Personal Counseling

What is counseling? Counseling, as done at the MSUM Counseling Center, is a helping relationship in which one or a group of individuals seek assistance for personal growth concerns from a professionally qualified counselor. All of the counselors at the MSUM Counseling Center have extensive training, experience, and professional degrees or, if counselors-in-training, are supervised by staff who do.

Counseling is a method of exploration. It's a process by which you become more aware of your own unique set of interests, abilities, aptitudes, and personality characteristics. The process continues from awareness to decision making to action planning. 

For what reasons do students seek counseling?
There's really nothing you cannot come to talk about with one of our counselors! 

MSUM students often see a counselor concerning:

  • career planning

  • major selection

  • values clarification

  • personal relationships 

  • families 

  • emotional and mental health 

  • self-esteem 

  • interpersonal communications 

  • time and stress management 

  • study skills 

  • academic issues 

  • depression and anxiety

  • eating disorders 

  • other concerns 

How do I know if I should see a counselor?

Here are some common reasons you might see a counselor:

  1. When you have questions about yourself and your life that are overwhelming and might benefit from supportive, objective input. (For example: you're uncertain about a career or life direction)

  2. When the pressures and stresses seem too much and you know you're not handling things well.

  3. When you're down and blue and/or fatigued and these symptoms just don't go away. Insomnia and poor appetite may accompany these symptoms.

  4. When you can't concentrate or study very well continuously for more than a week.

  5. If you know you're bingeing, purging, or eating very little.

  6. When your current study habits and strategies just don't seem to do the job.

  7. When you and your intimate other, special friend, or roommate are having problems with each other.

  8. When you've had or are having family problems that are affecting you negatively now. (For example: emotional, physical or sexual abuse and their effects)

  9. When you don't communicate well in relationships, or, feel you need to be either more assertive or less aggressive than you are.

  10. If you wonder about or believe you may be abusing alcohol or other drugs.

  11. If you'd like to develop better relaxation, time management, and stress management skills or more constructive and positive thinking skills, effective study strategies, communication and decision-making skills than you already have. 

You can use Counseling Center services without having to have a "problem". Maybe you'd just like to get some friendly guidance in helping yourself grow.

Back to Counseling Programs