Personal Counseling Services - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, you will need an appointment to see a counselor. However, students will be seen on an immediate or emergency basis without an appointment should their individual circumstances require it.

All you need to do is come to the Personal Counseling Center, 210 Birkam (upstairs), to fill out a computerized intake questionnaire to help identify your areas of concern. First stop at the reception desk for direction. Based on your needs, you will be assigned to a counselor and an appointment will be scheduled as soon as an opening is available. Our hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm. We are closed for lunch from 12:00pm to 1:00pm. If you have questions, please call us at 591-5968.

We see students who struggle with a variety of issues on a daily or longer term basis including problems adjusting to college, homesickness, and feeling isolated from friends and family. Some additional concerns include stress, anxiety, depression, relationship problems, coping with personal feelings, anger, social skills, suicidal thoughts, alcohol use and other drug use/abuse, self-esteem, family issues, eating disorders, trauma, sexual assault/violence, and sexual orientation issues.

Currently, counseling services are provided at no additional cost to Ferris students. There may be nominal fees charged for specialized testing and assessment, such as that for ADD/ADHD. If you have questions about this, please ask the secretary or your counselor.

The Personal Counseling Center provides a place where students can have conversations with trained counselors who provide a supportive and understanding environment. Many students feel anxious, depressed, confused, or overwhelmed at some point during their college experience and need help dealing with feelings and problems that seem beyond their control. For some students, that help may come from friends, family members, significant others, etc., but in some cases, help is needed from a trained professional. While some people who seek counseling have chronic emotional difficulties, most are dealing with normal life events and are simply in need of an objective listener - someone who doesn't judge and who can help them see new alternatives.

Any currently enrolled FSU student residing in Michigan is eligible to receive our services. Counseling is available during all semesters.

In some cases, students are referred to outside providers. This decision is made on a case-by-case basis and is determined by the appropriateness of time-limited treatment for the individual situation, our expertise in treating a particular problem, the availability of staff and other resources, and other factors.

Family members and friends are often the first to notice when a student is struggling. Those closest to the student can encourage them to seek help. The Ferris State University Personal Counseling Center provides free and confidential counseling to students facing a variety of challenges in a safe environment where they can feel free to discuss their concerns.

We usually do not address academic and curricular issues, preferring to let those with academic expertise handle them. Educational counselors in the colleges and the Educational Counseling Center are available for drop/add, curricular changes/choices, and other schedule/registration issues. Deans Offices can handle drop/add and overrides as well and deal with withdrawal and extended absences and a host of academic administrative issues. Faculty advisers are assigned from within your curriculum/program and can be of valuable assistance when you are confused/stressed academically. Academic support can be obtained from the Academic Support Center, the Writing Center and Structured Learning Assistance (if a specific class you are in is a participant in this required tutoring/workshop program).

Therapy is a way for you to look at some of the problems in your life that may appear as though they are out of your control. It offers you an opportunity to talk about your problems with an outside, objective listener who can help you come up with creative solutions to look at your problem differently (or from a different perspective). A therapist will not be able to solve your problems for you. You will ultimately have to do the hard work, but they will be there to help you practice and guide you through the changes. During the first couple of sessions, therapist will obtain a lot of information about various areas of your life in order to provide the best services possible. Our therapy is time-limited and includes evidenced-based strategies.

Using the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy model, most students are seen in therapy on average about four sessions. We do have an 8 session limit per year but there may be exceptions to this policy under special circumstances. You and your therapist will discuss this together. We have many students who attend counseling for a few sessions, then may return the following semester or the next year.

Several of our counselors have specialized training working in couples and families. Contact the Counseling Center for further information.

We rarely have a wait time of more than a few days although we are seeing increasing numbers of students. The best time to come to the Counseling Center is at the beginning of the semester. Students will be scheduled with a therapist as soon as an opening becomes available. Emergencies and crisis are dealt with immediately or as soon as possible depending on the nature of the situation.

At this time, we do not have a psychiatrist on staff. We do, however, provide referrals to psychiatrists for either a psychiatric evaluation or medication if needed. We have a number of students who are taking medication and we refer to, and utilize our physicians at the Birkam Health Center or the student's own family physicians at home.

State of Michigan privacy laws and our codes of ethics dictate that no client information will be released on or off campus without written consent of the student. This means that we will not tell anyone, including friend, parents, and professors, that you are involved in therapy or the content of your session, unless you sign a release form clearly stating what we can disclose. There are some exceptions in the laws including situations involving harm to self or others, child abuse issues and court orders. This will be explained to you in detail through the Informed Consent form. If you have questions, be sure to ask your counselor.

Friends and family members can encourage a student to set up an appointment at the Personal Counseling Center but students are responsible for making contact and scheduling their own appointments.