How We Help Students

All currently enrolled, full-time students at Georgia Southern University are eligible for free psychological services at the Counseling and Career Development Center. Our psychologists work with students on a short-term basis towards managing personal, career and educational concerns which may interfere with their academic progress. We are staffed by full-time doctoral level psychologists and master's level counselors, as well as support personnel (Meet Our Staff!) who are all committed to providing effective services and promoting the personal growth of Georgia Southern students.

Making Appointments

Appointments need to be scheduled by the student him/herself. He or she may call our office at (912) 478-5541, or come by the Counseling Center and schedule an appointment with the next available psychologist. Students are asked to arrive for their initial appointment approximately 15 minutes early in order to fill out necessary intake information.

About Counseling Sessions

The Counseling Center operates on a time-limited model, which means that students are eligible for up to 12 individual sessions per year. Individual 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.

If Your Student is in Crisis

Occasionally a student may wish to be seen by a counselor immediately due to a personal or situational crisis. We have a counselor on-call 24 hours a day. If a crisis occurs during business hours, a student may come to the Counseling Center and request to be seen by the on-call counselor as soon as possible. If a crisis occurs after business hours or on a weekend, the student may call GSU Public Safety at (912) 478-5234 and request to speak with the on-call counselor. The counselor will be paged by a Public Safety officer, and he or she will call the student back. See also our crisis information page.

Consultation is Available

If you have questions or concerns about your student, the counselors at the Counseling Center are available to speak with you. They can assist you in assessing the situation and its seriousness, and in making a referral. A consultation may help you identify ways you can be most effective with your student, and in locating campus resources that you can suggest to him/her. Please know that if your student is receiving services at the Counseling Center, we will not able to provide information about these services due to our adherence to client confidentiality.

Limitations of Our Services

If, after a student has been seen for his/her allotted 12 sessions and he/she 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. In such instances, our staff will facilitate obtaining appropriate treatment for the student.