FAQ
Call, email, or stop by Counseling Services to schedule an appointment.
Counseling faculty are here to support students’ personal development and help them achieve success both in their classes and careers. They can answer questions regarding personal, career and academics, as well as work with students to define their FOI (Field of Interest) and major.
There is no magic tell tale sign. In general, most people can handle life's ups and downs on their own or with the support of family/friends. However, for those times when we feel ‘stuck’ or can’t figure out the solution on our own, talking to a professional counselor can help.
There are also cases where family and friends are present and willing to help, but the problems have reached a level of sufficient severity, a counseling faculty may step in to help. Some common signs a counseling faculty might be needed include:
- Feeling "down in the dumps" most of the time
- Thoughts of harming yourself or others
- Feeling fearful, nervous or jittery
- Sudden changes in personality, Irritability, or not getting along with people
- Fatigue or sleep problems (sleeping too much or not enough)
- Having a hard time paying attention or concentrating
- Binge eating or drinking
- Feeling lonely or sensing that nobody understands you
- Poor appetite
- Feeling hopeless or out of control
- Not enjoying things that you used to enjoy
- Engaging in any type of self-destructive behavior
Being in college entails many normal developmental changes and challenges: leaving home, choosing majors, negotiating intimate relationships, and moving on when graduation approaches. It is common for people to want to find someone to talk to while dealing with some of these complex issues. The vast majority of the students who come to Counseling are average people with problems typical of their age and environment. If there is an issue that is of concern to a student, talking through it with a counseling faculty can help.
Other students may have additional concerns, such as depression, anxiety, eating concerns, self esteem issues, sexuality, family illnesses and trauma. The Counseling Center staff is sensitive to the broad range of concerns that students talk to us about.
The benefits of counseling can be invaluable: to be truly understood, to experience trust and openness with someone, and to learn how to counsel yourself. Seeing a counselor won't make all of your problems magically disappear, but if you have the desire to understand yourself and to change, then you've just taken a powerful step towards that goal.
Some students talk with counseling faculty once while others may have repeated sessions. In general, sessions are typically 50 minutes long.
The Counseling Center does not keep psychological records, only educational notes, which are kept separate from other university records. Counseling faculty do not normally share information about their students with anybody outside of the Counseling Center staff. There are, however, a few exceptions to the rules about confidentiality.
- If a student requests we share the information, the request must be made in writing.
- Infrequently, situations arise where a counselor may be required by law to disclose information whether the student consents or not. These situations usually involve cases of child abuse or neglect, court orders to release information, or situations where the client is a danger to self or others.
Please feel free to ask your counseling faculty for more detailed information about confidentiality and its limitations.
Yes, about 1,500 students each year.
Call The Crisis Response Network at 602-222-9444 or 800-631-1314. They have professional counselors available at all hours, seven days a week.
Counseling provides a variety of services to help students choose their major and career. We offer career classes (traditional and online), one-on-one consultation, computer-aided services, and internships. We also offer nominal-cost testing such as The Strong Interest Inventory (SII), StrengthsQuest, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). We offer inventories to help you assess your interests, skills, and personality preferences.
Typically, Counseling is not open when school is not in session and not on the weekends. However, we are available after the end of spring semester and during the summer. We are closed on official holidays (e.g., Christmas Day, New Year's Day, 4th of July, etc.), Winter Break and Spring Break.
We welcome non-student members of the community who are prospective students to use our counseling services for purposes of career planning or referrals. If you're interested in talking with a counselor please call Counseling Services (602-787-6540), email, or come by Counseling Services to schedule an appointment.