Counseling Center jmu.edu/counselingctr
The Counseling Center provides free, confidential personal counseling services to all JMU students. Initial visits do not require an appointment as the Counseling Center offers walk-in hours for initial assessments Monday-Friday 10am-3pm. For mental health emergencies (e.g., thoughts or plans to kill yourself, thoughts of seriously harming others, recent sexual assault) crisis services are available by calling or coming into the Counseling Center during business hours to speak with a clinician. After regular business hours or on weekends, call the Counseling Center and select “Option 1” to connect to the after-hours crisis line. Counseling services typically provided at the Counseling Center involve issues such as relationship problems, self-esteem, depression, anxiety/stress, eating and body image concerns and difficulty adjusting to college life. Treatment options provided by the Counseling Center include: • Specialized Treatment Programs: There are several specialized treatment programs to assist JMU students with a variety of goals, including: reducing anxiety symptoms, improving mood, increasing coping strategies, regulating emotions, managing distress, fostering healthy relationships and improving self-care. These three-week programs include numerous evidence-based strategies and interventions. They are one of the quickest ways to reduce symptoms and access clinical services. • Group Counseling: Group counseling is a great way to address a variety of issues within a clinician facilitated small group of participants who meet weekly to discuss their concerns. Groups typically focus on a specific experience, identity or symptoms (e.g., Self-Compassion, Eating Concerns, Women’s Process, True Selves, Grief, Q2Q). • Individual Counseling: Individual counseling provides students with the opportunity to freely explore any personal problems or concerns which have a negative impact on the quality of their life. Due to the high demand for clinical services, individual counseling services at the Counseling center are typically brief, student generally meet with their clinician for approximately 3-5 sessions, depending upon treatment needs and availability. Students who request or require longer term treatment are provided with a referral to a clinician or other services in the local community. • Case Management Services: The Case Managers provide services to students seeking care from the Counseling Center who are assessed as needing additional support due to symptom presentation, lack of resources/means and elevated risk to themselves or others. • Sexual Trauma Empowerment Program (STEP): The Counseling Center provides a variety of clinical, educational, consultation and referral services for survivors of sexual trauma. • Psychiatric Services: The Counseling Center Psychiatric staff are trained medical professionals who specialize in prescribing medications that may be helpful to students dealing with mental health concerns. Psychiatric services are only available to students who are currently engaged in ongoing treatment at the Counseling Center. Once students are stabilized on medication, they will be transferred to a community provider in Harrisonburg or back home. Students who are interested in only medication, need a refill or medication management will be referred to a provider in the community. • Consultation: The Counseling Center staff provide consultation, in person or over the phone, to students, faculty, staff and others who are concerned about the distressed, unusual, problematic or potentially harmful behavior of others. • Outreach Services: Educational programming on a wide variety of mental health topics may be requested through the Counseling Center website.
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