Counseling & Career Development Center

Counseling May Help!

We all experience times in our lives when we need to ask someone else for help. Overwhelming stress, relationship difficulties, financial troubles, a death of a loved one, or other distressing situations can be a lot for us to handle alone. Asking for help, however, can be a challenging thing for many of us to do. Becoming autonomous is important towards developing good self-esteem and maturity. Requesting and receiving the help of others can help us achieve our goals more effectively and quickly. It is not unusual for us to seek out the opinions of our friends and family, and they can be very helpful when we seek their guidance. Other times, however, it can be quite useful to have the outside objectivity of another person, such as a counselor.

Do you ever think, "others should be able to go to a counselor, but I should be able to handle problems on my own"? Or, maybe you are someone who is always willing to "be there" for others, but you choose not seek out assistance yourself? There are times when it takes some courage to acknowledge that we have a problem and ask for help from another person. You do not need to struggle alone.

The counselors at the Counseling and Career Development Center are ready to work with you in discussing your concerns, helping you build on your strengths, enhancing your ability to solve your problems, and otherwise helping you to reach your goals.

Some interesting facts to keep in mind:

• Our services are FREE to currently enrolled Georgia Southern students!
• All of our counselors are doctoral-level practitioners
• Thousands of students have taken advantage of our services
• Our feedback surveys reveal that most students have been satisfied by our services

How Do I Know if I Should See a Counselor?

People choose to see counselors for many different reasons. Some people will see a counselor when they feel particularly stressed out, overwhelmed, alone, sad, or anxious. Sometimes people will see a counselor when they need some assistance with a particular situation, they are interested in self-growth, or they simply believe it might be helpful in some way. We can often manage many difficult situations on our own, but you might consider meeting with a counselor if you have been experiencing symptoms such as the following:

• Significant distress or feeling overwhelmed
• Decline in academic performance
• Not attending class
• Depressed mood, mood swings, or a loss of interest in things
• Hyperactivity and/or rapid speech
• Significant anxiety, or having panic attacks
• Thoughts of death, suicide, or suicide attempts
• Thoughts of harming others
• Social withdrawal
• Marked change in personal dress, hygiene, eating and/or sleeping routines
• Alcohol/drug abuse
• Destruction of property
• Unusual/bizarre thoughts or sensory experiences
• Other situations that might cause your or someone else to be concerned

Some "Good" Excuses for Not Seeking Counseling