Counseling Center

Overview
Location/Contact
Services
Appointments and Fees
Confidentiality and Privacy
Staff
Parents
Books
Websites

Curtis Hall Room 106
610-606-4640

OVERVIEW

College is a period of enormous personal and educational growth. Students are challenged to leave the familiarity of home and high school friends to build new relationships and explore new ideas and lifestyles. They need to learn to make responsible decisions, clarify personal values, resolve past and present conflicts, and establish a young adult identity. In the later college years, students transition from the safety of the college environment to the world of work or graduate education. The Counseling Service provides and opportunity to explore problems and concerns with a professional psychotherapist in a confidential setting. Our goal is to help students have a productive and fulfilling college experience and entry into the personal, academic and career challenges which await them after graduation.

Students come to the counseling center with problems such as:
College adjustment
Homesickness
Roommate problems
Eating problems
Anxiety
Depression
Stress Management
Relationship concerns
Relationship break-ups
Sexual identity concerns
Academic concerns
Poor self esteem
Family problems
Drug and Alcohol use/abuse
Post graduation plans

Location/Contact

The Counseling Center is located in the rear of first floor Curtis Hall (Room 108C) and can be reached by calling (610)606-4640 from an outside line or x3476 on campus. In case of emergency call the Security Office by dialing “0” from any campus phone or 610-437-4471.

Services

Many students using the services of the counseling center are seeking help with adjustment issues and exploration of new thoughts and feelings which can feel troublesome and unfamiliar. Some students seek assistance at a time of relationship problems or break-ups or want to work on feelings about family issues. Services are used by well respected and high functioning young women who need short term help with issues. Some students are encountering more serious issues with depression, anxiety, disordered eating, or other psychiatric or substance abuse problems. The therapists are experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of adjustment and developmental issues as well as more serious psychiatric conditions.

Appointments and Fees

Services are free of charge for all traditional resident and commuter students. Psychiatric referral can be arranged and students must use their own insurance for this service. Appointments are scheduled by phone or in person Monday through Friday between 8am and 4pm.

Appointments are usually available within one week. If you need an EMERGENCY appointment, please call Health Services at 610-606-4640 or in a life-threatening situation Dial “0” for Campus Police.

The first appointment will involve completion of confidential forms and a meeting with the counselor to discuss the reasons for seeking assistance and an attempt to clarify goals and possible ways to achieve these goals. Counseling is primarily short term (6-8 sessions). If longer treatment is necessary, the counselor will help with referral to a provider off-campus

Confidentiality and Privacy

All contacts and communications with the Counseling Center are confidential and will not be divulged to college administration, faculty, family members, friends or others without your written consent. Content of sessions and even the fact that the contact occurred is kept in strict confidence. The counseling records are not a part of the Cedar Crest College academic records. We operate according to professional guidelines and state laws which protect your right to confidentiality. The only exception to this is if the therapist believes that there is imminent danger to self or others. In this situation, safety precautions prevail and only enough information to ensure safety is released.

Staff

The counseling center is staffed with licensed psychotherapists contracted and credentialed with Lehigh Valley Hospital.

Parents

Parenting your daughter from a distance is a new and possibly confusing experience. Some students are adjusting easily while others are homesick, anxious, and unhappy. Parents have a wide variety of concerns and questions:
Is my daughter happy and adjusting?
Is my daughter managing her time and taking studies seriously?
Is my daughter drinking or partying?
Is my daughter handling her new freedom responsibly?
Who are my daughter’s new friends?
Will she make good academic and career choices?
And the list goes on.

College is an exciting and at times, difficult experience for both parent and adolescent. The following thoughts of the transitions of the college years were adapted from the Simmons College Counseling center website.

Freshman
Leaving the comfort and security of home and community
Sampling freedom and independence and making wise choices
Testing and exploring values and expectations
Making new friends and experiencing different relationships
Looking for support and guidance outside the family system
Adjusting her academic expectations in a more competitive and rigorous setting

Sophomore
Exploring career and academic options
Doubting choices
Setting realistic goals
Exploring new identities
Deepening relationships and connections away from home

Junior
Greater comfort with career path and goals
Less dependent on family and old friends
More self-reliant and mature
Values and lifestyle choices are clearer

Senior
Thinking about transition from college to first job or graduate school
Aware of feelings about leaving the comfort and security of college life
Worry about finances and self support.
Afraid of failure in the next transition

Change and development are often a combination of excitement and apprehension. She may talk with you and share her feelings and concerns and often that will be very helpful. Sometimes it may be necessary or important for her to have someone outside the family or friendship network to help her work through feelings and concerns. Please feel free to encourage her to call Health Services for an appointment. If you are concerned and want consultation, please feel free to contact us at (610)606-4640. Contacts with students are confidential by law and ethics.

Books

The following books may be helpful and reassuring in parenting your daughter:

When Kids Go to College: A Parent’s Guide to Changing Relationships. Barbara and Philip Newman, Ohio State University Press, 1992

Letting Go: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding the College Years. Coburn, K. and N. Treeger. Harper Perennial, 1997

Websites

The following web sites have useful information about topics related to Mental Health. Neither Cedar Crest College nor the counseling Center endorses these organizations, their services or the professionals who may be affiliated with them. You should not consider these organizations as “approved” by the college. Online information is not a substitute for seeking advice or care from a professional. If you are experiencing a problem, please contact Angie in Heath Services to make an appointment.

Online Brochures for College Students

ULIFELINE [http://www.ulifeline.org/]
Intended for University students nation-wide, provides information and links to resources on many topics. To access it, click on link. Select “student log on.” This does not identify you – but steers you to the correct page. Under “select student’s state” choose Pennsylvania. For “select school” choose Cedar Crest College. Click “log in.”

Campus Blues
A fun and practical site with useful information for managing academic and personal issues.

Resources on Psychological Conditions, Medications and Self-Help

American Psychological Association Help Center on a wide range of mental health topics
American Psychiatric Association fact sheets
American Psychiatric Association: Health Minds, Health Lives Let’s Talk Facts Brochures Can be Downloaded
        Anxiety Disorders
        Depression
        Bipolar Disorder
        Eating Disorder
       Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
        Phobias

Medscape Psychiatry and Mental Health Resource Cente r – Articles on a wide range of Mental Health Topics
Mental Health Matters
Mental Health Resources including sections on Psych Medications, Mental Health Bookstore and other topics
National Institute of Mental Health quick links and breaking news
NIH (National Institute of Health) “mental health matters” web site. Describes various mental health conditions
NIH “healthy place” website – overview and description of various disorders
Psychiatric Times on line journal

Eating Disorders

(ANRED) Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders

Anxiety Disorders

National Institute of Mental Health
American Psychiatric Association
The Anxiety Disorders Association
Phobias

Alcohol Concerns

The web page is notable for not only information of local meetings and basic information, but also for self-assessment tools where you can confidentially evaluate yours or others drinking patterns

Alcoholics Anonymous website: http://www.aa.org/

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Health

International Foundation for Gender Education
www.ifge.org
Provides information, resources, and support in advocating for freedom in gender expression.

Lehigh County Mental Health
http://lehigh.pa.networkofcare.org/mh/services/subcategory.aspx?tax=YZ-2500