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Frequently Asked Questions...
Psychological
counseling is available, free of charge, to currently registered
Northeastern students. Services provided include, individual
counseling or therapy, group therapy, and couples counseling.
When additional services are needed, referrals can be made
to outside providers.
Here
a few quick links to topics of interest:
How
can I tell if counseling is right for me?
You may
benefit from psychological counseling for a variety of reasons...
For instance, you may wish to find solutions to specific problems
in your life, explore issues in your relationships, better
understand your feelings, or develop greater self-esteem.
In all these cases, working with a trained psychologist or
counselor may help. Nothing is off-limits to discuss; counselors
have worked with people who have experienced a tremendous
variety of difficulties. They are trained to listen, understand,
and help you with the kinds of problems that you may not be
able to resolve on your own. Click here to learn what
to expect from counseling.
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Am
I unusual in feeling I might need counseling?
No, you're
not. Many students seek counseling at distressing times in
their lives. In fact, the Counseling Office provided over
3,000 counseling sessions last year to Northeastern students.
Counseling is a "normal" and growthful process that aims to
help you with problems you may not be able to resolve on your
own.
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What
problems can I explore?
In a counseling
relationship, you can explore a variety of issues, including:
- depression
- anxiety
- grief
and loss
- eating
disorders
- problems
in current relationships
- marital
problems
- incest
or sexual abuse
- drinking
or other addictions
- and
many other issues...
Nothing
is off-limits to discuss; counselors have worked with people
who have experienced a tremendous variety of difficulties,
and are trained to listen and understand. In cases where your
needs extend beyond the range of our services, we will refer
you to other qualified professionals in the community.
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What
happens when I first meet with a counselor?
When you
first call for an appointment, we will schedule an intake"
session, which we try to arrange within a week or so of your
call (although sometimes it may take longer). This intake
session is when you tell us what your needs are and we determine
which services might be best for you--for instance we might
recommend individual, group or couple counseling, or perhaps
other services. Sometimes, you may continue to work with the
counselor you met during this intake appointment, but in other
cases you might be connected to a different counselor whose
schedule or training better matched your needs.
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What's
group counseling?
Individual
counseling involves meeting with a counselor one-on-one to
discuss your problems, usually once a week. In group counseling,
you meet with a counselor along with several other students,
and together explore areas of common concern. Group sessions
are also usually scheduled once a week, and the combined experiences
and support of other group members can make this a very powerful
form of helping. Discuss with a counselor which approach is
most appropriate to your needs. Click
here for more information about group counseling.
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What
about confidentiality?
Counseling
requires a private and confidential relationship in which
you can feel safe to talk about your concerns. In order to
safeguard this, information you share with your counselor
is treated in the strictest confidence. Click here for the
Counseling Office's Policy
on Confidentiality, which explains this in more detail.
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Who
is eligible for counseling?
All currently-registered
Northeastern students are eligible to receive psychological
counseling services. To receive couples counseling, only one
member of the couple need be a student.
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Do
you provide services for Faculty & Staff?
The Counseling
Office provides psychological consultation and referral services
to members of the Faculty and Staff. While always available
to help faculty or staff members understand the psychological
aspects of their work with students, we also help connect
employees with Northeastern's Employee Assitance Program,
their health insurance resources or practitioners in the community.
Check out our Services for Faculty
& Staff page for details on securing counseling assistance
for employees.
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What
does it cost?
Services
are free to all current Northeastern students. When tests
or inventories are used by our counselors to help you, they
are also provided free of charge.
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How
do I refer someone else for counseling?
Referring
a friend, student or colleague to counseling can be an important
way of helping. There isn't any single "right way" to do this--it
depends so much on the specifics of the situation and your
relationship to the person you're concerned about. In general,
talking with the person and sharing your concerns about his/her
situation is a good way to start. Share your observations
in a caring, not a blaming way, and offer support when you
can. You might then suggest that talking with a counselor
could be a way to get additional help. Feel free to call us
to discuss how you might help someone make the decision to
seek counseling. Or click here to view our Referral
Guide for more hints and suggestions.
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Crises
and Emergencies
- Call Northeastern's
Counseling Office (773.442.4650), Health Services (773.442.5800)
or Office of University Police (773.442.5511)
- Call Advocate Illinois Masonic
Medical Center crisis line (773.769.6200)
- Call your
local hospital emergency room.
- Call a
private psychologist, therapist or your medical doctor.
- Call the National
Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK
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Links
for More Information
Where can you find reliable mental
health information on the web? The Internet is a great
source of information on mental health issues, but it
also has a lot of speculation, rumor, and misinformation,
so you want to surf carefully. The following are some
links for information that can help you deal with feelings
of anxiety, depression, suicide, and other emotional
health issues:
-
Active
Minds on Campus
- A student-run mental health awareness, education,
and advocacy organization designed for the college campus.
- CampusBlues
- A website designed to facilitate student awareness
and use of school resources for mental and emotional
health.
- Dr Bob's Virtual Pamphlet Collection - Dr. Robert Hsiung, at the University of Chicago has compiled a great list of online resources from universities across the country.
- College
Suicide Prevention Resource Center
- A collection of specific info for college students
regarding recognizing warning signs, finding resources,
and utilizing mental health services.
- Go
Ask Alice! - A question-and-answer service by Columbia
University's Health Education Program. Go Ask Alice!
answers questions about making better decisions regarding
health, well-being, relationships, sexuality, depression,
suicide, alcohol and drugs, and other topics.
- ULifeLine
- An online resource center for college student mental health and
emotional well being.
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How
can you contact us?
To find
out more about what kinds of help are available or to set
up an appointment to speak with a counselor, stop by the Counseling
Office (Room D-024) or call 773/442-4650.
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Back to the Psychological Counseling page
Back to the Counseling
Office main page.
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