Setting

The Bowling Green State University (BGSU) Counseling Center is the primary psychological service facility on campus. Administratively, the Counseling Center is part of the Community of Care, which is within the Division of Health & Wellness. 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), and the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD).

Our multidisciplinary staff includes four full-time licensed psychologists and four doctoral interns. We also have a full-time AOD prevention specialist, four full-time counselors, and a full-time case manager. Our staff also includes trainees from different departments on campus. Throughout the academic year, we typically have two to four clinical psychology doctoral students (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.

Counseling Center Services

The Counseling Center provides brief, short-term individual counseling and psychotherapy, relationship 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, get BGSU students connected to the best mental health services to meet their needs, and reduce barriers to services for BGSU students. Counseling services are limited to enrolled BGSU students and are provided at no additional 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 liaisonships and collaborations with several offices across campus.

The Counseling Center is located at 715 E. Leroy Avenue, College Park Office Building Room 104 and is open Monday - Friday from 8:00AM to 5:00PM. Extended hours are offered during the Fall and Spring semesters.

The mission of the Counseling Center is 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.

The staff accomplishes this mission through providing psychological consultation to the Bowling Green State University community, including its faculty, staff, students, and their families.  The mission is also achieved through the provision of a variety of other psychological services, including assessment, counseling (group, individual, and relationship), case management services, alcohol and other drug (AOD) assessment and psychoeducation, crisis intervention, training, outreach programming, on-line psychological resources, supervision, testing, referral, and collaboration with psychiatrists as well as other medical professionals in Falcon Health to coordinate client care.

In providing such services, the staff of the BGSU Counseling Center strives to promote social justice and to demonstrate sensitivity to the diverse needs, backgrounds, values, and characteristics of our campus community.

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.

The Counseling Center is administratively housed within the Division of Health & Wellness which consists of a variety of departments that promote a positive environment for student success. Services offered range from student conduct, recreation and wellness, accessibility services, and health-related services.

The Division of Health & Wellness complements Bowling Green State University’s mission to be the premier learning community in Ohio, and one of the best in the Nation. This is accomplished by the following practices:

• We enhance student learning and achievement through innovative programs, services, and facilities that meet students’ developmental, social, physical and psychological health, and academic needs and interests.
• We challenge and engage students by creating a supportive, learning-centered environment that encourages intellectual exchange, cultural literacy, self-assurance, respect for others, and the responsible exercise of individual expression.
• We strive, in partnership with Academic Affairs, to help students integrate learning experiences and develop competence in critical thinking, written and oral communication, interpersonal relations, and leadership. Achievement of these learning outcomes prepares our students for life-long personal and professional growth.
• Our aim is to prepare Bowling Green State University graduates for leadership in their communities, and meaningful involvement in an increasingly diverse, technologically sophisticated, and complex global society.

The Counseling Center Committees address the different functioning areas of the Counseling Center and are tasked to implement changes with input from Counseling Center staff. The following is a complete listing of the Counseling Center’s Committees and their function.

Clinical Services Committee:  

• Vision Statement: Clinical Services Committee will oversee all counseling center clinical services, ensuring that they are provided in a manner that are ethical, culturally competent, student centered, and timely in order to foster student success, safety, and well-being.
  
  
• The Clinical Services Committee establishes and reviews clinical policies and procedures, assesses quality of clinical services, reviews and reports on critical incidents, reviews qualifications of clinical staff, and authorizes clinical privileges. The Committee also works towards maintaining staff morale and addresses training needs for professional development.        

Outreach Committee:  

• The Outreach Committee plans and leads staff in implementing community-based prevention efforts related to mental health, suicide prevention, and substance use, as well as engaging students, faculty, and staff in programs and services that will empower them to intervene. The Committee also responds to requests from students, faculty and staff, and campus members for programs and outreach on a number of different topics.
  
  
• Outreach programs have included: maintaining a presence in campus-wide events (e.g. Campus Fest, campus orientations), suicide prevention programming, workshops, Let's Talk, drop-in groups, AOD outreaches, and presentations on various mental health related topics. 

Training Committee:  

• The Training Committee serves as an advisory group for training programs, assesses efficacy of training programs, advocates for the needs of trainees, and implements selection processes for each training program.  The Committee offers support for supervisors, leads in planning training orientations, leads in the intern selection process for psychology interns, graduate assistants, and mental health counseling interns.