| Counseling Services |
Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings
Regular AA meetings are held at the O.U. Counseling Center located on campus in the Graham Health Center Building, East Wing. The meetings are private and secure. They are not sponsored by the Counseling Center and no sign-in is required. Anonymity is maintained.
THURSDAYS 11:45 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.
Room # 5. You are welcome!
Career Testing & Counseling
The Counseling Center at Oakland University offers a variety of services that can be of assistance for students and members of the community who are:
- Having difficulty deciding on a college major
- Suffering from a job lay-off
- Veterans of jobs with no progress or satisfaction
- Seeking verification they are making the right career choices
- Experiencing difficulty or dislike in their current position
- Confused about declaring a major
Services include counseling (talking with an advanced graduate student intern who is specializing in career issues) and testing. A variety of assessments are used to help with the career decision-making process. These include:
- An Abilities assessment - to see what your strengths & skills are
- Personality Assessments - to see what kind of environment suits you
- An Interest inventory - to see what you are interested in
You may take advantage of these services in a variety of ways, depending on your needs:
- Career Counseling
- Single Career Testing
- An Interest Inventory, for example The Campbell Interest & Skill Survey
- A Personality Assessment, such as The Myers-Briggs Type Inventory
- Full Test Battery
The Full Test Battery is the most comprehensive. It compiles information about you from several sources:
- The intake interview
- The assessments
- Knowledge of the current trends in the world of work
and designs an ideal work environment that would encourage you to work comfortably and productively. Various options would be discussed with you and a plan of action developed.
Student Costs:
- Counseling - the first 6 sessions are free!
- Testing -
- Full Battery - $125.00
Cost for Members of the Community:
- The full CTC battery costs $500.00, however the Counseling Center works on a sliding fee scale with proof of income.
Call for more information and an appointment.
Personal Counseling
Counselors help individuals with the general confusion of problems in daily living. In addition, the Counseling Center offers counseling for a range of issues such as:
- Depression
- Anxiety (panic attacks, test anxiety, social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorders)
- Eating Disorders
- Underachievement
- Relationship difficulties
- Family Conflict
- Grief and Loss
- Self Esteem
- Sexuality
- Substance Abuse
- Crisis Intervention
Counselors are available to discuss personal concerns an individual, couple or family may be facing and will work with them to develop new ways of resolving or mastering the problem.
Consultation Services Available
The Counseling Center's staff is available to offer consultations to university staff and faculty regarding a wide variety of mental health issues, such as substance abuse, emotional issues and behavioral problems on campus. Please feel free to contact us.
Diagnostic and Psychoeducational Testing
Diagnostic and Psychoeducational Testing is designed to answer questions regarding problems a client may have in academic achievement and progress, proper educational placement, and emotional and behavioral functioning. The assessment includes in depth interviews and the administration of psychological, cognitive and psychoeducational tests. Results and recommendations are presented in an interpretive interview and a written report.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
ADHD is a neurobiological disorder which is characterized by:
- Inattention
- Difficulty focusing, getting started or activated
- Difficulty remaining on task
- Problems with shifting to another task, prioritizing
- Frequently misplacing things
- Difficulty in organizing
- Impulsivity
- Difficulty in planning and following through
- Difficulty in inhibiting behavior and waiting
- Impatience
- Hyperactivity
- Restlessness (motor and/or mental)
- Excessive talkativeness
If you are struggling with some of these symptoms a diagnostic evaluation may be helpful to determine whether your problems are due to ADHD. Identifying the source of the problem is the first step to a solution. The first step in the evaluation process is a meeting with a counselor for an interview. The second step is taking a battery of tests. The third step is a feedback session in which the counselor shares the results and recommendations. Finally, a written report summarizing the entire process is given to the client.
Developmental Evaluation
A developmental evaluation may be useful in the determination of kindergarten readiness, grade retention or grade acceleration. Through interviews and a battery of tests we assess the child's intellectual potential, academic achievement, perceptual-motor development and social and emotional functioning to help parents make decisions about their child's education.
Emotional and Behavioral Problems
An assessment utilizing a battery of tests may be helpful in determining the source of the client's difficulties and aid in the formulation of helpful recommendations and referrals. Depression, anxiety and psychological conflicts may contribute to difficulties experienced in school, with peers and family. The first step in the evaluation process is a meeting with a counselor for an interview. The second step is taking a battery of tests. The third step is a feedback session in which the counselor shares the results and recommendations. Finally, a written report summarizing the entire process is given to the client.
Giftedness
Testing for giftedness may be useful to parents who wish to assess their child's intellectual functioning in order to engage in effective academic planning and academic curriculum modification. A determination of giftedness is made on the basis of the child's history and the testing. A feedback session and a written report summarizing the results and recommendations are provided to the client (parents of the child being tested).
Learning Disabilities
Learning Disabilities are obstacles to learning in a conventional way. They are neurological in origin and affect the way an individual takes in and processes information. They typically occur in individuals with at least average intelligence and manifest themselves as a unique pattern of weaknesses in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in learning. Individuals with learning disabilities may have difficulties in some but not all the following areas:
- Reading
- Confusion of similar words
- Applying phonic rules and generalizations
- Slow rate
- Difficulty with comprehension and retention of material
- Writing
- Poor grammar, poor spelling, letter reversals
- Difficulty with sentence structure and organization
- Difficulty forming letters, spacing, and using correct punctuation
- Oral Language
- Difficulty attending to spoken language as in lectures
- Problem describing events in order
- Difficulty in putting ideas and thoughts into words
- Math
- Difficulty in acquiring basic facts such as multiplication tables
- Reversing numbers and confusing operational symbols
- Difficulty in understanding word problems
- Problems with manipulating symbols and grasping abstract concepts
- Study Skills
- Problems in following directions
- Difficulty in organization, time management and completing assignments
If you are experiencing a number of these difficulties, psychoeducational testing may be useful in identifying problems and lead you toward obtaining appropriate help. The evaluation process begins with a counselor and the client meeting for an initial interview to determine whether testing may be useful. Then, a battery of tests is administered. Following the testing the counselor meets with the client to go over the results and offer recommendations. The client then obtains a written report summarizing the assessment.
Marital, Couples and Family Therapy
Families and couples may be seen for counseling. The counseling is provided by advanced graduate students and is supervised by experienced licensed psychologists. Improved communication and learning to resolve conflict is the focus of these counseling sessions.
Substance Abuse Prevention Program
The Oakland University Substance Abuse Program is a comprehensive state-licensed prevention program. The program has three prongs:
- Prevention through education, presentations and workshops
- Identification and early intervention with "at risk" subgroups
- Training and consulting with faculty, staff and university decision-makers.
- The Counseling Center provides expertise and leadership to address the specific needs of subgroups identified by needs assessment activities and other research as being "at risk." First time violators of the University's alcohol and marijuana policy attend an educational program and must demonstrate a specified level of awareness following completion.
Campus-wide education and prevention efforts take the form of dissemination of information to the entire university community through campus-wide surveys, newspaper articles, brochures and other written material. Specialized presentations and workshops designed for particular subgroups are an important prevention tool.
