There are various reasons why you might want to refer a student for counseling . Some
examples include:
- The student's problems are interfering with their academic work and experience in
your class.
- The student's well-being is suffering, they are struggling socially, with self-care,
in school, etc.
- Observations of the student's personal behavior raises concerns.
- When you believe a student's problems go beyond your own experience and expertise.
- When you feel uncomfortable helping a student with some issue.
Students experience stress differently and sometimes their concerns can be relatively
transient. If you are uncertain or have questions on how to respond to a situation,
consult with a counselor in the Counseling Center about how to evaluate the situation
and follow the most appropriate steps.
When encouraging a student to seek counseling:
- Summarize to them what you are hearing from them and how you understand their difficulty
(For example, "It sounds like you are feeling really overwhelmed by all of your stressors
and it's making it difficult to get to class.").
- Talk about resources and how the Counseling Center may be helpful (For example, "I
have found that other students who felt that way have been helped by talking to a
counselor at the Counseling Center.").
- When talking about counseling, it is important to keep in mind some of the concerns
a student may have to the idea and be ready to discuss them.
- It can be helpful to explain what happens when they come to the Counseling Center
and that counseling is confidential (parents/family/friends won't know and it doesn't
show up on their transcript!).
NOTE: Limits to confidentiality include danger to oneself or others, in which case
proper authorities must be notified for the student's safety.
- There is no charge for counseling appointments with the Counseling Center Counselors.
Personal Counseling consists of a one-to-one counseling experience where the focus
is upon:
- resolving personal conflicts,
- resolving conflicts with others, and
- improving your expertise at making personally meaningful choices.
It may also help some people to avoid decisions which restrict their personal growth
and undermine their well-being.
Note: The Counseling Center ascribes to a brief therapy form of treatment. Once you
have had a triage appointment and if assigned to a counselor, you will work in conjunction
with that individual to determine your level of need. Having well-defined goals in
therapy often leads to better treatment outcomes.
Each semester a number of Counseling Center counselors and doctoral-level trainees
lead (or co-lead) groups. The groups vary depending on the needs of the students and
the special interests of the group leaders. In the past, groups have been offered
with a particular focus on stress and anxiety, relationship issues, problem-solving
groups, and loss and grief issues. View our current list of group counseling services offered for more information.
Group Counseling is a form of treatment that focuses on the interpersonal relationships
and social interactions that are a fundamental part of a group experience. Groups
meet at regularly scheduled times and typically consist of 6 to 8 members.
The process of "counseling" takes place as group members interact with one another
and explore problems with everyone in the group; members gain insight into their own
patterns of behaviors while still offering support to others.
The Counseling Center strives to provide a safe and comfortable place on campus where
students can work through their problems. An added benefit of group counseling is
that it inherently helps students who struggle with social interactions. Most groups
are comprised of students from different majors, backgrounds, and life experiences
but all of this adds to the wealth of insight that can be gleaned when group members
come together to share and focus on problem resolution.
Spring '25 Therapy Groups
- Navigating Relationship Groups
- Mondays: 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
- Tuesdays: 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
- Wednesdays: 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Are you concerned about your relationships? Social anxiety? Family issues? Asking
for what you need? Figuring out who you are? These weekly groups will offer a safe,
confidential place to discuss these issues, with other students. The leaders will
facilitate group discussions to help participants better understand themselves and
their relationships with others.
- Black Girl Magic Group - Tuesdays: 2:00pm - 3:30pm
BGM has been curated to give Black, women-identified folx a safe and healing space
to be honored, loved on, and affirmed. In BGM, we fiercely protect our feminine power
and energy, hold space for each other when our crown slips, and prioritize or narratives
as Black womyn. Every week, there will be themed-based discussions relevant to our
experiences as Black womyn and how to navigate the many spaces we inhabit as we walk
through life in our queendom.
- Exploring Queer Identities Group - Fridays: 10:00 am - 11:30 am
This group is designed to provide a safe and confidential place where LGBTQ+ students
can create connection and offer support to one another. Students will be able to share
their experiences navigating coming out to themselves and others, coping with heteronormativity
and cisnormativity, processing difficulty family relationships, and celebrating queer
identity. This group will be led by a queer therapist.
- Stress Less - Mondays: 2:00 pm - 3:30pm
This is a skills-based group designed to help students learn effective ways to manage
emotions and counterproductive behaviors. Through experiential activities, discussions,
and interactions with one another, students will learn how to manage everyday life
struggles and they will also develop competence in managing stress, emotions, and
relationships.
- Women's Trauma Group - Thursdays: 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
This group will focus on the shared experience of women-identified students who are
survivors of past emotional, physical or sexual traumas that have affected the way
they view themselves, their confidence, and their ability to trust others. In a safe,
supportive, and confidential environment, the group leaders will facilitate participants’
awareness of the lasting impact of unresolved feelings of past trauma. Ways to strengthen
self-esteem, bolster resilience, modulate the intensity of emotional expression, and
manage safe interpersonal boundaries will be discussed.
Benefits of Group Counseling
- Groups are a powerful means of growth and change because students who face similar
issues not only provide support and insight for their peers in the group, but they
also benefit from the tremendous understanding and encouragement they receive from
others.
- Group members are privy to different perspectives and viewpoints that they may not
have considered.
- Many students tend to shy away from groups, preferring individual counseling, thinking
that that's the quickest and safest way to resolve their issues, but the opposite
is true for most students. Those who have pushed past their apprehension have reported
the group experience to be beyond their expectations.
- While individual counseling sessions tend to be short-term, there is no limit to the
number of group sessions a student can have
FAQs
What are the goals of group counseling?
