Stephen F. Austin, like most universities, offers various counseling services to their students. They offer one initial meeting to get to know your counselor and then four hour-long sessions each semester that is covered by your tuition if you are currently enrolled at SFA. I have already gone to the first meeting in order to meet my counselor and talk to her about my goals regarding future sessions. There are a large range of issues that they can address from anxiety, depression, anger management all the way to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, couples counseling, and even family therapy. They encourage anyone to look into their services if their methods of dealing with any concerns or issues they may have aren’t affective anymore.
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Personally, I’m not hesitant to talk about my issues and insecurities because I find that talking about them to others allows me to meet people that have gone through the same thing. It’s crazy how many people you’ll meet that know exactly how your feel or have experienced the same thing you have. If you are the type of person that is concerned about privacy while in counseling, SFA ensures client confidentiality. No sessions are a part of your academic record, and your counselor will make sure you understand all rights you have as their client. I recently when in for my initial 30-minute meeting to discuss why I felt I needed counseling as well as what I hope to gain from future sessions. In the past two months since I’ve been at school, I have felt very isolated and homesick. I also have trouble finding events or organizations that I’m interested in, and I felt like the counselors at SFA would be able to help me through what I was feeling. Although the first meeting barely scratches the surface, I truly felt safe and comfortable. It’s not often that you find someone or somewhere you feel comfortable enough to share your insecurities or problems, so this made me feel hopeful.
Although there are limited individual sessions, all group therapies are free throughout the semester. The one I am going to attend is called “General Purpose” group therapy. I decided to sign up for group therapy because I feel like that will help me reach out to other students on campus that share similar issues. My counselor informed me that this group focuses on a variety of topics brought up mainly by the students. If I wanted to talk about body image or anxiety, it’s welcomed. I haven’t gone to group therapy yet, but I am very optimistic since I will be talking with people like me.
( https://www.dbsacoloradosprings.org/support-groups/ )
I encourage anyone to check out your schools counseling services even if you just need a place to vent. It’s important to know that this is an extremely secure space that supports all lifestyles. They also allow you to change counselors if the one you are assigned does not fit your needs. I personally clicked instantly with my counselor – so I think you will find your match!