University of Northwestern Ohio

Counseling Center

Accessing Services

All UNOH students are eligible for an initial assessment and recommendations. UNOH students who are interested in receiving counseling services must schedule an initial assessment (IA). The IA is a chance to discuss your concerns with a clinician and receive recommendations about what services would be most helpful. IA appointments typically take approximately 30-45 minutes. During that time, you will check in with the front desk, complete paperwork, and meet with a clinician. The goal of the IA is to gain a thorough understanding of your history, presenting problem, prior treatment, goals for treatment, and to provide professional recommendations. At the end of the IA, you will likely receive a referral. That referral may include Counseling Center services, additional campus based resources, and/or a referral for a community based provider. The Counseling Center’s goal is to connect students with the best service to meet their needs.

When appropriate, students may be referred to short term services offered within the Counseling Center. CC services include: Individual Therapy, Couples Therapy, Group Therapy, Specialized Treatment Programs, and Psychoeducational Workshops. Due to the high demand for counseling services, the Counseling Center operates according to a short-term treatment model in which the student and the clinician collaboratively identify and address the student’s primary concerns within a limited number of sessions. Consistent with the national average at university counseling centers, students typically average 4-6 sessions during a course of individual counseling.

Common presenting concerns addressed at the Counseling Center include:

• Generalized and social anxiety
• Mild to moderate depression
• Relationship issues (i.e., romantic relationships, roommate problems, family issues, loneliness, etc.)
• Academic concerns (i.e., performance anxiety, perfectionism, underachievement, low motivation, etc.)
• Developmental issues (i.e., adjustment to college, life transitions, identity development, etc.)
• Low self-esteem and self-confidence
• Grief and loss
• Body image and eating concerns

Issues Commonly Referred to Community Resources

Students whose needs cannot be accommodated through short-term services or who require a particular type of expertise not found in the Counseling Center are provided with a referral to a clinician in the Lima community. The Center provides referral services during the initial appointment or as these factors become apparent during the course of services. The following are considered in determining when services outside of the Counseling Center may be a better fit for a student’s needs:

• A desire or apparent need to be seen more than once a week or for long-term therapy
• Absence of requisite coping mechanisms to manage reactions to normal daily stressors in appropriate ways
• Presence of multiple and/or chronic issues that significantly impact mental or emotional functioning
• Chronic suicidality and/or self-injury behaviors; history of repeated suicide attempts and/or hospitalizations
• Psychotic Symptoms
• Students who are exclusively interested in psychiatric services (i.e. the provision of psychotropic medication)
• Students who need specialized services NOT available through the Center as indicated by:
  • Presence of a significant or long-standing eating disorder
  • Presence of significant drug and/or alcohol problems
  • Request for psychological evaluation to assess for the presence of learning disorders, to grant housing accommodations (e.g. single room, emotional support animal), or for the purpose of employment clearance or other nonacademic purpose