The goals of group counseling are grounded in the basis that it is a group and there
are more individuals with different levels of experience in attendance to share in
the process. The Counseling Center believes that groups provide a unique means of
resolving conflict and problems because group members:
- Both provide and receive support
- Gain understanding and explore possible outcomes
- Practice interpersonal skills in a safe setting
- Receive feedback on how they are perceived by others
- Enhance their problem-solving skills
- Decrease social isolation
- Develop better communication skills
- Improve their emotional expressiveness
Why Group Counseling?
Many personal problems are interpersonal in nature. Typically, personal problems stem
from past and current relationships or from the patterns of relating to one another
that are unique to the individual. Group counseling offers the rare opportunity to
better understand how people relate to one another and provides an opportunity to
receive specific feedback in a supportive setting.
Many students report effective and quick results as a result of being a group member.
The group leader(s) also set the stage for trust and safety in the group. Once an
individual experiences that safety in that setting, it is easier to recreate it in
other aspects of one's life, such as in classes, in work, in one's living situation,
with family members, with friends and with an intimate partner.
5 Benefits of Group Therapy
How often do groups meet?
Groups typically meet weekly, on a scheduled day and time, and run for an entire semester.
The group leaders ask for the student's commitment for the entire duration of the
group so members will feel a sense of cohesion and safety, knowing who will be there
and who they can count on weekly. Students have reported that the greatest progress
was attained when they attended all scheduled sessions.
Are there any costs associated with group counseling?
There is no cost to attend groups and there is no limit in group sessions for students!
The Counseling Center has a Clinical Case & Referral Specialist who can assist students
with connecting to mental health resources off-campus:
The Clinical Case & Referral Specialist, or Clinical Case Manager (CCM), can assist
students who are seeking off campus therapy, medication management, testing/evaluation
for mental health concerns, or are interested in services outside of the scope of
the WCU Counseling Center (e.g., documentation, court-mandated counseling, etc.).
Students can meet with the CCM in person, over Zoom, or choose to receive referrals
via email. If choosing to meet either in person or over Zoom appointments are usually
30 minutes to one hour. During the appointments the CCM can assist with reviewing
and understanding insurance coverage, different levels and types of care, and support
you through the process of getting connected off campus. Whichever option you choose,
the CCM will stay connected with you until you are scheduled or decide that you are
no longer interested in services.
You can contact the Counseling Center at 610-436-2301 with any questions or to start
the process to connect to the CCM.
Thriving Campus
ThrivingCampus is an online directory that allows students to search for an off-campus
licensed mental health clinicians and other providers, many of whom specialize in
working with college students. Click here to access ThrivingCampus where you can search and contact an off campus provider.
Off-Campus Counseling Resources
Helpful Resources:
During the Work Day (Monday - Friday, 8am-4pm)
Students who are in urgent need of mental health assistance may call or come to the
Counseling Center and indicate that they are experiencing a mental health emergency.
Click here to help distinguish what is a mental health emergency.
After Hours or When Classes are Not in Session
The mental health crisis service may be accessed by contacting:
National Crisis Lifeline: 988
Valley Creek Crisis Intervention: 610-280-3270
Public Safety Office: 610-436-3311
The Counseling Center has a consulting psychiatrist available to assist in evaluations
and follow up where medication may be necessary as an adjunct to counseling. This
service is available to students who are in an on-going counseling relationship with
a department counselor and may not be accessed independently.
Students who have completed their short-term therapy at the Counseling Center but
are still in need of medication must transfer that to a private provider (outside
psychiatrist or PCP). The student may work with our Case Manager to find a provider
but medication management is up to the student after the therapy terminates at the
Counseling Center.
Students Stable on Medication Prescribed by a Physician at Home
Students who are stable on medication prescribed by a physician at home are advised
to remain with that treating physician. In the past, parents and students have expressed
concern that they can't get home frequently enough, so they prefer to see a psychiatrist
on campus. Our experience has been that students have done extremely well in working
with physicians at home and are usually relieved to find that there are several breaks
each semester. With proper planning, students can continue to work with the doctor
at home who knows their history and has been following their treatment.
Counseling Center counselors are available to consult with faculty, staff, and students
via phone. On occasion, university community members call out of concern for another
student's mental health. counselors in the Counseling Center will listen to your concerns
and assist you in finding ways to deal with the presenting situation.
How to Make a Referral to the Counseling Center
Encourage the student to come to the Counseling Center's Triage Hours. During the
Fall and Spring semesters, students come through our Triage hours (Monday - Friday,
1-3pm) to get connected with counseling services. If it is during Winter or Summer
Session, the student can call to make a triage appointment.
If you are concerned about the student's safety, you can call the Counseling Center
to consult with a counselor or walk the student over to the Counseling Center. It
can be helpful to call ahead if you are walking a student in crisis over, in order
to give the office a heads up.
The Counseling Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00am until 4:00pm when
classes are in session.
Any life-threatening mental health emergencies that occur after-hours are handled
by contacting Public Safety at 610-436-3311.
We have a Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Counselor on campus in the Counseling Center.
Students who are motivated to reduce their alcohol or drug consumption are allowed
one-on-one sessions with this counselor. As with all counseling services, interested
students should come to the Counseling Center during one of the posted triage times
for a brief assessment.
Due to demand and limited resources, the AOD Counselor will not meet with students
who have been court-ordered. Those students who have been court-ordered to receive
an assessment and/or treatment must use resources outside the school. We will not
provide verification of therapy for mandated treatment. Please meet with the Case
Manager for assistance.
Alcohol and Other Drugs: Wellness Promotion Programs & Services
Wellness Promotion provides educational programs and services that encourage students to explore their
use of alcohol and other drugs through personalized feedback assessments, brief screening
and intervention programs, wellness coaching, and a variety of educational programs
and events.
