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Location

The Counseling and Testing Center is located on the fourth floor of Potter Hall.  The office is open between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.  The phone number of the Counseling and Testing Center is 745-3159.
 

What is counseling?

The counseling that is offered by the Counseling and Testing Center is provided by doctoral level psychologists (and graduate students closely supervised by the staff psychologists).  Counseling Center staff work with the student to help him/her identify strengths, locate support resources, and to begin a process of change and growth.  This work may occur one-on-one with an individual counselor or in a group session.  Whatever the format, a student coming to the Counseling and Testing Center is treated with respect and is seen as an individual with unique strengths and limitations.

Why Students come to the Counseling and Testing Center

Students come to the Counseling and Testing Center for help with concerns such as academic performance, test anxiety, poor concentration, interpersonal relationships, career decisions, and low self-confidence.  They also come for help with issues related to their families, suicidality, past sexual or physical abuse, current physically abusive relationship, drug/alcohol abuse, sexual assault, or grief.  Over the course of their education, students go through numerous changes and pressures.  During these times of crisis or stress, talking with a counselor at the Counseling and Testing Center may be a beneficial option.

Your role as a Faculty/Staff member

Faculty and staff members on campus have the unique opportunity of having ongoing, direct contact with students and are in the position to identify students who are struggling.  Faculty and staff members should determine for themselves their personal comfort levels with becoming involved with student problems.  Becoming the main source of support to a troubled student sometimes can be overwhelming, frightening, and/or tiring.  It is important that you know your own limitations in providing assistance to students and that you are aware of times when the best option is a referral.

Identifying Students who may benefit from a Referral

    *Stating a Need for Help:  Students will often come to faculty or staff members with direct requests for assistance.  Through talking with the student, you may feel the problems are beyond your scope of knowledge or power to change.  Listening carefully to students and their concerns can provide ample evidence to support your decision to refer.

    *Observable Changes:  Some students do not directly tell you that there is a problem but their behaviors can be telling indicators.  Distinct changes in academic performance, withdrawal from others, changes in class participation, crying, outbursts of anger, and poor attendance are examples of behavioral changes that you may observe.  Any of these observable changes my merit a referral to the Counseling and Testing Center.

    *Alcohol and Drug Abuse:  Coming to class or a meeting when intoxicated or high is a sign that drug and/or alcohol abuse is a serious problem.  Often people drink or take drugs as a way to cope with other problems in their life.  This type of problem can be helped at the Counseling and Testing Center.

    *Talking about suicide:  If a student talks or writes about suicide, this should be taken seriously.  suicidal thought are in themselves not necessarily dangerous but, if they include actual plans for suicidal behaviors, the severity of the danger to the student increases dramatically.  To make the assumption that talk of suicide is aimed solely toward getting attention can be a potentially fatal mistake.  If you become aware of a student who is thinking about suicide, please make an immediate referral to the Counseling and Testing Center.

How to make a referral for psychological counseling

If you wish to approach a student with your concerns, do so directly and clearly.  Suggest that the student may benefit from meeting with a counselor at the Counseling and Testing Center.  Explain that the service is confidential; this means that information about the student cannot be released to other offices, family, professors, etc. without the student's written permission (the exception being if the student is in danger of harming him/herself or others).  Assure them that the services are free to currently registered, full- and part-time students. Give the student the Counseling and Testing Center phone number (745-3159).  The student can call from your office or from home.  No appointments can be made for a student by a third party without the student directly speaking to the secretary and asking for an appointment.

Services Available for Faculty and Staff

The mission of the Counseling and Testing Center is to provide a variety of psychological and testing services to students so our staff is limited in the services we may provide to faculty and staff. Our staff will, however, offer one session to any faculty or staff member who would like to talk about personal problems and receive advice and/or a referral to mental health service providers in the area. As always, our services are confidential.