Individual Counseling
You may be wondering if you are feeling “bad enough” to come to counseling. Or you may be wondering if we have been able to help others with problems similar to yours. These are often questions people consider before actually making an appointment to speak with a counselor.
Students come to counseling to discuss many different issues. For some students the problem is recent or related to a current situation. For others the problem has been present for a long time. Some students come to counseling not because they have a specific problem‚ but because they want to prevent problems in the future or want to engage in personal growth or discovery.
The most frequent issues students talk about when they first come to counseling are:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Relationship problems (with romantic partners‚ family‚ friends‚ roommates‚ coworkers‚ advisors)
- Poor concentration‚ memory‚ inability to focus leading to decrease in academic performance
- Uncertainty about choice of major or career
Other issues that students often discuss in counseling are:
- Problems forming relationships
- Lack of satisfaction with current relationships
- Loss of relationships (through death‚ divorce‚ break-ups‚ moving away)
- Family problems
- Anger
- Loneliness
- Homesickness
- Being different from others due to ethnicity‚ sexual orientation‚ disability‚ nationality‚ race
- Experiencing violence now or in the past
- Problems related to alcohol or other substance use
- Rape/sexual assault
- Problems with eating or body image
- Adjusting to college
- Adjusting to a new culture
- Wanting to learn to make healthier life choices
- Having a general sense of “not feeling like myself”
- Having a general feeling of unhappiness or unease
- Confusion about identity‚ who or what you want to be
- Procrastination
- Test anxiety
Individual counseling is an opportunity to talk with a counselor about anything you choose and to work on particular issues which the two of you have defined. Sessions generally last about 50 minutes, one time per week.
Limitations for Treatment
The Counseling & Testing Center can offer an initial assessment to all students eligible for services. However, the Counseling & Testing Center does not have adequate resources to treat all types of psychological problems. Certain students will require more specialized or comprehensive treatment than we can offer. Those individuals will be referred to resources in the community following an evaluation.
In addition to counseling on an individual basis, the staff provides assistance to couples who are experiencing difficulty, or wish to improve their relationship.
For answers to other questions you may have about individual counseling‚ see our Frequently Asked Questions page.
counseling & testing center . university of kentucky . 201 frazee hall . lexington‚ ky . 40506–0031 . (859) 257–8701 . fax (859) 257–3319