UWG Counseling & Career Development Center Makes a Change

The University of West Georgia’s Counseling & Career Development is now officially known as the Counseling Center. On Jan. 2, the Center Development program became a part of the Career Services Department, which is located on the third floor of Row Hall. Why the change? Overall, it makes it more convenient for students. Now, all of the career related functions are now able to be in one place.

According to the Counseling Center’s Outreach Coordinator Terri Ducker, “It makes more sense… the students didn’t really understand where to go. They’d go to Career Services for career counseling and then they’d come to us for resume and interview.”

If students aren’t familiar with the Counseling Center, they provide a variety of free, confidential mental health and outreach services to all currently enrolled students at UWG. Available services include: Personal/Group/Online Counseling, Accessibility Support, Biofeedback, and Psychotherapy.

Students are able to seek Personal Counseling as a means to deal with anything from getting over a break-up with a significant other to being homesick and adjusting to being away from home. Group Counseling allows for students to get together in a group setting to work out problems. Online Counseling is still a developing service that will allow students to receive counseling through a secure video service similar to Skype. Accessibility Support is available to students with disabilities. Biofeedback is offered to students who need help dealing with anxiety and Psychotherapy is used to help students dealing with suppressed trauma.

“Our hope is that students will gain a greater awareness of mental health,” said Ducker. “As Outreach, my hope is that they learn how to prevent mental health problems, take good care of themselves, and make good life choices.”

Outreach conducts programs in the classroom such as time management, stress, anxiety, suicide prevention, and goal-setting. According to Ducker, they are currently trying to get students to follow the Counseling Center’s social media profiles. “We’ve got Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook all going. On Instagram I do inspirational quotes and things just to motivate students.” Follow the Counseling Center on Instagram and Twitter @UWGCounseling. Like their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/uwgcounseling.

Overall, the Counseling Center wants students to know that they are more than welcome to come in and receive all of the help they may need. Students should remain confident that the information they provide will remain completely confidential.

“We’re here so that if they do need a place to go and talk they can come. It’s free. It’s completely confidential. We don’t tell their parents. We don’t tell their faculty members. Sometimes people just need a place to go to talk to someone,” said Ducker.

The Counseling Center is located in 123 Row Hall. The operating hours are 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. To make appointments, call (678) 839 – 6428. Although appointments are encouraged, students are able to walk-in for services. The Counseling Center is also on call through the University Police Department 24/7. For more information on the services offered, visit their websites: www.westga.edu/counseling and www.westga.edu/accesibility.

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