Our Services

The Counseling and Career Development Center (CCDC) at Georgia Southern is where students can go to participate in programs and receive services designed to help them handle day-to-day challenges and encourage their personal growth and development.

The Center complements and facilitates the mission of the University by providing services ranging from personal, career, and group counseling to outreach programming, crisis intervention, and academic assistance. Students get the personal assistance they need in a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere.

The CCDC is staffed by eight full-time psychologists who provide services on an individual and group basis at no additional cost to students enrolled at Georgia Southern. Visit our staff page.

Click here for information about the CCDC, including our hours and location, making appointments, our staff, what to expect, etc.

Why Students Come to the Counseling Center

According to combined client intake data collected during the 2008-2009 fiscal year, new clients most often reported the following concerns:

Students come to the Counseling Center for a variety of reasons, including those listed above. Other reasons may have to do with stress, concentration problems, life purpose and direction, eating concerns, low self-confidence, sexual identity, decision making, family confllicts, self-defeating behaviors, abuse, trauma, etc.

Counseling can be an opportunity to talk about issues that are of concern to you with an objective person who can help you develop skills and view situations in ways that may enable you to be more effective in managing life's challenges down the road. Below is a list from the University of Buffalo Counseling Center of commonly shared reasons why a student might want to make use of a college Counseling Center.

• The Counseling Center is a place to benefit from professional, experienced helpers.
• Counselors are non-judgmental, objective helpers.
• Counselors try to make you comfortable in talking-- they understand and help you with your initial anxiety.
• Counseling in the Counseling Center involves the concerns and problems of normal students.
• Fact-- lots of students are using the Counseling Center's services.
• Initiating and remaining in counseling is voluntary.
• All counseling is confidential. No information is released to anyone without written consent. The rare exception is when information is revealed about current or future harm to self or others.

Are you considering counseling? Do you have questions about counseling might be like? Do you already have ideas about what counseling is or is not? Take a look at our article, What You Should Know about Counseling and Psychotherapy.

About Counseling Sessions

Individual counseling sessions are typically scheduled on the hour and last up to 50 minutes. The Counseling Center operates on a time limited model, which means that students are eligible for up to 12 individual sessions per year. 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. How to make an appointment.

Confidentiality

The staff at the Counseling and Career Development 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 rare exceptions to confidentiality. Counselors are mandated to report certain information in which there is possible harm to the client or another person, in cases of child or elder abuse, or in the event of a court order. 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.

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.

The Counseling and Career Development Center is accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services, and its staff adheres to the ethical principles of the American Psychological Association. Our staff is committed to meeting the needs of all individuals regardless of culture, race, gender, ability, or sexual orientation.