Many students are unaware of the services the University Counseling Center offer and the activities they host.
The counseling center offers several campuswide activities. They have outreach once a month in Tom and Brenda McDaniel Center where they focus on a topic within the mental health realm and provide handouts and therapy dogs.
They recently co-sponsored an Eating Disorder Awareness Week panel and hosted a mental health marathon. Officials said they want students to be aware of their services.
The Counseling Center also has one-on-one counseling services for students.
“We start out by offering six to eight sessions,” said Lori Finley, personal counselor. “If we feel like a student may benefit from more intensive care, then we may have a talk with them to assess other resources out in the community.”
All sessions within the counseling center are free, Finley said.
Students can make appointments by walking in, calling the center at 405-208-7904 or by emailing Finley at lrfinley@okcu.edu. Students can also email Counseling Director Mindy Windholz at mbwindholz@okcu.edu.
“I like the accessibility of using phone calls and emails to make appointments,” said Gareth Forsberg, acting freshman. “I think that’s very thoughtful of schedules and anonymity.”
Appointments usually are scheduled within a week of the student contacting the counseling center, Finley said.
“Appointments are confidential,” she said. “We try to make it chill and relaxed so they feel comfortable.”
The center is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and is located beside Walker Hall dorm.
“Most of the time, we try to keep the counseling in office hours so we can assess if situations are crisis or not,” Finley said. “But we do have access to students on campus after hours if need be.”
In case of an emergency after hours, students should call campus police, which is in direct contact with the counseling center, at 405-208-5911.
Forsberg said the center could still be advertising themselves better.
“I do wish the counseling center advertised themselves more on campus,” he said. “I didn’t even know it was them who provided the therapy dogs. I also didn’t know where the center was located until now.”
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