About Counseling
Our mission is to support the success of Purchase College students through provision of high quality, professional counseling services on campus. Our goal is to assist students in the resolution of barriers that may hinder their ability to achieve their highest academic potential, by ensuring that their mental health needs are recognized and addressed.
Student Centered
We provide student-centered and culturally informed counseling from a short term, integrative approach, treating all students with respect and recognition of their unique strengths. We provide emergency response and crisis intervention as needed. We support faculty in the identification of students who may benefit from our services and by reaching out to students in need. We provide education to the campus community and work toward prevention and wellness in our service model. We are a liaison to the local community, linking students to longer term or specialized services when needed.
Safe
Counseling provides students with a safe, confidential, and nonjudgmental space to voice concerns and address these concerns. It is a collaborative process that involves the development of a unique, supportive relationship focused on helping students discover their strengths, cope with challenges, adjust and grow. Counselors offer useful feedback, they listen, reflect, and validate students emotions. Most students learn that counseling offers tremendous benefits in helping them work through problems that are affecting their lives.
Individual and Group
The Purchase College Counseling Center offers short-term individual counseling and long term group counseling. In group counseling, the counselor acts as a facilitator in helping students better understand themselves, their feelings and behaviors, and their relationships with others while benefitting from the experience and support of peers also working on these concerns.
Students who wish to pursue individual counseling beyond our short term model may receive assistance in connecting with private providers or agencies off campus, or they may choose to continue in group counseling.
Why come to counseling?
Below is a list which includes many, but not all of the reasons students come to counseling:
- Improving relationships with friends and family
- Managing distress more effectively
- Exploring issues related to one’s Identity, gender, or sexuality
- Improving academic performance and creativity
- Understanding yourself and your interpersonal style
- Coping with the loss of a loved one
- Managing loneliness or homesickness and adjusting to changes, lifestyle, or culture
- Addressing eating/body image concerns
- Recovering from assault, relationship violence or abuse
- Managing experiences of discrimination or microaggression
- Dealing with depression or mood disorders
- Reducing anxiety, panic, or performance anxiety
- Helping a friend
- Addressing difficulty with living situations or campus conflicts
- Making decisions about a leave of absence, transferring or withdrawing from college