career Library is located in the Counseling and Career Planning Center and contains resources related to various fields and employment opportunities related to different majors.
- Browse the Counseling and Career Planning Center's web page for useful links to sites which can help with career exploration
Outreach
- Staff members of the Counseling and Career Planning Center provide outreach services to the University Community and beyond. Staff members have done programming related to social skills, , codependency issues, body image, alcohol and drug use, and college adjustment, etc. Staff has also worked in collaboration with the Health Educator, Freshmen and Transfer Orientation, the Fresh Life Program and Residence Hall Programs. Contact the Center if you have a potential outreach activity and would like to collaborate.
Referral
- The Counseling and Career Planning center is able to work with most students but on occasion a student may require services which are beyond the scope of the services offered at the Counseling Center, such as chronic or severe mental health issues requiring close monitoring. In these instances, we will work with the student to facilitate a referral to an outside agency.
- Referrals are made for psychiatric treatment. The Counseling and Career Planning Center has a relationship with a psychiatrist and services are available at the center at a minimal cost to the student.
Consultation
- Occasionally, a student may be concerned about a friend, a parent may be concerned about a son or daughter, or a faculty member may be concerned about a student. These are all reasons why someone may contact the Center and consult on how to best deal with the situation.
Consultation is available with students, faculty, staff, and community organizations. Contact the Center for more information.
Non-Students
- Limited services are available to non-students (alumni or potential students). Contact the Center for more information.
