Counseling—or psychotherapy—is a professional relationship with a therapist to help you with personal problems. The counseling relationship differs from both social friendships and traditional patient-doctor relationships. Rather than giving you specific advice, counselors serve as skilled listeners who help you clarify issues, discover wishes and explore feelings, and provide information which can help you deal more effectively with your problems.
A counselor doesn't’t solve your problems for you. Rather, he or she helps you clarify issues so you can solve problems on your own. The goal of counseling is to make you more self-sufficient, not more dependent.
Students currently enrolled in at least six credits at UAS have six free visits per semester. The costs are included in student’s health services fee.
Counseling sessions vary for each student as the need for counseling is different for each student. As a general rule, counseling session are weekly for one hour until the student and counselor determine that it is time to terminate the counseling relationship.
Each student and each student situation is treated with compassion and respect in Counseling Services. Individual counseling does not involve a mediation process.
Because we know that resolving issues requires your commitment, we ask that you keep all of the appointments you schedule. If it is not possible for you to keep an appointment, please call to cancel, preferably 24 hours in advance of your appointment. Someone else may be able to take that time. Your most important responsibility is to take the steps necessary to keep yourself healthy emotionally, as well as physically. Taking the first step to seek services may be difficult for you, but it may change your life in a most positive way!
Counseling often may be uncomfortable because you are addressing emotions, feelings, and self-awareness issues that are’t always easy to hear or feel. Facing your feelings and emotions in order to learn how to deal with them so they are no longer presenting problems for you is often an intense and difficult thing to do. Having the support of a counselor is important and helps in working through difficult areas.