Western carolina university counseling program

Your individual counselor will take some time to get to know you and your specific goals for counseling. You will discuss how often you will meet, recognizing that the focus is on achieving these goals within a brief time period. CAPS' staff are available to assist students who are experiencing a mental health crisis at any time of the day.

During regular business hours a. For after-hours emergencies, call the CAPS main line You may also contact the community crisis line through Appalachian Community Services Research shows that group therapy is the most effective treatment for many of the concerns college students face.

Because of this, your counselor may refer you to one of several groups offered by CAPS. Here is what students say about our groups:. Or at least try it because it is really helpful and really becomes a comfortable space to talk about things you wouldn't talk about with people in your everyday life. We hope it will help to improve internal sense of self for students with complex trauma histories. Nature Therapy 3 - 4pm Aaron Using the power of the outdoors, group members will be led through various experiential activities to learn about the healing power of nature.

This group will have also draw from concepts of mindfulness. This group is a confidential, respectful, counselor-facilitated LGBTQ support group where we discuss topics such as coming out, queer life in rural communities, spirituality and queer identity, relationships, handling discrimination and oppression effectively, and more.

Group sessions will explore topics including gender roles, boundaries, self-esteem, and body image. Each week there will be a counselor-facilitated time of discussion, celebration, and connection. Through our outreach programming and workshops, CAPS connects to students, faculty, and staff as they partner with us in reducing stigma around mental health concerns.

Our goal with outreach is that participants will develop new knowledge and tools to help them remove barriers to their success at WCU. For an appointment, call To talk to a counselor, please call our office The office is open Monday through Friday from a.

To begin counseling at CAPS, the first step is to meet briefly with a counselor to discuss what concerns brought you to CAPS and to arrive at a mutually agreeable course of action to address your concerns. The first meeting usually lasts 20 to 30 minutes. Based on this meeting, your counselor will make recommendations about the best treatment to address your concerns.

This may be another campus resource, our self-help resources, a short-term group, an ongoing group or individual counseling at CAPS or in the community. The Counseling program is intentionally designed to give you the skills you need for employment you wish to pursue in the counseling field.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling. What You'll Learn The M. Where You'll Go The M. Next Steps Apply Now. Visit Us. The majority of counseling classes during the academic year are taught in person, in 3-hour blocks in the evening from to p. Day classes are available as space allows. Summer classes will be required for all students to complete the program; these classes are taught at the WCU Biltmore Park Instructional Site, Asheville. A limit of 6 hours of graduate credit can be transferred into the program with faculty approval.

Practicum experience requires a minimum of hours weekly at a mental health or school site for one semester. Practicum placements are made for Fall and Spring semesters only. Practicum includes 1-hour of individual supervision per week on campus and 3-hours of group supervision which meets every other week on campus. Practicum is a 3-hour course. Students apply for practicum the semester prior to enrollment. Approval for admission into practicum and the practicum placement itself are made by the faculty.

Practicum placement contacts are initiated by the field placement coordinator. Professional liability insurance is required for all students enrolled in practicum. The Internship experience requires 40 hours weekly full-time placement at a mental health or school site for one semester. Internship placements are made for Fall and Spring semesters only.

An hour of weekly individual supervision is provided by the site. Group supervision is conducted weekly on campus for 3 hours at night.

Internship is a 6-hour course. Students apply for internship the semester prior to enrollment. Approval for admission into internship and the internship placement itself are made by the faculty. Internship placement contacts are initiated by the field placement coordinator. Typically, internship is an unpaid experience. Professional liability insurance is required for all students enrolled in internship. Applications to the School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling specialties may be submitted at any time during the year.

Admission decisions, however, are made one time per year. The application deadline is February 1, annually. Applications that are incomplete after February 1 will be considered the following year. Find an online version at: catalog. Electronic copies of the appropriate issues are made available to students registered at the university, high school principals and guidance counselors, college and university libraries, and public and private high schools and institutions of higher learning in North Carolina.

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