Individual & Couples Counseling
C&C provides several forms of counseling including individual, couples, and group. Individual counseling involves meeting with a counselor for approximately 45-50 minutes. You and your counselor determine how frequently both of you will meet. It is common for students to meet with a counselor weekly, but many meet every other week or even once a month. You will also use this time to estimate the number of sessions you may need to assist you. You will review confidentiality and its limits as well as recount for her/him how you are hoping to benefit from therapy. Couples therapy is similar to individual therapy in that two people will meet with a counselor on a regular basis.

Group Counseling
Group counseling involves meeting with approximately 8-10 other students on a weekly basis. Group meetings generally last for about an hour and a half and are often led by two Counseling & Consultation staff members. Groups are an excellent vehicle for students who have concerns with shyness, fear of rejection, assertively expressing themselves, feeling anxious around others, and have difficulty communicating. Relationship issues we deal with in everyday life often appear in a group counseling session. As a result, this is an opportunity for a student to experiment with different ways of expressing her/himself, receive feedback from others on how they perceive her/him, receive support and encouragement, and offer support to the other group members. Groups address a variety of student needs: women's experiences, men's experiences, co-ed groups, GLB support groups, eating disorders, women of color support group, trauma and abuse survivor, and substance abuse among others.

It may feel uncomfortable to think about talking in front of a group of students about personal issues. Some common concerns about participating in a therapy group are:

• Fear of being laughed at or rejected by group members;
• Fear that your personal concerns will be revealed to others without your permission;
• Concern that there will not be enough time in a group meeting (as compared to individual counseling) to adequately address your concerns;
• Fear of not being understood;
• Fear of not receiving sufficient emotional support from group members;
• Concern about feeling inhibited by the presence of others.
  

For many, these are very real concerns and should not be ignored. Usually, once students get to know other group members as well as what's expected of them, they feel more at ease about participating. We suggest that you talk in-depth about your concerns with your counselor. He/she can help you explore these concerns and make the best decision for you at this time.

Discussion-Based Groups
Group counseling allows students to gather and discuss concerns relevant to them. Discussion-based groups are another format available to students. In these groups students still meet weekly with one or two Counseling & Consultation staff members (group leaders) for about an hour and a half. In a discussion-based group, leaders may provide students with information and structured activities to help them increase their self-awareness and/or gain a new skill. The exercises often have the added benefit of getting to know other group members. Examples of this type of group include stress management, making decisions about alcohol and/or drug use, and coping with trauma. In other discussion-based groups, students decide which topics will be discussed. Some discussion-based groups meet for a specified time period while others do not. Some students may feel more comfortable with a discussion-based group because members feel less vulnerable and more structured in their group participation.

To learn more about the groups and workshops that C&C offers, please go to our Groups & Workshops page. This page lists recent groups offered at C&C. For a more current list including meeting days and times, go to the Announcements section on our main page.