About Us

The Counseling Center at Georgia Southern University is a place where students can go to receive services and participate in programs that are designed to help them handle day-to-day challenges and encourage their personal growth and development.

The Counseling Center complements and facilitates the mission of the University by providing services ranging from individual, group, and relationship counseling to outreach programming, drop-in workshops, training opportunities, and crisis intervention. Students get the personal assistance they need in a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere.

The Counseling Center provides services at no additional cost to those enrolled as students at Georgia Southern who are at least 18 years of age.

Accreditation

The Counseling Center is accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services. Our staff adheres to the ethical principles of the American Psychological Association. Our staff is committed to meeting the needs of all individuals regardless of identity including but not limited culture, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, socioeconomic status, religious affiliation or spiritual orientation.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Georgia Southern Counseling Center supports that of the University in that we consider ourselves partners in the educational process providing assistance to students in coping with personal, educational and psychological wellness concerns. We believe that students are the principal agents of their own growth and offer a variety of services to them and to the university community to facilitate that development.  In addition, the staff believes that inherent to the concept of a university counseling center is the goal of training and developing future generations of mental health practitioners.  In this way, the Counseling Center not only supports but is also actively engaged in the educational process. Finally, the staff values a diversity of people and ideas, a spirit of inclusiveness, a global perspective and a sense of community as essential conditions of university life.

Locations and Hours of Operation

The Counseling Center is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We are closed on Saturday and Sunday. We are closed on all official University holidays.

Appointments

Counseling sessions are scheduled by appointment. To make an appointment, you may visit the Counseling Center in person, or call us at (912) 478-5541 (Statesboro) or 912-344-2529 (Armstrong). The Counseling Center does not utilizing on-line scheduling. During your first scheduled session, a counselor will listen to your concerns and determine which resources at the Counseling Center or elsewhere will best suit your needs.

Email is not a secure form of communication and confidentiality cannot be ensured.

If you are in need of emergency assistance, please call 911.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline also provides 24/7, confidential support to anyone in a mental health-related distress. Dial “988” from anywhere in the United States to be connected to crisis intervention.

About Counseling Sessions

Individual and relationship counseling sessions are typically scheduled on the hour and last up to 50 minutes. Counseling can be an opportunity to talk about issues that are of concern to students with an objective person who can help them develop skills and view situations in ways that may enable them to be more effective in managing life’s challenges down the road.

Cost

All services at the Counseling Center are completely free for students enrolled at Georgia Southern University. The Counseling Center does not utilize insurance or third-party payers nor will students ever receive a bill on their bursar account. The Counseling Center operates on a time-limited model, which means that students are eligible for up to 16 individual/relationship counseling sessions per year. There are no session limits for group counseling.

Confidentiality

The staff at the Counseling Center adheres to professional, legal and ethical guidelines set forth by the American Psychological Association. In doing so, we maintain confidential records of all counseling. This means that information about your contact with the Counseling Center does not go on your academic record, nor is it released to any other office or individual without your permission and signature on a written release form. However, there are some exceptions to confidentiality. Counselors are mandated to report certain information in which there is possible harm to the client or another person, or in cases of child or elder abuse. While these situations can happen, they are very rare. It is important to remember that your counselor’s primary goal is to provide a safe environment in which you will feel comfortable to talk about your personal concerns.

Counseling Center Staff

The Counseling Center is staffed by doctoral-level psychologists and master’s-level counselors, as well as our doctoral-level interns, practicum counselors, and professional support staff. To read more about our staff, visit the Counseling Center Staff page.

Limitations of Our Services

If, after a student has been seen for the allotted 16 sessions and is in need of additional counseling, we will work with the student to facilitate a referral to an outside agency. Additionally, on occasion a student may have needs that are beyond what our agency is designed to offer. These may include chronic or severe mental health problems, or other conditions that may require close monitoring, such as substance abuse treatment. In such instances, our staff will facilitate obtaining appropriate treatment for the student. Furthermore, the Counseling Center is currently unable to treat students under the age of 18. The Counseling Center is happy to offer case management to assist students under the age of 18 in finding services in the community.

Last updated: 7/15/2021