What is the Counseling Service?

The Counseling Service is a non-judgmental and confidential place where you can express yourself freely to accomplish wellness and mental health. Whether you are going through family or friendship problems, academic or occupational difficulties, or even experiencing hard feelings or emotional instability, this service will give you the necessary tools to be empowered and help you evolve and flourish. The counselor will guide you to set achievable goals and develop strategies and plans to accomplish them.

Benefits of Counseling

The counseling process is very similar to the learning process, where students ought to learn more about themselves and acquire new skills.
Counseling can be helpful in many situations, such as depression, anxiety, anger, ADHD, hyperactivity, and abuse (sexual, verbal, or moral). It is also beneficial for coping with grief and loss (mourning, breakup, etc.), calming relational problems, remedying academic difficulties (lack of focus and concentration), and many other topics.
We assure you that during your counseling session, you will experience both confidentiality and comfort.

Students can gain from counseling the following:

• a safe space;
• empathetic listening;
• the feeling of being understood;
• greater self-acceptance and self-esteem;
• the ability to change self-defeating behaviors/habits;
• better expression and management of emotions, including anger;
• relief from depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions;
• stronger confidence and decision-making skills;
• an improved sense of well‐being;
• advanced problem-solving and conflict resolution abilities.

What are the students’ rights in counseling?

At the Counseling Service, you should be aware that you have the right to:

• be accompanied with respect, dignity, and kindness;
• benefit from counseling services, regardless of age, nationality, race, religion, sex, socio-economic status, disability, and sexual orientation;
• ask questions related to your support, such as diagnosis, objectives, action plan, evaluation, approach, and duration of counseling;
• be informed of the qualifications and professional experience of your counselor;
• participate in decisions related to your treatment, possibly that of transfer to another counselor or health professional;
• end the sessions if you consider it appropriate;
• have access to your file and obtain a copy if you wish;
• be aware of and give your agreement in the event of sharing information that concerns you with a third party, as well as choosing the information shared;
• be informed of the procedure to follow in the event of an emergency or a crisis;
• submit a complaint against the counselor to the Secretary General if you believe your rights are not being respected.