About The Office of Counseling Services
Let's Talk
College students normally experience many changes during their time at school. The pressures they experience may result from such things as: academic, social, emotional, career, developmental, financial, or spiritual concerns and can lead to many types of feelings, such as confusion, anxiety or depression. Counseling is a process by which students receive assistance from trained, experienced professionals who are knowledgeable about the types of problems students may face. Through talking with a caring individual, students may learn new strategies and skills for coping with their problems. Through "solution focused" counseling, students may develop an increased satisfaction with life.Counselors assist students in developing personal awareness so that they may identify problems, define strategies and goals, and develop the skills to reach those goals. On a college campus, these goals are sometimes divided into three areas of growth.
Counseling may assist students to develop personal awareness and coping skills to manage life challenges that are interfering with their ability to be successful. Personal counseling may cover a wide range of issues and may be brief or longer term in length; However, there are instances where, after the initial consultation, a counselor may provide a referral to an outside resource such a psychiatrist, specialist, or hospital for additional or primary treatment. Examples might be persons who are violent, suicidal, addicted to drugs/alcohol, suffering from a severe eating disorder, or require medical intervention. Additionally, referrals to off campus sources of treatment are available to any student who might prefer to seek out other helping professionals.
A Professional Licensed Counselor is available for personal counseling at no cost to CCGA students enrolled in 4 or more credit hours of study.
Appointments are strongly encouraged. To make an appointment, contact the receptionist at the Student Health Center, Lanelle Rogers at 912.279.4537, email her at lrogers@ccga.edu, or visit her on the 2nd floor of the Campus Center.
Typical Counseling Goals
- cope with anxiety or depression
- develop a positive self-image
- learn to trust others
- managing problems with food or nutrition
- the need to share with someone in a time of crisis
- develop healthy interpersonal relationships
- discover personality styles
- managing family difficulties
- reduce anxiety or panic reactions related to social anxiety
- heal from a loss
- relationship counseling
- heal from past or present abuse
- explore issues around sexual identity
- control addictions or habits
- learn anger management skills
What to Expect From Counseling
- Identification of ways to cope with each student's individual problems
- Talk to a person in a safe, non-judgmental environment
- Emotional support
- Assistance with making healthy healing choices
What to Expect From Counseling
- Feeling better about myself and my ability to manage my life
- Getting Clarity with how I feel, what I want, what in life is important to me
- Accepting me and recognizing I am ok
- Developing more effective problem solving skills, ways of coping with stress and new ways of dealing with interpersonal problems
What Not to Expect
- Magical solutions
- Judgmental advice
- The counselor to "fix" the problem
Your Confidentiality
Information shared with a counselor is confidential. There are exceptions to the rule of confidentiality. Information or records will not be shared with anyone without permission from the student. The Limits to confidentiality include:- The student is under the age of 18
- The student threatens harm to themselves or someone else
- There is knowledge of sexual or physical abuse to a child
- There is a court order mandating the release of the records
- The student has signed a release of information