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May 2008
University Counseling Center Provides Round-the-Clock Support
By Julia Parmley The University Counseling Center has been helping GW community members improve their emotional well-being and cope with the stresses of academic life for more than 60 years. Founded in the 1940s to provide World War II veterans with educational and vocational support, the center has evolved to offer a wide range of services, including one-on-one sessions, group therapy, and workshops. “We’re able to help students adjust to college and be successful during their experience at GW,” says John Dages, University Counseling Center senior associate director and assistant clinical professor of psychology. “We want students to learn to be healthy, responsible young adults who can make decisions about their future and meet their personal needs.” Located at 2033 K Street, NW, the center is part of the Division of Student and Academic Support Services. Its staff includes eight full-time licensed psychologists and four post-doctorate students, as well as part-time clinical staff. Individual and group counseling is available, and a counselor is always on hand for emergency walk-in appointments. Counselors also can accompany students to the emergency room for mental health evaluations. Dages says the center conducts approximately 4,000 counseling appointments annually. Initial assessments are free of charge and all counseling services are confidential. The center also provides a professionally staffed 24/7 counseling telephone service, which received approximately 1,000 calls in the fall 2007 semester. Workshops offered cover a range of topics designed to help students navigate academic life, including reducing test anxiety and getting organized. Other opportunities include peer tutor training, an education program that trains students in mental health awareness and sponsorship of Active Minds, a student-run group that promotes mental health awareness, education, and advocacy. On the center’s Web site, podcasts demonstrating exercises, such as deep breathing and meditation, are available. Additionally, online screenings and workshops are available 24/7 for students, faculty, and staff who are unable to attend programs offered on campus. Faculty and staff who need consultation regarding students who might be in distress can use the Call-a-Counselor service and can receive help through GW’s Faculty/Employee Assistance Program. The center also offers faculty and staff training in areas such as trauma debriefing and suicide prevention. In 2006, GW received a three-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for suicide awareness and prevention. As a result of the grant, Dages says the center has trained more than 600 students, faculty, and staff in suicide awareness and prevention. After Hurricane Katrina and the school shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, Dages says the counseling center posted a message on its Web site to remind students of its services and sent an e-mail to parents through GW’s Office of Parent Services. “When national tragedies occur, whether natural disasters or school shootings, we mobilize to reach out to students who are in distress or parents who are concerned about their children,” he says. Dages and his staff also have increased outreach to the University community through fliers, advertisements, updates to the center’s Web site, and partnerships with the GW Housing Programs and the Dean of Students Office. Their efforts have resulted in a 22 percent increase in service calls and an 8 percent increase in after-hour calls over the past year. “This increase is important, because it means people are learning about our services,” says Dages. “We can now reach students more quickly, which means we can implement a response plan faster than before.” According to Dages, students across the country are increasingly turning to their respective university counseling centers for help with problems including adjustment issues, anxiety, and depression. GW’s counseling staff is available to address the diverse needs of the University community. “More and more, students are using our counseling services and benefiting from these services,” he says. “The feedback we are getting is quite positive, and it reinforces our need to respond quickly and responsibly to crises as they occur and to continually produce and develop innovative and creative programs for the University.” To contact the University Counseling Center, call (202) 994-5300.
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