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Student Wellness

Counseling Center

Support for Your Journey, Healing for Your Heart

College can be an exciting time of life, but it can also be a stressful experience. Counseling services are available in a confidential therapeutic setting conveniently located on campus. As a current student, faculty, or staff member of ACU, you're eligible for up to 8 free counseling sessions per academic year.

Free, Confidential, and Accessible

8 Free Sessions

As a current student, faculty, or staff member, you're eligible for up to 8 free counseling sessions per academic year. No insurance needed.

Complete Confidentiality

All counseling takes place in a confidential therapeutic setting. What you share stays between you and your counselor.

Convenient Campus Location

Located in the Student Development building, the Counseling Center is easily accessible between classes—no off-campus travel required.

Our Approach

Our counselors provide support across a range of needs—from personal struggles to relationship dynamics. Whatever you're navigating, there's a place for you here.

Individuals seek counseling for many reasons, including depression, low self-esteem, grief, emotion management, life transitions, and personal growth. If you are a student-athlete, additional stressors may include competition anxiety, balancing the demands of athletics and academics, and mental health challenges stemming from injuries or facing performance difficulties. ACU counselors are available to support you if you are experiencing a crisis, want to develop more efficient coping skills, or are simply interested in personal growth.
Family counseling involves the student, staff, or faculty member and one or more members of their family. This could include one or both parents of a student, children, siblings, or anyone else in your family dynamics. The counselor will observe the relationships, interactions, and communication patterns between members of the family and engage everyone in the therapeutic process. With the help of a counselor, families can learn how to communicate more effectively and create a safe space for problem solving.
Couples counseling provides a safe space to be heard and work through challenging situations. Whether you are already engaged or are considering marriage—discussing boundaries, extended family, careers, spirituality, child-rearing, and intimacy prior to marriage can help a couple navigate the future. Exploring strengths you possess as a couple and areas that may cause conflict in the future will help establish a realistic framework for marriage. Married couples seek counseling for a wide area of concerns including how to communicate more effectively, work on emotional roadblocks (including trust and intimacy), parenting, and increased self-awareness and personal growth.
If this is your first experience living away from home, you may be having conflict with a roommate, teammate, or trying to navigate new friendships. Seeking counseling with one of your peers can help to work through boundary issues or conflict with a counselor who is able to remain neutral and assist with problem solving.
ACU Counseling Center provides a wide range of support for groups of students. Although it can be intimidating to discuss sensitive topics within a group setting, the benefits of gaining support from others and realizing that your struggles are probably more common than you think is extremely helpful. Group therapy sessions vary per semester but may include topics such as: Intimacy and Relationships, Stress Management, Setting Boundaries, and Effective Communication Skills.

Facts and Important Information

The ACU Counseling Center is staffed with graduate-level interns. Counselors are currently enrolled in accredited graduate programs in counseling, marriage and family therapy, or other related behavioral health fields. Counseling interns serve under the supervision of a state-licensed professional mental health clinician. The Clinic Director is a licensed marriage and family therapist who has completed specialized training in clinical supervision. All intern counselors and supervisors have agreed to ACU Standards of Faith.

How to Get Started

Getting connected with a counselor is simple—no referral needed.

1

Schedule

Initial appointments are made using the online scheduling link, or contact us by email at [email protected].

2

Complete Paperwork

After scheduling your first appointment, each person who will attend a therapy session will be emailed a secure link to set up a client profile and complete all required intake forms and consents.

3

Meet Your Counselor

Arrive for your first session. Your counselor will review your intake forms and discuss your goals for therapy.

4

Grow at Your Pace

Within the first couple of visits, you'll develop goals together. Continue meeting as helpful—up to 8 sessions per academic year.

Your First Appointment

When you arrive for your first appointment, please have a seat in the lobby. Your counselor may be in a current appointment or on a quick break and may not be able to immediately acknowledge you. Once your counselor is ready for your appointment, you will be brought into one of the private offices. The counselor will review your intake forms (you will receive a link to complete the forms online prior to your appointment) and your desire to start counseling. Within the first couple of visits, goals will be developed that you would like to accomplish while in therapy.

At first it may be difficult to talk about the past or something that is currently causing you distress. You may begin to feel emotions such as anger, sadness, or shame during your session. Your counselor is there to help you work through these emotions and develop coping skills to process your feelings.

All appointments are 50 minutes in length.

Location of the Counseling Center

Student Development Building (#2300)

ACU Counseling Center for students, faculty, and staff is located at the back of the Student Development building (#2300). Once you enter Student Development, go down the hallway that leads to the restrooms. The counseling center is straight ahead.

If the building is locked, you can email your counselor or call Campus Safety at (602) 489-5301.

Crisis Hotlines

These hotlines are available for use by anyone who is experiencing a mental health crisis.

Maricopa County Crisis Intervention

1(602) 222-9444

EMPACT Crisis Line

1(480) 784-1500

Suicide prevention, sexual assault, domestic violence

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

998

Call, text, or chat at 988lifeline.org

AZ Crisis Referral

211

Shelter, transportation, food

National Alliance for Eating Disorders

1(866) 662-1235

Campus Safety (After Hours)

1(602) 489-5301

Do not hesitate to call 911 in case of an emergency.

We're Here When You're Ready

Whether you're experiencing a crisis, want to develop more effective coping skills, or are simply interested in personal growth, our counselors are here for you.

[email protected]