Student counseling Q&A
September 6, 2018
Did you know there are student counseling services at UAF? Do you know where the counseling
center is? Do you know what we do, and how you can get help? What even is counseling?
Am I eligible for counseling services?
If you are a registered student at UAF and taking at least 6 credits in a classroom
during the semester, you qualify for health and counseling services! Our services
are included in your $150 health services fee. Each student is eligible to receive
up to five counseling sessions per semester. If you are taking mostly online courses
instead of classroom courses, your fee is not automatically assessed, but you can
still choose to pay the $150 health services fee so you can come for counseling or
medical services.
So how do I reach you?
You can call the Student Health and Counseling Center at 907-474-7043. We are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30pm. Please call to schedule an
appointment. Our staff will have a counselor reach out to you the same day or, very
rarely, the next day. Our last appointment slot is at 3:30 p.m. Typically, students
are able to be seen the same week they call or the following week, depending on the
counselors’ schedule. Should you be experiencing a mental health crisis and need
to speak with a therapist after hours or on the weekends you can still call the main
number (474-7043) and press “1” to reach an after-hours licensed therapist.
And where are you exactly?
Student Health and Counseling is on the second floor of the Whitaker Building, which
is the same building as the police and fire departments.
What happens when I get there?
You will first check in at the front desk and complete some paperwork and a quick
survey of how you have been feeling the last two weeks. This gives your counselor
an idea of how you might want to focus your time. We offer what is called “short-term,
solution-focused, brief therapy,” which means we will work with you to identify what
goals you would like to work on during our time together (up to five sessions) and
will focus our efforts on those specific, identifiable goals.
The first stage of therapy is called the INTAKE. During intake, your counselor will
ask a lot of questions about your history, both familial and academic, your alcohol/drug
use, sleeping and eating habits, your strengths and what activities you enjoy. The
two of you will discuss your goals for therapy, if you have any psychiatric history,
and if you are having thoughts of suicide or homicide. These are important questions
that we ask every student.
The TREATMENT PLANNING phase occurs when you and your counselor decide what changes
you want to make and what type of help would best help you reach your goals. Your
counselor will make recommendations for what you should do. This is a collaborative
process, and your input is important! If your counselor is unable to help you adequately,
you'll get a referral to an appropriate source in the community.
The hardest part of counseling is the CHANGE phase. This is where you work to accomplish
the goals you set in your treatment plan. Your counselor will be there to help you
through it, but remember, ultimately only you can change yourself. Just as you cannot
change other people, your counselor cannot change you, no matter how well they are
trained.
TERMINATION occurs when you have made sufficient changes and have met your counseling
goals. There is no timeline for termination. Sometimes just one session is all that
is needed to reach a solution, sometimes it takes five, and sometimes longer-term
therapy is needed. Every situation is different, and your counselor will work with
you to determine what is best for you.
This might seem like a lot, but it is not as intimidating as you might think. Counselors
are here to help. You do not have to do this alone.