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Our
Purpose
College life is exciting,
challenging, and hopefully rewarding. The years you spend at USAO will be
some of the busiest you have known and during this time you will be making
decisions that will affect the rest of your life. At times you may feel that
this is the best period of your life. At other times, coping with the
pressures and responsibilities and dealing with stress can seem
overwhelming.
The
life of a USAO student is not always easy. Sometimes our students feel
overwhelmed with academic, career, relationship, family and other concerns.
When stress and tension build, students frequently experience physical,
emotional, social or spiritual distress. If you are feeling confused,
overwhelmed, stressed, anxious or not even sure how you feel, you are not
alone. We want to help you, no matter what type of difficulty you are
experiencing.
The
Counseling Office provides services and activities to the USAO community
which promote the development of healthy lifestyles and the acquisition of
problem-solving and decision-making skills. The Counseling Office is staffed
by a licensed mental health professional who provides individual counseling
for personal, social, family, and academic concerns. Through this, we strive
to influence the positive development of students' social, emotional,
intellectual, spiritual, physical, and vocational lives. |
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Additional Information
What is Counseling?
How Do I Know if I
Need Counseling?
What Can I Expect in
Counseling?
How Can I Help Myself?
Referrals
Confidentiality
Contact Information
Helpful Links and
Resources
Emergency Services
Contact Information
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Our Services
Counseling focuses on helping students function and develop in the
stimulating and stressful environment of college and can assist with a
variety of concerns. Although most services are provided through
individual appointments, our staff can offer other services as well. Our
services are confidential, FREE, and are available to currently enrolled
students. Office hours are generally 8am to 5pm, Monday through Friday.
Individual Counseling:
Students can meet one-on-one with a counselor to talk about their concerns,
explore related thoughts and feelings, identify personal resources, and
learn new skills. For some students, one conversation is all they need to
make things better, while others may return for several appointments. When
it appears that a student's needs would be best met by an off-campus agency,
counselors also provide referrals.
Couples & Family Counseling:
Students may invite
romantic partners or family members to join them in counseling to improve
their relationships.
Outreach Programs:
A variety of programs is
offered to further overall personal development in such areas as
self-esteem, stress management, and healthy relationships.
Faculty and Staff Resources:
The Counseling Office offers a number of
resources to help faculty and staff in their work with students.
Consultation services are available to faculty and staff at any time during
regular business hours. |
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Who Uses Our Counseling Services
College will present
challenges for everyone. You will be faced with some difficult life
decisions, a questioning of values, and a redefining of attachments and
commitments, or other problems in living that may interfere with your
academic success.
Given the
amount of stress and the fast pace of the college years, it is not
surprising that counseling is an increasingly used campus resource. For
many students, college life may be the first experience living away from
home for an extended period of time. The individual's usual sources of
support are no longer present to facilitate adjustment to the unfamiliar
environment.
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