Counseling Services

• Counseling is a confidential discussion between a counselor and a client (student) about personal, social, emotional, and/or psychological concerns that have triggered distress or impairs your ability to function as normal.
• Counseling can help the student to identify and change behavior or ways of thinking that have not worked well in the past.
• Counseling aids in healthy decision making, developing positive coping strategies, and mastering meaningful, self-determined goals.
• Counseling is a working relationship between the licensed professional (unless otherwise stated) and the student.

All students enrolled at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) are eligible for services. Students who withdraw from the University and who were receiving ongoing services at the time of withdrawal may be seen for one-two sessions after withdrawal for the purpose of continuity of care during the termination and community referral process.

• Physically or verbally abusive toward staff, student workers or others within the counseling center.
• experiencing a problem/issue that is beyond the scope of the services offered at the Student Counseling (Referrals will be given to the student)
• Intoxicated and/or under the influence of any form of substances and unable to respond to the counselor.

Counseling services and records are confidential.  We do not confirm or deny your attendance to counseling.  All records are now electronic but are protected by FERPA and HIPPA compliant software.  Disclosures to third parties, including parents, legal guardians, and others (e.g. lawyers, doctors, etc.) are made only with the student’s signed consent.

By law, if someone is homicidal or suicidal, we will do what we can to ensure the person's safety and to ensure the safety of others. This means notifying the appropriate authorities and getting you to the hospital. Additionally, if we find that a child, an elderly person or someone who is developmentally delayed is being abused in any way,  we would have to break confidentiality. Please discuss the limits of confidentiality when you come to the counseling center.

Students seeking counseling services the Student Counseling Center will sign an electronic counseling consent form informed of the policies and procedures (e.g. session limits, cancellation and missed appointment, policy, etc.) prior to engaging in treatment. Students also will be availed of their rights and their responsibilities as recipients of our services.

There are no session limits for individual and group counseling; however, session limits (e.g., number of contacts during a week) may be placed upon a student if it is therapeutically warranted.

No, you are not "crazy". We all need a safe and confidential place where we can discuss matters of concern or to get things off our chest. The counseling center is the place to do that because services are confidential.

You may begin services by calling the counseling center to arrange an appointment at 252-335-3275 or by walking in during our office hours, 8:30 A.M.-5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday.  Please be mindful that walk-in appointments may need to wait for an available counselor, therefore appointments are encouraged.