Counseling Services
Individual and Group Counseling
Counseling, or psychotherapy, is a professional relationship that focuses on personal problems. The counseling relationship differs from both social friendships and patient-physician contacts. Unlike friends, counselors are able to be objective; they are not involved in your daily lives. Unlike most physicians, counselors do not give specific advice or tell you what to do. Instead, they serve as skilled listeners who help you to clarify issues, discover your true wishes and feelings, and deal effectively with problems.
Some examples of challenges for which students seek counseling include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Adjustment to college life
- Interpersonal/relationship issues
- Low self-esteem
- Identity concerns
- Crisis needs
- Family Issues
- Grief and loss
- Substance abuse concerns
- Abuse and violence issues
In addition to individual sessions, we often offer group counseling and support groups with a focus on specific issues.
Meeting with a counselor at the NDSU Counseling Center is free for NDSU Students. If your concerns may be more appropriately addressed by another agency, the proper referral(s) will be made.
Psychiatric Services at Student Health Service
Psychiatric Services are provided at Student Health Services (Wallman Wellness Center), and referrals can be made either by Counseling Center or Student Health staff. Psychiatric services include evaluation, medication consultation and follow-up visits.
Relaxation and Reflection Room
The Counseling Center, through a generous grant from the NDSU Student Government, is pleased to announce the opening of our Relaxation/Reflection Room. The Relaxation/Reflection Room is free to use and open to all registered NDSU students (you do not need to be a client of the Center to use the Room).
The room is designed to allow students to decompress in a massage chair or oversized bean bag, while listening to relaxing music and watching relaxing videos in a softly lit room. Sensory items like kinetic sand, a Zen Garden, fidget toys, and a water feature are on hand to enrich the experience of the room. Students can stretch out on a yoga mat, experience a weighted blanket, turn on the happy light, or listen to a meditation. A variety of self-care games, journals, brain teasers, and mindfulness/relaxation related color books are also available.
The Relaxation Room is open Monday – Friday from 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM at the Counseling Center, 212 Ceres Hall. Students can reserve the room for 45-minute sessions by calling the Center at 701-231-7671. Students may use the room individually or with others (a maximum of three students will be allowed in the room at a time, and one reservation per student will be allowed per week).
Phototherapy (for SAD)
A limited number of therapeutic light boxes are available for current clients of the Center who are experiencing symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The light boxes may be checked out from the Center for clients' personal use. Clients at the Center may speak to their counselor to discuss whether this option may be appropriate for them in conjunction with counseling.