All the Ways You Should Use a College Advice Center

Your college counseling center is a great resource, but only if you actually use it. Some schools do a great job of introducing their center to students and promoting everything it does, while others don’t, and despite the best efforts of administrators, misconceptions persist. In big schools, you may not even know you have such a thing. Don’t waste this wonderful resource. Here’s what you can expect from yours.

What do college counseling centers do?

On-campus mental health services are vital: Whether you’re a young student traveling away from home for the first time and experiencing all the pressures of working on your own, or an experienced graduate student trying to balance adulthood and study, we can all need some guidance. and professional attention. Much research has focused on the specific mental health needs of students, and for good reason. Stress at school. Adolescence is full of stress . Life is full of stress , and the deeper you get older, the more stress becomes. Throw in newfound freedom, copious party fun, challenging lessons, homesickness, the intense romantic entanglements of your early 20s, and more, and it’s a recipe for a crap show.

Fortunately, campus mental health centers typically provide the following services:

• Consulting
• Therapy
• Workshops
• Treatment Recommendations
• Referrals

You may not realize that you can make an appointment with an on-campus mental health specialist to discuss the issues you are facing, but these specialists are skilled at dealing with student-specific issues such as homesickness, depression, marital discord, substance use , career. and academic insecurity and social anxiety, according to Better Colleges . Licensed consultants can give you advice that professionals such as an RA or academic advisor cannot give you.

Are all services free?

Money is tight when you pay a fortune for an education. The good news is that you usually don’t have to pay for your school’s mental health services. My school, for example, offers individual and group counseling, wellness seminars, referrals to long-term services, and even on-site long-term mental health services —and only mental health services cost money . Many schools even offer online meetings ( and numbers have skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic ), so even if you’re studying remotely or just don’t want to go in person, you have a free opportunity to talk. someone who can help you.

If you need an off-campus referral, it will likely cost you, so keep that in mind. However, emergency appointments are available onsite and your school should also list out-of-hours procedures when you need assistance out of hours. For the most part, you can access free services right at your school without having to pay or go anywhere else.

Try to book your first meeting at the beginning of the semester before the center books fill up. Set aside regular time to meet with a counselor every week during the semester and do it early, even before a major problem arises, so you have good opportunities to work with a professional when something comes up.