Going to college is one of the first big steps in life that a young adult experiences. The Counseling and Student Development Center is equipped to help all students with any challenges they might have.

The Center offers one-on-one counseling, drop-in appointments in the case of a crisis, along with referral services.

Director of the Counseling and Student Development Center Steven Craig states, “Students can come down here any time when we’re open between 8:30-4:30 Monday through Friday and if they need to see someone immediately someone can sit with them and help support them.”

If someone needs to still talk to someone and the center is closed, they have an emergency number for issues that can not wait until the next day. If in a crisis, call the Center at 570-348-6245 and press 1.

The Center also offers consultations for students who don’t want to come in for multiple sessions and just needs someone to talk to. In some cases when the need is large, there have been group therapy sessions. In the past, these groups have focused on homesickness, body image and stress management.

Craig has seen the benefit of the center through the students who use the resources.

He states, “I think that students just benefit from connecting with another person who can just listen, who can support, who can provide that safe space and can give students that outlet. The CSDC gives students a space to come and openly talk about their struggles whereas we don’t always get spaces to do that.”

Not only do the students in therapy benefit, but the students studying psychology also benefit.

Craig explains, “Students who are in our clinical doctorate program and our masters students, those students are learning how to be therapists and so in order to fulfill requirements of their field experience, they have to have a placement so we also have graduate level students who are therapists in training who we supervise and help learn the appropriate skills of being a therapist.”

The Counseling Center also offers a referral service to help students get prescriptions along with access to tele-health therapy which is rarely done through the center. Craig assures, “Even if we can’t meet a student’s needs, we can help them get connected to meet those needs.”

The Counseling and Student Development Center holds events on campus to get the word about mental health out.

“We do a lot of outreach programming so you’ll see us in the dormitories, in the public spaces on campus where we are promoting mental health and wellness initiatives like providing education on different health and wellness topics,” said Craig.

Some of those outreach programs include table events at the Learning Commons on Tuesdays which focus on wellness and mental health.

In addition to the tables around campus, the center is also holding an event this week called “I Spy In Wonderland.” The event is an escape room focused on relieving stress. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on October 21 through the 23.

There is no shame in asking for help. If you are interested in learning more about the Counseling Center and booking an appointment, you can go to the McGowan Center Room 1017, call at 570-348-6245 or email them at [email protected].

Contact the writer: [email protected]