Counseling Center

Counseling Center Overview

Description
The Bowling Green State University (BGSU) Counseling Center is the primary psychological service facility on campus. Administratively, the Counseling Center is part of the Center for Health, which is within the Division of Student Affairs and under the purview of the Associate Vice-President for Student Affairs. The Counseling Center is accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS) and is a member of the Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies (ACCTA), the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD).

The Counseling Center staff is multidisciplinary. There are four full-time licensed psychologists (Clinical and Counseling) and one full-time psychology resident in addition to the pre-doctoral interns. Serving in a part-time capacity, we have one licensed independent social worker, two licensed psychologists, one AOD prevention specialist, one case manager, one post-masters clinical fellow, one three to four doctoral students in clinical psychology (graduate assistants), and two to three mental health counseling interns. The Counseling Center staff adheres to the legal, professional, and ethical standards of the Ohio Psychology Law and Rules of the Board, Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, and the Accreditation Guidelines of the International Association of Counseling Services.

The Counseling Center is located at 104 College Park and is open Monday - Friday from 8:00AM to 5:00PM. The Counseling Center provides individual counseling and psychotherapy, couples counseling, group counseling and psychotherapy, psychological assessment, crisis intervention, consultation and outreach. Our goal is to provide quality services in as short a time as possible, usually within 16 sessions or less. Counseling services are limited to enrolled BGSU students and are provided at no charge. Issues often addressed in counseling include: depression; anxiety; relationship concerns; study/test taking concerns; stress/anxiety reduction; family concerns; eating disorders; sexual concerns; grief and loss; coming out issues; experiences of physical/sexual assault and other concerns.

The Counseling Center maintains liaison offices in three residence halls for the provision of consultation and outreach services to residence hall staff and students. In addition, the Counseling Center maintains a liaison position with the College of Arts & Sciences for the provision of consultation and outreach services to faculty, staff and students within the College.

Mission
The Counseling Center staff strives to promote the psychological well-being of students from diverse backgrounds; to foster their development, learning and academic success; and to provide appropriate intervention when students are experiencing serious mental health concerns.

We accomplish this mission through providing psychological consultation to the Bowling Green State University community, including its faculty, staff, students and their families. We also achieve our mission through the provision of a variety of other psychological services including assessment, counseling (group, individual, and couples), crisis intervention, training, psychoeducational programming, on-line psychological resources, supervision, testing, and referral.

In providing such services, we strive to be sensitive to the diverse needs, backgrounds, values and characteristics of the members of our campus community.

Diversity Statement
The Counseling Center staff welcomes all students. We aspire to respect cultural, individual, and role differences. Our goal is to create a safe, supportive and affirming climate for individuals of all races, ethnicities, national origins, genders, gender identities, sexual orientations, religions, ages, abilities, sizes, socioeconomic statuses, languages, and cultures.

Counseling Center Committees
The Counseling Center Committees generate proposals and recommendations that are forwarded to the Leadership Team; in some instances, their role will also involve implementing proposals that have been approved by the Leadership Team. The following is a complete listing of the Counseling Center’s Committees and their function:

Clinical/Quality Assurance Risk Management Committee
Charge:  Establish and review clinical policy and procedures, assess quality of clinical services provided, review and report on critical incidents, review qualifications of clinical staff and authorize clinical privileges.

Diversity Committee
Charge:  Promote and assess multiculturally competent and sensitive practices, services, education, and environment in the Counseling Center, implement strategies for connecting staff with underserved and underrepresented student groups, keep staff abreast of diversity events and programs on campus and in the community.

Community Interventions Committee
Charge:  Plan and lead staff in the implementation of community based prevention efforts related to mental health and substance use, engage student body, faculty, and staff in programs and services that will empower them to intervene, respond to community requests for programs and outreach.

Training Committee
Charge: Serve as advisory group for training programs, assess efficacy of training programs, advocate for needs of trainees, implement selection processes for each training program.