Hope and healing found
Student Counseling Services offers six free sessions to any Liberty student
A new school year can bring feelings of excitement and anticipation, but it can also bring stress and uneasiness during a period of transition.
Liberty University’s Student Counseling Services are available to help students cope with difficult transitions, whether it is an immediate crisis or a part of everyday life.
Executive Director Mike Kunzinger explains the process that begins once a student contacts the office for support.
“It’s not a one-size fits all,” Kunzinger said. “People are complex and should get all different levels of care and treatment.”
According to Kunzinger, the student takes an initial crisis assessment, to help determine if the student’s situation calls for immediate attention.
Then, the student will meet with a counselor to discuss the situation.
The student will then be referred to either a counselor in the Lynchburg area, or to stay within the Counseling Services Department, depending on their circumstances.
The counseling model, according to Kunzinger, consists of six sessions. The student meets with the same counselor throughout those six sessions.
HELPING HAND — Student Counseling Services offers consultations, counseling, and emergency assistance for all students. Photo credit: Michela Diddle
Counselor Michael Trexler stresses that confidentiality and a safe environment are very important.
“We create a safe environment for them to really share,” Trexler said. “We’ll help guide them through that process of what would be helpful.”
Students have client confidentiality when they attend counseling services, meaning that all information they share will be kept confidential and will not be reported to the school.
There are a few exceptions to this rule, such as if a student states they want to hurt someone else or themselves.
According to Trexler, the department is doing more to connect to different areas of the school in order to reach more people.
“We’re reaching out to the different departments of the schools,” Trexler said.
“We really connect our department with all the schools and help them to get students to us — develop a relationship, if they have any questions about particular needs that they may have or see. We’re … the person to be able to talk to about those things.”
Kunzinger believes that therapeutic counseling can be beneficial for everyone, whether they are experiencing a life crisis or not.
“I would recommend everyone taking the time to look at their lives,” Kunzinger said.
“Learn a little bit more about how they tick and make sense of the world, and how they relate to the world – that’s important for everybody.”
The counselors strive to help guide students and provide a safe environment for healing to take place, according to Kunzinger.
“Hope, healing and wholeness is a part of what we offer, and … we make a space where, hopefully, those things can be experienced,” Kunzinger said.
To contact the Student Counseling Services department, visit www.liberty.edu/studentaffairs/studentcare or call 434-582-265. The department is located in Green Hall 1830 and walk-in visits are welcome.
Sweeney is a feature reporter.