Counseling and Student Assistance
Designed to offer Iowa Western students help in dealing with emotional, social, family, or academic problems, the Student Success Office provides inquiring students with information, resources, and short-term counseling in order for them to become better equipped to deal with personal problems that may be impacting their academic performance. Students are urged to seek help before personal problems seriously damage academic performance or the future quality of their life.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is counseling?
- Why would I want to use IWCC's counseling services?
- Are the counseling sessions confidential?
- What if I need help but do not want to meet with a counselor on campus?
What is counseling?
Counseling is a process of helping you/the student use your own and other resources in answering your problematic questions or solving your dilemmas. Counseling at IWCC is a mental health resource to provide free, personal and confidential counseling in a safe and supportive environment. The purpose of this resource is to help students acquire the skills, attitudes, abilities and insights that will enable you to address the all-too-prevalent stress and conflicts that may distract you from achieving your full potential. Counseling can be the place to help you get "back on track" or "sort things out" so that you can succeed to meet your goals.
Why would I want to use IWCC's Counseling Services?
If you have any conflict or stress over the following issues or others not mentioned, you may want to call the Student Success Office to schedule an appointment. In counseling, we will address issues that are problematic and stressful for you, explore alternative ways to resolve the problems and strategize ways to balance all of the areas of your life so that you may complete this program of education and pursue your career goals.
- Interpersonal relations (family issues, grief, anger management, self-esteem, intimacy, relationship building, etc.)
- Crisis-management (depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, rape trauma, substance abuse, anxiety reactions, etc.)
- Addiction issues
- Frustration with behaviors that seem unbreakable, e.g. serious procrastination, anger, unhealthy sleep patterns
- Abuse recovery (sexual, physical, or emotional abuse)
- Struggles with educational skills strategies e.g. stress management and relaxation, study skills, test anxiety problems, etc.
Are the counseling sessions confidential?
The Student Success Office carefully guards students’ confidentiality. It is our policy not to release personal identifiable information concerning the use of our services without a student’s prior written permission. Such confidentiality is upheld except in emergency situations where there is a clear and present danger or imminent threat that someone's life is at risk, a chance of harm, a case of apparent abuse of a child, or by court order.
For more information or to review our official confidentiality statement regarding student counseling.
What if I need help but do not want to meet with a counselor on campus?
We understand that students might not always feel comfortable going to the Student Success Office for help with personal problems or family conflicts. We have compiled a Campus and Community Resource Guide, which contains many community resources and area agencies that are well-known in assisting individuals with various issues. Additionally, some of the links at the top of this page provide good information regarding community support services.
We also can:
- suggest a local support group sharing your same concern(s),
- provide you with information about local agencies or specialized treatment services in your area, and
- make referrals for emergency and inpatient mental health services