Located on the second floor of the Student Services building on the main campus in Ogden, the Counseling & Psychological Services Center offers counseling services to students and faculty at Weber State University. For those students who attend the Davis campus, the counseling center also has a location in building D2 Room 257.

The Counseling & Psychological Services Center offers a wide variety of helpful services for students on campus. Each year students can take advantage of the 12 free counseling sessions that have already been covered by their student fees. In addition to offering traditional one-on-one counseling, Weber State also offers family and marriage counseling, which is not typically offered to university students.

Students who are seeking help for the first time will be asked to fill out intake paperwork. This paperwork helps give the counseling center an idea of where a student is at emotionally. It also provides them with information about the student’s school and work schedule.

The student will also be asked to fill out a bubble sheet which will help the counselors determine any hot issues such as suicidal thoughts, traumatic experiences or drug and alcohol abuse that may be present in the student’s life. This paperwork will give a quick overview of the student which will help the counselors determine how to best help them.

Once the paperwork has been filled out and turned into the counseling center, the student can then set up an appointment with a counselor. The counseling center offers hours Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Aaron Jeffrey is a licensed marriage and family therapist who became a part of the Counseling & Psychological Services team earlier this fall.

“Unlike other universities, Weber State is able to offer family and marriage counseling to students. This gives those students a place to get their relationship and family problems addressed and worked out,” Jeffrey said.

The Counseling & Psychological Services Center also offers three, free groups that students can attend. These groups focus on meditation, coping skills and ADHD.

Jeffrey spoke about how these groups came about.

“These groups were developed out of a need. We also see very good attendance for these groups,” he said.

Students wanting to attend these groups shouldn’t feel pressured. The groups are walk-in only and students can attend for as long as they would like without commitment. For more information on these groups students can visit weber.edu/counselingcenter/groups.

Students who might not want to come into the on-campus office have other options. The website, which is located at weber.edu/CounselingCenter/, offers students links to other resources they might find helpful.

Dianna K. Abel, the director of the Counseling & Psychological Services Center, spoke about the self-help books that they offer to students.

“We have about 50 to 60 self-help books at the Stewart Library, as well as some housed at the Davis campus,” she said.

These self-help books are available to students seeking help who may not want to come in directly to the counseling center. This type of therapy is called bibliotherapy which is defined as, “the use of reading materials for help in solving personal problems.”

The top three issues seen by the counseling center are anxiety, depression and relationship problems.

“Depression used to be the biggest issue . . . around five years ago Weber State and other counseling centers in the country began to see a change from depression in the first spot to anxiety,” Abel said.

Abel and Jeffrey both offered their advice for students who might be embarrassed to seek help.

“Some of the healthiest people are those who come to counseling. This is because they recognize an issue and reach out,” Jeffrey said.

Abel advised students to view emotional struggles the same  way they would approach a physical struggle.

“Most people wouldn’t deal with a cough for two weeks and not see a doctor. People should have the same should attitude for mental health,” Abel said. “Don’t struggle with depression and its symptoms without seeking help. It is easier to come in when the symptoms first begin rather than waiting five or six weeks.”

Students wanting more information about the services offered can visit www.weber.edu/CounselingCenter/or call them by phone at 801-626-6406.