Health Center: What to Expect When Calling to Schedule a Counseling Appointment

Counseling sessions at the Health Center are free of charge to currently enrolled students.  Sessions are 45 to 50 minutes in length.  If you schedule an appointment that you cannot keep, please contact us within 24-hours of the appointment to cancel so that we can make that appointment available for another student.  Due to increasing demand for services, we generally are unable to schedule more than one appointment at a time.

In an effort to accommodate the needs of all students seeking counseling, the Health Center only is able to offer short term therapy.  If you are looking to do more long-term counseling, we are happy to provide a referral for an off-campus provider. Please come in and talk to us about your concerns so we can help you determine the appropriate treatment for you.

Before meeting with a counselor for the first time, you will be asked to complete a brief questionnaire.  This form will contain questions about current concerns as well as other questions about health, family, relationships, etc.  It usually takes around 15 minutes or less to complete and is used by the counselor to obtain a more complete understanding of you and your concerns. Like communications in therapy, the information contained in this form is considered confidential as required (and except as limited) by law.

While each therapist’s style differs, there are some similarities as to what one can expect when seeing a counselor for the first time.  Generally speaking, the first session will be spent gathering information about current concerns. Sometimes a therapist will also ask about other areas of your life, including: family, friends, interests, academics, and hobbies.  The therapist might also suggest that an appointment be scheduled with one of the nurse practitioners or a family physician to rule out any medical issues that could be related to your current emotional difficulties.