The novel coronavirus has changed the new normal for all of us. 

Adapting to the pandemic has been difficult for students and faculty alike. The counseling center is here to help students manage stress, depression and anxiety.

Since Covid-19 has become a major issue, the counseling center staff have modified their accessibility to make sure students can reach them from anywhere and at any time while taking the necessary safety precautions.

Not only is the counseling center considering the safety of the students, staff counselor

Morgan Phelps assures students that the counseling center staff are continuously keeping students’ information private.

“The counseling center adapted services to offer distance counseling (video or phone)

to keep everybody safe. We use technology that is compliant with federal privacy laws for student safety and confidentiality,” Phelps said.

The counselors have created a way to keep in touch with students without losing the

experience of the in-person counseling by utilizing video sessions.

“We understand that support from a professional counselor can be important for

students, so we quickly started using distance counseling or telehealth,” Phelps said.

The counseling center provides a variety of services for individuals, couples, 

group counseling, workshops, lion house calls and more. Their services are available

for all students, whether studying from home or living on campus.

“Counseling is a way for students to experience growth and receive support during

challenging times in life. Each student will have unique goals for counseling that can

vary widely,” Phelps said.

Students can reach the counseling center for conditions such as living with Covid,

depression or anxiety. The counseling center is here to help through using technology.

“Our services have been adapted to an online format, allowing students to receive

mental health and psychiatric services through distance counseling or telehealth,”

Phelps said.

Scheduling an appointment this semester can look a little different but the

counselors are adapting to make sessions, assessments and getting in touch simple.

“Students are encouraged to call the Counseling Center to schedule a care

assessment and a counselor will learn and assess student needs,” Phelps said.

Although adapting to this pandemic has been tough on students, resources such as

the counseling center staff have modified themselves so students can continue to utilize their

services.

“Seeing students display resilience while navigating the ‘new normal’ during this

pandemic has been encouraging. It is encouraging to see mental health services

adapting to reach and help as many people as possible through,” Phelps added.