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Services [home] |
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General Information:
Counseling services are offered at no cost to students, faculty and staff.
Counseling Services is located in the Wilkins Wellness Center, Racey Hall and is open weekdays from 9:00am to 5:00pm
Appointments can be made in person or by calling the Wilkins Wellness Center at 540-665-4530. If for any reason you are unable to keep an appointment, please call the Wilkins Wellness Center. Please give as much advance notice for cancellations as possible.
This website and the information it contains is not meant to replace a face to face consultation with a trained counselor, nor does this service provide "on-line" counseling.
The information you share in a counseling session will be treated with the highest regard for confidentiality. This means that information will not be disclosed to any outside persons or agencies without your written permission, including whether you have used our services. The only exceptions to confidentiality occur when you request a release of your information to third parties or when your counselor is required by law to reveal particular information. The exceptions to confidentiality are as follows: ● There is reason to believe that a student poses clear and imminent danger of harm to self and/or others, at which point appropriate medical or law enforcement personnel will be notified to ensure the safety of the student and the community. ● There is reason to believe that a child is being abused or neglected or an elderly person or dependent adult is being subjected to abuse, neglect, or exploitation, requiring notification of proper authorities.
Counseling Services offers short-term personal counseling in a comfortable, safe and confidential environment. Individual counseling allows students the opportunity to explore their personal issues, identify stressors, improve decision-making skills, and find constructive ways to cope. Some students choose to attend a single session, but many students return for up to eight sessions with the same counselor. Counseling is completely confidential. Professors, deans and parents are not notified if a student is using counseling services unless the student requests such information be released, which requires a student sign an authorization of release of information. Refer to the confidentiality tab to read about exceptions.
What can you expect during your initial visit? When you arrive, you will encounter a warm and accepting environment. You will be asked to check in with your name and ID number and then will then meet with a counselor for approximately 45 minutes. This session is your opportunity to explore what brought you to Counseling Services. During this time, the counselor will ask you questions that will help clarify your situation. The counselor may elicit background information about you as well as information about your current life. The session will conclude with you and the counselor deciding whether there is an agreed upon need for counseling and what goals you will want to achieve.
Group counseling is often the most effective counseling intervention. Counseling groups typically have 5-8 members and are led by one or two counselors. Most groups meet weekly for 75 minutes and run for a varying number of weeks. Both undergraduate and graduate students can participate in counseling groups. Group counseling is a place to:
Group counseling helps because students:
Each group member decides how much he or she wants to share. Because of the climate of trust within the group, members feel free to care about and help each other.
Students become members of a group by making an appointment with Counseling Services. A counselor will discuss the issues of concern to you and help you to formulate a plan to begin to deal with these. Your counselor will then assist you in becoming part of a group. New groups are formed every academic year and vary according to student demand. Group offerings will be posted on our web page at the beginning of each academic year.
Most students who use Counseling Services are just looking for support through the normal challenges of everyday life. Students may have experienced the loss of a partner, parent or pet and need help through their grieving process. Sometimes students are conflicted between parent, peer and faculty pressure to participate in a certain major so they are looking for an objective third party. Counseling Services staff is equipped to help students who encounter such issues as:
We see students from all majors, both undergrad and graduate students and students of all ages. We average helping about 95 students per semester.
Nancy Schulte directs Counseling Services and has her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Louisiana State University in Social Work. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Virginia. Her hobbies are horseback riding, jogging with her sheltie (after eating too much Cajun food) and watching anything on ESPN. She also enjoys traveling with her family. She love helping student discover their inner strengths with and open hear and open mind and a few laughs along the way. Roxie Ostlund earned her Master’s in Community Counseling from Regent University and is currently a Resident in Counseling, working towards licensure in the state of Virginia. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Puget Sound Christian College in Everett, Washington. Her clinical interests are varied and include addictive behaviors, self-esteem, healthy relationships, sexuality, and family of origin issues. In her spare time Roxie enjoys spending time with her family, gardening and decorating, swimming and reading.
We asked student to give us some feedback about how our services have helped them, so the following are some of their quotes: " I was feeling like I had dug myself into such a deep hole I could never get out, but I was able to sort through my feeling and find out that there were some solutions to my situation that I could do"...Female Sophomore Nursing student "I was embarrassed to admit that I needed help, what my friends would think, what if my Dad found out....I realized that getting help was a good thing and my friends were more supportive than I expected, and my parents were never told a thing!"....Male Freshman Conservatory student "Meeting with a counselor has helped me see things more clearly and has helped me get back on the right track both with my studies and with my personal life"....Female Physician Assistant Graduate student "Counseling helped lower my anxiety and helped me realize that what I was going through didn't mean I was crazy, that it's just part of figuring out how to manage class time and free time"...Female Junior Conservatory student "I was carrying a lot of grief and anger for awhile, it's a relief to dump all that stuff and find better ways to deal with everyday life"...Male Pharmacy Graduate student "I never felt I was worth it, but now I have much to look forward to and continuing at SU will help me get to where I want to go!"....Male Sophomore Business School student
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 Wilkins Wellness Center:
General
Physical Exam/
General
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