Counseling Services
Purpose
The Student Counseling Services is a caring group of professionals, committed to helping USC students overcome obstacles and realize their academic, professional and personal goals. Services are provided to help enhance students' skills and attitudes in adapting to college life, creatively handle stresses and challenges, relate to new and different people and make their USC experience satisfying and productive.
Staff
The professional staff of the Student Counseling Services is an ethnically and educationally diverse group which includes psychologists, a social worker and a staff psychiatrist. They are highly trained and experienced in helping students successfully cope with a variety of issues and concerns that are common during their college experience. Additionally, advanced graduate interns in clinical and counseling psychology and social work provide a variety of services to students.
Services
Individual Counseling
All personal information discussed in counseling is kept confidential. Eligible students may be seen in a group, couple or individual counseling to work on a wide variety of concerns. Students may need help with relationships, fears about possible failure, coping with stress, dissatisfactions about themselves or the discomfort of depression, guilt, anger or fear.
Group Counseling
Each semester a number of different counseling groups provide a unique opportunity to increase self-awareness and self-acceptance. In a supportive atmosphere with peers there is a chance to experiment with new behaviors and exchange ideas with others. The counselor you see for your initial appointment will help you decide which group best fits your needs.
To Initiate Counseling
Please call us at 740-7711 or come in to make an appointment. Initial appointments are for 50 minutes.
Emergency Services
Emergency services are intended for use by students who genuinely require immediate assistance. A professional staff member is on call and can be reached by calling Student Counseling Services at 740-7711. During non-business hours, counseling services are available via the Department of Public Safety at 740-6000.
Consultation and Training
In addition to counseling students, the professional staff provides training to university personnel: This includes consultation to faculty or staff concerned about a distressed student, presentations to classes and training residence hall personnel.
The staff also provides workshops and consultation on stress management, assertiveness, communication skills and conflict resolution techniques as well as many other programs for staff, faculty and student organizations to enhance their work with students on campus.
Questions & Answers
Question: "Aren’t most people who seek counseling 'sick' or 'crazy'?"
Answer: Certainly not! Most students who come to Student Counseling Services are seeking personal growth and are responding to changes in their lives. For those few students with severe problems, Student Counseling Services is the place for them to come for help with distress.
Question: "What kinds of problems do students have?"
Answer: To name just a few: loneliness, depression, dating and sexual concerns, parental pressures, academic and study problems, tension, eating disorders, shyness, test anxiety and general worries or feelings of inferiority.
If you have other questions, please call (213)740-7711 or visit www.usc.edu/student-affairs/Health_Center/cs.