by Sam Jorgenson
Counseling services is one of the many amenities offered to UNW students. Composed of a committed and reliable team, the counselors offer a wide variety of programs and tools to help students in their day-to-day lives.
Meredith Larson, photo from UNW website
Meredith Larson, one of our counselors on staff, offers a more in-depth look into the different facets of her role at UNW. “Students are kind of sorting through what their life has been like and what’s impacted them: Who they are, what their gifts and skills are. What they want their life to be like.”
She enjoys working with students, which is what led her to start her work at UNW. When asked about what services the counselors offer to students, she listed a wide variety. The main objective of counseling at UNW is related to individual sessions for undergrad traditional students, focusing on a myriad of issues ranging from depression and anxiety to sorting out the adjustments that come with university life.
Group sessions are also offered to students, including separate men’s and women’s groups. A group session taking off this Spring called “Taking the Next Step” enables students who are seriously dating or engaged to have a place to discuss their relationship with others.
As for getting involved in counseling, Larson brings a couple points forward. Firstly, she speaks about some of the counseling’s outreach areas. These include outreach chapels, collaboration events, and Wellness Wednesdays.
Larson stressed that attending a counseling session is not something to stress about. “Students don’t have to make any kind of commitment. If they’re curious they can make an appointment and see if it’s something that they want or is helpful.”
Counseling services are there to help students, regardless of if they only need to meet once or for the entire year. Larson encourages students to reach out and see if it’s helpful.
If you’d like to get in touch with counseling services or learn more about them, check them out on myUNW under ‘Counseling’.
