Psychological Counseling, Wellness Center, and Testing

Psychological Counseling, Wellness Center, and Testing comprise the three offices described below. The common goal of each office is to assist students in making the best possible use of their educational experience at Chico by overcoming obstacles to learning, identifying options, and developing specific survival skills.

PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING CENTER

The Psychological Counseling Center exists to help students make the most of their education through psychological skill development and personal growth. It also assists the university community develop and maintain a learning environment conducive to the accomplishment of those ends.

What are concerns frequently mentioned by students?

Academic difficulties, study problems, lack of motivation, exam anxiety, fear of failure
Coping with stress, tension, worry, fear, insomnia
Unwanted habits such as overeating, drug or alcohol use, or smoking
Relationship difficulties such as problems making friends, dating problems, feeling lonely, lacking assertiveness, feeling shy, controlling aggression toward partner/spouse or child, problems with parents, living together, breaking up, divorce
Sexuality, including sexual identity as well as sexual difficulties
Fear of public speaking
Depression and suicidal feelings
Confusion and uncertainty about “Who I am”
Handling feelings such as anger, envy, sadness
Self-confidence, self-esteem
Exploring educational and career options

What is counseling?

Counseling is a process wherein you can discuss your concerns, questions, and feelings with a professionally trained and skilled counselor in the context of a comfortable and trusting relationship. You may learn to make better decisions, change certain behaviors, improve personal skills, develop increased confidence in your abilities, and acquire a keener awareness and appreciation of your needs and those of other people. With the help of a counselor’s support and involvement, changes such as these may be less difficult than you think.

What can you expect?

You can expect to have your thoughts and feelings understood and clarified, to receive assistance identifying problems, and to gain help developing plans to deal with these concerns. Your relationship with the Psychological Counseling Center is confidential unless you give written permission for it to be shared, or in certain life or death emergencies, or by court order.

Who needs counseling?

Many people erroneously believe that you must have serious problems in order to benefit from counseling. In fact, many can use assistance in ordinary struggles to grow and develop. Being a university student is one of the most challenging experiences of your life. It’s a time for learning and growing, developing interests and skills, making friends, meeting mates, and planning a future. For most, it’s a time of transition in which you leave the past behind and move out into new realms. This means that you each come to campus with special emotional needs. Some of you are on your own financially for the first time. Others are leaving a job or a relationship and adjusting to the demands of a university community. Dealing with the complex requirements of independent living and a seemingly unlimited amount of unstructured time can be both exciting and stressful. The challenging part is juggling your diverse interests and time commitments so that you satisfy your emotional, physical, spiritual, social, educational, vocational, recreational, political, and financial needs. If this sounds like a tall order, it is. Many of you will expect a lot of yourselves trying to fill this order. When you feel under pressure, aren’t aware of your options, feel inadequately prepared to cope, or just want to have an objective party listen, that’s the time to come see us.

Program

Counselors are available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to help students using the center for the first time. If further sessions are necessary, appointments are scheduled. To make an initial appointment with a counselor, come to the center any time M-F, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Individual personal counseling is provided in a variety of areas: crisis counseling; marriage, couple, and family counseling; stress management; personal problem solving; decision making; and vocational counseling. Counseling groups and workshops are offered each semester and include such areas as assertiveness training, women’s issues, eating disorders, communication skills, male/female relationships, grieving, and socializing skills.

Another important function of professional counselors is referral. If someone else on campus or off campus can help with your concern, counselors will help connect you with that person or office.

CAMPUS WELLNESS CENTER

The Campus Wellness Center’s mission is to maximize individual choice and provide students the opportunity to establish lifestyle patterns that promote lifetime well-being. The goals include educating the campus population on general wellness issues; providing support for those trying to better some aspect of themselves; helping students realize their potential for a high level of wellness; and creating an awareness that a wellness lifestyle can bring a balance to one’s life and help maintain good health.

Educational programming is provided by student peer educators who offer presentations on a variety of wellness topics and participate in and support other wellness-related programs and activities. The Campus Wellness Center offers lifestyle assessments, workshops, forum series, self-help handouts on a wide array of topics, and the Self-Development Center. Internships are also available for all majors.

The Campus Wellness Center is located in Meriam Library 141 and can be reached by calling 530-898-4697.

Self-Development Center

The Self-Development Center is designed for students who may need relaxation training and information about various personal topics. A comfortable and semi-private environment makes it easy to explore and use available resources on a self-help basis.

Topic categories include:
Assertiveness & Self-Esteem
Communication
Dreams
Eating Behaviors & Disorders
Family Issues
Lifestyle
Loss
Managing Feelings
Men’s Issues
Personal Growth
Relationships
Relaxation
Sexual Issues
Stress Management
Suicide
Time Management
Wellness
Women’s Issues

The Self-Development Center is located within The Campus Wellness Center in Meriam Library 141 and is open M-F, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

TESTING AND RESEARCH

The Office of Testing and Research offers services designed to provide you and the university with better information for academic decision making.

The office administers a wide variety of tests used for admission to colleges, universities, and professional schools. These tests assess your preparation and potential for success in undergraduate programs, graduate programs, or professional schools of law or medicine. Some of these tests are only available on computer and are administered in a Computer-Based Testing (CBT) Center located in the Testing and Research office, MLIB 143.

Testing and Research provides testing programs in the following areas:

Admissions Tests

American College Testing (ACT)
Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT-CBT)
Graduate Record Examination (GRE-CBT)
Law School Admissions Test (LSAT)
Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
Miller Analogies Test (MAT)

Placement Tests

English Placement Test (EPT)
Entry-Level Mathematics Test (ELM)

Certification of Proficiency/Competence:

California Subject Matter Examination
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL-CBT)
National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (CBT)

In addition, the office coordinates the Student Evaluation of Teaching program that allows you to evaluate the teaching effectiveness of your instructors. Your evaluations may be entered into the instructors’ personnel files and considered in personnel decisions.

An instructional test-scoring service aids faculty in the development, scoring, and analysis of objective tests used in the classroom and helps faculty provide you with prompt feedback.