Individual Counseling

The staff of the Counseling Center can help with a wide variety of personal difficulties, such as self-esteem, depression, anxiety, sexual and/or gender identity, relationship conflicts, eating disorders, sexual violence, traumatic experiences, and growing up in a dysfunctional family.

About Individual Counseling

The Georgia Southern Counseling Center offers individual counseling sessions for Georgia Southern students.

Individual counseling within a supportive professional environment can help you understand yourself better and gain healthy coping strategies. Relationship counseling for romantic partners, roommates, friends, etc. is also offered in some circumstances if parties are currently-enrolled students.

Individual counseling sessions typically last for 45-50 minutes are scheduled in frequency on a variety of factors including the nature of your presenting concerns, what stage you are at in the therapy process, and how busy the Counseling Center is (the mid-term and end of semester time periods tend to be busiest). You should always plan on arriving early or on-time for your scheduled appointments. Regular and on-time attendance of counseling sessions is critical for ensuring that you reach your therapy goals.

Myths and Facts

You have made the first (and most important) step in finding out about counseling and psychotherapy. Whether you came to the Counseling Center as a result of your own decision to seek help, or because someone else told you it might be helpful, it is likely that you have a lot of questions and mixed feelings about the counseling process. Many students have questions and concerns, such as “What should I talk about in my therapy sessions?”, “How long will I have to come for counseling?” and “When will I see improvement?” The purpose of this information is to help answer some of your questions – maybe even questions you didn’t know you had! First of all, let’s confront some common myths about counseling and psychotherapy:

Myth: Therapy is too expensive for me.
Fact: That’s true and not true! While the usual rate for a therapy hour is $100 to $150, the Counseling Center provides this service free of charge to students at Georgia Southern University.

Myth: You must be “crazy” to go for therapy.
Fact: Only a small percentage of our clients have had psychotic experiences. Most clients come to work through some problem areas of their life. Instead of being “crazy”, it is smart to utilize the resources which are available to you.

Myth: Going to therapy is a sign of weakness.
Fact: It takes a great deal of emotional strength to confront problem areas, seek help, and take responsibility for your life.

Myth: The counselor will tell me what to do and how to “fix” my problems.
Fact: Counseling is not a “quick fix” cure to your problems. The counselor is there to help you explore your feelings, thoughts, and concerns, to examine your options, and to assist you in achieving the goals you have set.

Myth: The counselor cannot understand me unless he/she has had similar experiences or is of the same background.
Fact: Counselors are trained to be sensitive to and respectful of individual differences, including the specific concerns of students regarding gender, racial/ethnic, cultural, religious, age, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic issues. Counselors seek to learn from each client how their unique experiences have impacted their lives.

Myth: All you do is sit in the counselor’s office and tell them your problems.
Fact: While talking about your problems is a part of the therapy process, it is not “all you do”. For counseling to be effective, you will need to think about the issues discussed in therapy in between your counseling sessions and will need to follow through on making the changes you decide you want or need to make to reach your goals. In addition, your counselor may request that you do certain activities outside of your sessions (e.g., reading, journaling, recording your thoughts or feelings, practicing certain exercises) to make the most out of your therapy experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have more questions? Check out our frequently asked questions page. If you have additional questions or need further clarification, please call us at 912-478-5541 for the Statesboro location or 912-344-2529 for the Armstrong/Liberty location.

Last updated: 1/4/2021