Despite what everyone says, Miami Student Counselling Services don’t suck. In fact, I’ve been going to to therapy there all semester and it’s helped me a lot.
The main complaint about SCS is that it’s nearly impossible to get an appointment. People say that the waitlist is weeks long to get an initial consultation. However, in my experience, there wasn’t a waitlist at all and I got in the same week I called. I recommend trying to get an appointment at the beginning of the semester because that’s when most openings are.
The other complaint that is always floating around about on-campus counseling is that it’s ridiculously expensive. For whatever reason, SCS doesn’t accept insurance of any kind. So, each individual session costs like $25 which is ridiculously expensive for anyone to pay! That’s $400 a semester that I just don’t have to spend. Thankfully, there’s an easy way around paying the fee. When your therapist asks you how you’ll pay for the sessions, ask for a fee waiver. It’s simple to fill out and you’ll definitely be accepted – I was!
Another way around paying is to just do group therapy. You’ll have to get into one of the groups at the beginning of the semester but group therapy is always free. I’m doing both individual and group sessions and both have been effective.
I was skeptical of both of Miami’s services and of therapy in general before I started going. But, Miami’s services proved all my doubts wrong. I thought that my problems weren’t significant enough to go to therapy. I thought that a psychiatrist would laugh at my stresses. I thought that therapists were intimidating. Boy, was I wrong.
When you go in for your first appointment, you take a survey explaining your issues and what you want to get out of therapy. Then, you have a short consultation with a therapist to go over your survey responses and they recommend the best plan of action. For me, I wanted to work through my relationship with the men in my life, my friends and my mom. My therapist assured me that all of my worries were valid and suggested that I join a group session designed for women who need help with relationships. She also hooked me up with a different therapist for individual counseling.
Group therapy has been the biggest surprise. Everyone in group listens respectfully to each other, offers advice and consoles people when needed. Despite every woman coming from a different background and being in group for their own specific reasons, each week has become more and more helpful. The best part is that while I’m getting assistance for my problems, I can also help people with theirs.
My individual sessions have quickly become a highlight of my week. An hour of doing nothing but talking about myself, getting reassurance and advice? Sign me up! But seriously, therapy has allowed me to talk about my life at length and see it in ways that I haven’t considered it before. It gives you a third-party listener who tells you like it is. It also challenges you to become a better version of yourself. Although I’ve only been going to therapy for a few months now, I’ve already seen the positive effects. I’m starting to put my needs first, I’ve improved my communication and I’m learning what healthy relationships look like.
If you think you might need to go to therapy, you do. Even if you don’t think you need therapy, you probably need it. Everyone has baggage they need to get rid of. The best part is, there’s a great way to relieve your load right here on campus.