Counseling Center
Mission Statement
We believe that the university experience should be challenging, not overwhelming, and universities have a duty to support students as they are being challenged. To this end, the WKU Counseling Center is committed to promoting the academic mission of the university by providing a variety of psychological services to students that will augment recruitment, retention, and graduation by strengthening students’ capacity to tolerate distress, form healthy relationships, and seek healthy expressions of their ideals and values. The Counseling Center also advances the university’s mission by providing educational programming, training, and consultation to the students, faculty, staff, and constituents of WKU.
How to schedule an appointment:
The best way to schedule an appointment is to call our office at (270) 745-3159 or stop by Potter Hall 409 and we can work to coordinate schedules and get you an appointment. (NOTE: We DO NOT schedule appointments through Outlook Calendar). The Counseling Center is open from Monday – Friday from 8:00am-4:30pm (CST). For emergency and after-hours information, call 270-745-2548. The Counseling Center sessions will be set up as in-person or on-line, depending on the needs of the student. The first session (Client Consultation) is scheduled via Zoom.
Here is what happens the first time you come to our center. Our motto is “College should be challenging, not overwhelming”. Most students will need some kind of help while they are “doing” college. It is normal to seek help. Students come to the Counseling Center for the following reasons:
- Need to learn new information or skills to solve a specific problem.
- Need a safe place to explore confusing or painful memories or experiences.
- Some students need both.
Some students need a couple of sessions where they can talk “out loud” and figure out what is bothering/concerning them. Some students may need one session to get some advice so they can go try out new skills on their own.
The first time you come to the center, you are going to meet with a counselor, virtually, via Zoom. You and the counselor will determine what you need and the best way to provide it to you. We call this a Client Consultation appointment. It will probably be a 15- to 30-minute meeting. Paperwork will need to be completed, as well, to begin counseling with our Center.
- The counselor might give you some information or suggestions to try and then you may come back if you need more help.
- The counselor might suggest you make another appointment to begin talking about your problem, exploring the confusing and upsetting thoughts and feelings you are having.
- You might keep seeing the same counselor or you might be set up with another counselor on staff. You can find a listing of our staff on the “contact” tab above, then Staff listing, in the drop-down box.
If you have a second session, it may be in-person or via Zoom (depending on what you and the clinician determine and works for you). This session is called the Intake session; more information might be gathered and a counseling plan is developed.
If you are in crisis, the counselor will talk about getting you immediate help. If you are not in crisis, the counselor will ask what you are wanting from counseling; do you think you need advice or suggestions, or do you think you need to come in for more sessions and slowly, safely talk about what is bothering you?
Thanks for having the maturity and courage to get help at our center. We are all in this together.
Updated 8/16/2023
The Counseling Center is open throughout the calendar year and closed during holidays and other specified dates found in the WKU Academic Calendar.
The Counseling Center is located in Potter Hall, Room 409
Address:
1906 College Heights Blvd #11024
Bowling Green, Kentucky 42101-1024
Phone: 270-745-3159
Fax: 270-745-6976
Email: counseling.center@wku.edu
Information
Complaints of sexual misconduct/assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking harassment
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