Counseling Services

Location: T2150   Phone: 723-6085

Hours: Monday - Friday  8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Welcome to Counseling Services

Welcome to our counseling center.  You may be here because of some questions or concerns you have about yourself or about some relationship in your life.  If this is your first experience with counseling, you may feel somewhat anxious or unclear about what happens during counseling.  This document is meant to help explain the counseling process, so you can know what to expect.  If you have questions that are not answered by reading this, please ask the counselor with whom you are meeting.

Eligibility

Counseling Services is available to all CSS students at no cost. (except for psychiatric evaluations and management of medications which are billed to your insurance).  Our services include individual counseling for personal, social, family, or academic concerns that may be preventing you from getting the most from your college experience.

Your Initial Meeting

Prior to your initial meeting (called an intake), you will be asked to fill out an on-line questionnaire.  During the 1^st meeting your counselor will ask you questions and listen in order to get an understanding of what kind of support you may want.  This may require the counselor to ask you some questions about your past experiences and relationships, as well as about your present concerns.  The counselor's questions will help them understand your present concerns in a more complete and holistic manner.

By the end of your initial meeting, your counselor should have a good understanding of what concerns you have.  You and your counselor can then begin to develop a concrete plan of action to address those concerns.  By the end of the first or second meeting with your counselor, you should have a clear understanding of what issues to address and the actions necessary to help you with your concerns.  At times, your counselor may ask you to work on some issues outside the counseling session.  This is often called "homework" and this "homework" should be related to your stated concerns.  You and your counselor will decide, together, how often to meet and over what period of time.

A Safe, Trusting and Confidential Relationship

For counseling to be helpful, it requires a safe and trusting relationship to be developed between you and your counselor.  You can expect all the information you discuss to be kept confidential (exceptions to this policy are explained in your Informed Consent Document).  Without your written consent and explicit permission, we will not discuss your situation with anyone, except the counselors on our staff for consultation purposes.  If we think it would be helpful to talk to others about your situation (a faculty or staff member, parents, other health care providers you may have seen previously), we will ask your permission and ask you to sign a Release of Information Form to talk to that person.  You have the right to refuse a counselor's request, if you feel it is not in your best interest.  Your counseling file is not a part of your academic record and no individual outside the counseling department has access to your file.

Questions

If you have any questions or concerns about your experience with the Counseling Services, please talk to your counselor or contact Tad Sears, Director of The Student Center for Health and Well-Being at 218-723-6017. Thank you for your willingness to utilize the services of the counseling department, and we hope you will find the experience helpful and rewarding.