Personal Counseling
Personal counselors are here to help you identify and accomplish your academic and career goals, enhance your personal development, meet life's challenges, and improve your interpersonal relationships. We offer brief therapy sessions to individuals and couples who are matriculated students of San José State University.
You do not need to be in significant distress to seek counseling. Sometimes our beliefs or expectations of ourselves, or of counseling, results in a delay in seeking help until situations become serious. While no issue is too big or small, many students tell us that they wish they had come to counseling sooner. Start the journey now and seek counseling earlier rather than later.
Individual Counseling
Individual counseling facilitates the exploration and resolution of personal problems and issues according to the needs of the individual.
Some of the issues often addressed in individual counseling are:
- Stress
- Don't know how to cope with life circ*mstances
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Self-esteem
- Identity issues, including cultural, religious, gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender, etc.
- Body image, eating disorders
- Loneliness
- Difficulty forming or maintaining healthy relationships
- Physical or emotional abuse (past or present)
- Cross-cultural issues (including cultural conflicts between parents & child)
- Difficulty defining problems
- Marked changes in functioning
- Irritability
- Changes in thinking or perceptual abilities
- Difficulty setting limits with others
Couples Counseling
Sometimes people who care about each other encounter impasses in their ability to resolve issues in their relationship. Personal counselors can help couples improve self-awareness, insight, communication, and relationship skills, particularly when couples attend together.
Personal counselors utilize a variety of interventions to assist couples in resolving problems. Couples may be given assignments to work on, either as a couple or individually. Couples counseling is often complicated by one or both of the individuals having significant unresolved personal issues. It is important for participants to be willing to address their own internal issues as well as the personal issues of the other person in a non-blaming and constructive manner.
How to see a personal counselor
If you have never had counseling at the Student Wellness Center, please call our office at 408-924-5678 or stop by to schedule your initial session. The purpose of this initial meeting is to understand your needs so that we can guide you to appropriate resources such as groups and/or workshops, brief therapy, or referral to an outside counseling agency.
If you have been to us within the past year and would like to return, please call to schedule an appointment. A counselor will discuss your options for services.
Groups
Groups are a great way for you to connect with peers, learn new skills and strategies, and grow, both emotionally and educationally!
We offer numerous types of groups that get students interacting and connecting to help each other.
Groups are often the most effective way to:
- Gain support and encouragement from others
- Learn how you are perceived by others
- Gain specific skills to improve your life
- Develop relationship skills
Ground rules, including confidentiality, are typically established with group members to help promote trust. For most benefit, consistent attendance is strongly encouraged.
Some groups may require registration. To register, visit the Student Wellness Center Patient Portal.
If the event is online and the link is not provided below, you must log-in to the Student Wellness Center Patient Portal at the time of the event to retrieve the link.
If a group requires a referral to attend, please call (408) 924-5678 to make an appointment.
- LGBTQ+ Discussion Group (Drop-in)
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Date: Wednesdays
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Pride Center
Facilitator: Leilani Shields, PsyD & Wilson Captein, MA
Join fellow queer-identified and questioning students in a safe, supportive space to connect with others and discuss various topics! Topics include gender, sexuality, intersecting identities, spirituality, relationships, family, stress management, to name a few. A variety of topics are welcome, and the group is drop-in so feel free to join anytime!
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- Mindful Mondays (Drop-in)
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Date: Mondays (Paused - please check back Fall 2024)
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Student Wellness Center, Room 375
Facilitator: Sarah Strader-Garcia, MA, PhD
Join Sarah Strader-Garcia, M.A., Ph.D., Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Registered Expressive Arts Therapist, for "Mindful Mondays": Learn ways to reduce stress and replenish your energy through guided meditation and Expressive Arts Therapy.
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Date: Wednesdays
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Location: Pride Center
Facilitators: Shelby Pemberton, PhD & Elaina Vielbaum, PsyD
This group is the first of its kind to represent queer and neurodivergent (no formal assessment required) identified students! This group will be a space for connection and community, support, learning to understand and embrace all that makes us US, and explore the common challenges that arise within the intersection of queerness and neurodivergence. Please join us in honoring and celebrating all that we are while exploring ways to be more authentically ourselves.
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- Be Kind to Your Mind (Drop-in)
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Date: Fridays
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Student Wellness Center, Room 375
Facilitator: Shelby Pemberton, PhD
This group will provide a space for students to learn how to be aware of and challenge negative self-talk, build compassion and kindness toward the self, and build confidence and self-esteem through self-acceptance. This group will be an open discussion while exploring skills and strategies on how to move from self-doubt to self-confidence and generally how to be kinder to your mind!
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- CALM (Referral required)
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Date: Tuesdays (begins 2/20/24)
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Location: Online (Zoom)
Facilitators: David Emmert, PsyD & Ben Deweese, MA
C.A.L.M is designed to develop skills to effectively manage anxiety, reduce limitations, and increase awareness and self-compassion. It is a 6-week program and will be held on Tuesdays from 3-4:20pm. We plan to start on Tuesday 2/20 at 3pm. We will meet virtually over Zoom this semester. ONLY for students who can commit to attend all 6 meetings.
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- Women’s Group (Referral required)
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Date: Fridays
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Online (Zoom)
Facilitators: Colleen Johnson, PhD & Emma Critser, MA
A supportive environment for women to talk, explore, share, learn and grow. Topics can include stress, mental health + wellness, balance, social justice, relationships, school, work, identity, self esteem/confidence, body image, culture and many many more.
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Date: Thursdays
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Location: Student Wellness Center, Room 375
Facilitators: Nadeem Hasan, PsyD & Elaina Vielbaum, PsyD
For students who want to feel more connected to their emotions, authentic sense of self, and others. This group will help you gain insight into why you relate to others the way you do, give you opportunities to try new ways of connecting with others, and provide support and feedback as you learn more about yourself and your relationships with others.
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Psychology (Doctoral) Training
CAPS also hosts an APA-Accredited Health Service Psychology Internship Program and Multicultural Postdoctoral Residency program. Both training programs are essential to the values of CAPS to provide multicultural and social justice-oriented training and services, and are an important part of our center. Please visit links for both programs for more information.
