Counseling and Health Services
Why do we need counseling?
Counselling is a process at which a counselor meets with students, aiming to enhance their self-understanding and personal development, to empower them to cope with their problems and stress, to facilitate their adjustment to university life and to assist them in making healthy life changes.
Sometimes we reach a point where we are unable to find solutions on our own. Not being able to find a solution to a problem simply means we are human - not crazy. Psychological upset and painful feelings are normal reactions to intense or abnormal events and are part of the natural healing process. Counselling can help facilitate this healing process.
We are prepared to assist students in a variety of personal development areas. Common concerns for University students include - but are not limited to - the following:
- Puzzling, distressing feelings
- Self-defeating behaviours
- Low self-confidence
- Academic problems
- Getting along with others
- Decision-making dilemmas
- Feelings of depression or anxiety
- Stress reduction and relaxation
- Time and task management
- Grief and loss
Counseling Services
1. Individual Counseling
Individual counselling provides an opportunity to talk with a personal counselor about anything you wish and to get help in resolving conflicts, solving problems, choosing a major, handling crisis situations, making decisions, and developing better coping skills. Students are occasionally referred off campus to appropriate community resources. Our trained counsellor is available to help students work through personal concerns and learn new strategies of dealing with stress. Students can explore a variety of concerns that may prevent them from functioning at their optimum levels and achieving their personal goals.
2. Career Counseling
Career Counselling is dedicated to assisting you in your career development. The Career Counselling process encourages you to explore career path possibilities, enhance self-discovery, develop your own concept of self-identity, gain confidence, and make decisions about the directions you will take along your career path.
An effective career planning process involves:
Self-Assessment:
Using a variety of worksheets and assessment tools, we help you clarify your skills, values, interests, personality traits, preferred work environment, desired people, interactions, talents, and career development needs.
Generate career options:
Through discussions with your counsellor, the various worksheets and the standardized assessment inventories, we help you identify career options to consider.
Set goals and take action:
With your counsellor, you will set goals for yourself and then take action to pursue those goals. You may decide to seek further education, enhance your skills, make changes in your current job, or seek a new job. Your counsellor can help you with preparing for any of these steps. Preparing for job search, planning for networking, writing your résumé, and practicing and preparing for interviews are all actions that your counsellor can help you learn to do.