Spotlight: Counseling Center
You don’t have to go it alone – Making use of the Counseling Center
College is a wonderful time of growth, fun, self-exploration, and transition. You’ll be exposed to new ideas, people, and experiences…all of which makes for a rich adventure of learning and self-development. Surely, it’s a fun time, but let’s face it – it can also be stressful. It probably won’t shock you to know that UMKC students report STRESS as the top impediment to their academic success – and stress, in turn, is related to a number of mental health concerns that are commonly faced by college students, including depression, anxiety, loss of sleep, and more.
Fortunately, if you find yourself experiencing these or other mental health concerns or needing a confidential place to sort out some things, you don’t have to go it alone. UMKC has a Counseling Center to assist you.
All students are eligible for an intake session plus eight (8) additional counseling sessions each academic year at no charge. We are here to help with a wide range of concerns – everything from difficulty adjusting to life in college to severe depression and thoughts of suicide…and everything in between. Students come to the Counseling Center to work on their relationships, improve their mood, and reduce anxiety, overcome eating disorders, and more. It’s not uncommon for one of our counselors to meet with a homesick student, a student with depression, a student with trouble in their romantic relationship, and a student wanting to improve study skills – all in one day! We are truly equipped to meet the psychological needs of our diverse student body.
Our staff consists of highly trained mental health professionals who provide confidential psychological counseling. We offer individual (one-on-one) counseling, group therapy, and couples (relationship) therapy, because different problems respond best to different kinds of therapy. Our Assess For Success program can help students who may be experiencing difficulty due to study skills, unique learning styles, test anxiety, other variations in mood, learning disabilities and/or attention and focus issues. We have a psychiatrist who is available to see Center clients, and we work closely with Student Health and Wellness and many other campus offices, so we can help you get connected to what you need. And, though we are located at 4825 Troost, you may just see us around campus at one of our many events and presentations. Look for us in November during “Sleep Week” (wouldn’t YOU like to be getting better sleep?).
We encourage you to visit our website to learn more about the benefits of counseling and what to expect. There, you can take a free screening for several mental health issues. If you are interested in meeting with one of us, simply call the Counseling Center at (816) 235-1635 and ask for an intake appointment. We will meet with you, explore your concerns with you, and together make a plan for how to make the changes you are looking for in your life.
Also, visit our blog often, for timely tips on stress management, study skills, and other mental health information.