The Counseling Center
The Counseling Center at Keene State College offers a diverse range of short-term mental health services to all KSC students. Our focus is on the mind, body, and spirit of our students. The Counseling Center is staffed by counselors who are sensitive to the many issues affecting college students today. We provide individual and group counseling to KSC students who would like help dealing with personal (including relationship) issues and crisis situations. You may also contact us if your academic area or department has a special request.

Consultations
If you are concerned about a student or situation but are not sure how to proceed, call the Counseling Center. A counselor will return your call and help you determine an appropriate course of action. Don't carry it all on your shoulders. Consultations are a regular part of our services and are frequently used by concerned parents and roommates as well as faculty and staff.

Tips for Talking with Students
Advising meetings can sometimes take on a counseling-like quality. Faculty members, staff members, and academic advisors may vary in their experience and comfort level adopting or being placed in a personal counselor role. Here are some tips that will help you establish rapport with students and better understand their concerns:

• Talk with the student in private.
• Listen carefully.
• Show interest and concern.
• Repeat the essence of what he or she has told you: "What I think I hear you saying is...."
• Respect the student's values and beliefs.
• Use empathic words and phrases: "Sounds like you're having a tough time."
• Use "I" messages: "I am concerned...," "I would like to help...."

Students will appreciate your willingness to listen and, if the situation warrants, you will have established the trust necessary for an effective and successful referral to the Counseling Center.

Signs Suggesting the Need for a Referral

Advising Problems

• Inability to choose courses
• Unwillingness to take required courses
• Career indecision
• Focus of advising meetings shifts from discussion of coursework to personal issues

Academic Problems

• Excessive procrastination
• Uncharacteristically poor work
• Inconsistent work
• Repeated requests for special consideration (without evidence of a learning disability)
• Test anxiety

Interpersonal Interactions

• Dependency on advisor/"hanging around"
• Avoidance of professor or other students
• Behavior which regularly interferes with classroom decorum
• Complaints from peers

Behavioral Markers

• Marked change in personal hygiene
• Dramatic weight gain or loss
• Frequent falling asleep in class
• Irritability, particularly in conjunction with unruly behavior
• Garbled or impaired speech, disjointed thoughts
• Unusually soft or loud voice, or unusually slow or fast cadence in speech
• Tearfulness or intense emotion

Emergency Situations
Get help immediately when you encounter any of the following in a student:

• Expression of suicidal thoughts
• Expression of homicidal thoughts
• Severe loss of emotional control
• Gross impairment in thinking ability
• Bizarre behavior

Contact the Counseling Center at 358-2437 on weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.; after hours and on weekends, call 358-2436 to talk to a counselor.

Outreach & Community Support
When unexpected crises occur (such as the death of a student), you may wish to invite us into your residence halls, classroom, or organization to provide community support. We can assist you in discussing such a trauma and its impact on your class or organization. We also welcome your interest in allowing us to provide educational programs on topics such as stress management, depression, listening and communication skills, and other subjects relevant to your group.

Self-Help Library
Many times, simply acquiring sound psychological information can help with problems. There is a wealth of information available on topics such as stress management, weight control, grief, depression, anxiety, and relationship enhancement. These books, which are available for loan to all KSC students, staff, and faculty, can be obtained at the Counseling Center.

How to Make a Referral
If you become aware that a student is having personal or family problems (for example, illness of a family member), it is often useful to ask: "Who have you talked with about this?" If you feel that the student would benefit from a referral for counseling, and the student is not currently getting counseling, it is usually best to express your concern and recommendation directly to the student. It is also generally better to suggest counseling and allow the student to make his or her own decision. But if a student needs help immediately, offer to call the KSC Counseling Center with him or her present. If you call the Counseling Center on behalf of a student, identify yourself and explain to the receptionist that you are assisting a student in making an appointment; then allow the student to speak to the receptionist to arrange an appointment time.

It is almost always appropriate for you to check back with the student to see if she or he has followed through on your referral to counseling. If you want information from the Counseling Center staff about the student, please let the student and/or our staff know. We will need to have the student sign a form that gives our staff permission to give you information about the student.

In an Emergency
Contact the Counseling Center at 358-2437 on weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. After hours and on weekends, call 358-2436 and talk to a counselor.