Counseling and Wellness

Counseling and Wellness services are performed in two offices described below. The common goal of each office is to assist students in making the best possible use of their educational experience at Chico by overcoming obstacles to learning, identifying options, and developing specific life-enhancement skills.

Counseling Center

The Counseling Center helps students make the most of their education through interpersonal skill development and personal growth. It assists the University community in developing and maintaining a learning environment that enhances the whole student.

The Counseling Center is located in the Student Services Center room 430 and can be reached at 530-898-6345. It is open Monday-Friday, 9:00 to 11:30 am and 1:00 to 4:00 pm for student walk-ins. Urgent walk-in times are also available each day from 9:00 am to 11:30 am and from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm for those who cannot wait for an appointment.

What are the concerns mentioned by students?

• Academic difficulties, study problems, lack of motivation, exam anxiety, fear of failure
• Coping with stress, tension, worry, fear, insomnia
• Fear of public speaking
• Unwanted habits such as overeating, drug or alcohol use, or smoking
• Relationship difficulties such as problems making friends, dating problems, feeling lonely, feeling shy, controlling aggression towards partner/spouse or child, problems with parents, living together, breaking up, divorce
• Sexuality, including sexual identity as well as sexual difficulties
• Depression and suicidal feelings
• Confusion and uncertainty about "Who I am"
• Handling feelings such as anger, envy, and sadness
• Self-confidence, self-esteem, or assertiveness
• Exploring educational and career options

What is counseling?

Counseling is a process wherein you can discuss your concerns, questions, and feelings with a professionally trained and skilled counselor in the context of a comfortable and trusting relationship. You may learn to make better decisions, change certain behaviors, improve personal skills, develop increased confidence in your abilities, and acquire a keener awareness and appreciation of your needs and those of other people. With the help of a counselor's support and involvement, changes such as these may be less difficult than you think.

What can you expect?

You can expect to have your thoughts and feelings understood and clarified, to receive assistance identifying problems, and to gain help developing plans to deal with these concerns. Your relationship with the Counseling Center is confidential unless you give written permission for it to be shared, or in certain life or death emergencies, or by court order.

Who needs counseling?

Many people erroneously believe that you must have serious problems in order to benefit from counseling. In fact, many students benefit from assistance in ordinary struggles to grow and develop. Being a university student is one of the most challenging experiences of your life. It's a time for learning and growing, developing interests and skills, making friends, dating, and planning a future. For most, it's a time of transition in which you leave the past behind and move out into new realms. This means that you each come to campus with special emotional needs. Some of you are on your own financially for the first time. Others are leaving a job or a relationship and adjusting to the demands of a university community. Dealing with the complex requirements of living on your own and a seemingly unlimited amount of unstructured time can be both exciting and stressful. The challenging part is juggling your diverse interests and time commitments so that you satisfy your emotional, physical, spiritual, social, educational, vocational, recreational, political, and financial needs. If this sounds like a tall order, it is. Many of you will expect a lot of yourselves trying to fill this order. When you feel under pressure, aren't aware of your options, feel inadequately prepared to cope, or just want to have an objective party listen, that's the time to come see us.

Program

Counselors are available by appointment weekdays from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. To make an initial appointment with a counselor, call 530-898-6345, Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Urgent walk-in times are also available each day from 9:00 to 11:30 am and from 2:00 to 4:00 pm for those who cannot wait for an appointment.

Individual personal counseling is provided in a variety of areas: crisis counseling; stress management; personal problem solving; decision making; and vocational counseling. Counseling groups and workshops are offered each semester and include such areas as assertiveness training, women's issues, eating disorders, communication skills, male/female relationships, couples counseling, grieving, and socializing skills.

Another important function of professional counselors is referral. If someone else on campus or off campus can help with your concern, counselors will help connect you with that person or office.

Campus Wellness Center (CWC)

The Campus Wellness Center's mission is to maximize individual choice and provide students the opportunity to establish lifestyle patterns that promote lifetime well-being. The goals include educating the campus population on general wellness issues; providing support for those trying to better some aspect of themselves; helping students realize their potential for a high level of wellness; and creating an awareness that a wellness lifestyle can bring a balance to one's life and help maintain good health.

Educational programming is provided by student peer educators or Wellness Interns who offer presentations on a variety of wellness topics and participate in and support other wellness-related programs and activities. The Campus Wellness Center offers workshops, forum series, self-help handouts and information tables on a wide array of topics. Internships are also available for all majors.

Wellness Interns

Being an intern at the Campus Wellness Center (CWC) can provide a very exciting opportunity for you. While earning units toward your major, you have the added benefit of learning more about wellness in general and how it relates to you personally. As part of this peer education program, you will gain experience working as part of a team, develop leadership skills, and increase your confidence in public speaking. The intership at CWC is also an excellent resume builder and a great way to network on campus and in the community. We accept all majors and require a 10-hour per week commitment for one semester. Come by the Campus Wellness Center for more information or to pick up an application.

The Campus Wellness Center is located in the Student Services Center 430 and can be reached by calling 530-898-4697.

Help Resources

Looking for tips to reduce your stress? Want to read up on how to achieve better nutrition? Take advantage of our wide variety of self-help resources. We have books, handouts, CDs, and interactive software programs such as Heartmath© to help students learn and promote general wellness.