COUNSELING
Graduate students in the
Professional Counseling
program provide individual,
parent-child, and group
counseling services to
children, adolescents, and
their parents/caretakers
(NOTE: MTSU students can
receive counseling services
at MTSU Counseling
Services). Student
counselors are trained in
the use of Egan’s “Skilled
Helper Model” as well as
client-centered and
solution-focused counseling
approaches and help clients
resolve behavioral,
emotional and interpersonal
problems. Given that the
Center is a training
facility all counseling
sessions are audio recorded
or videotaped for review in
supervision.
Children and adolescents
benefit from counseling by:
1. discussing concerns with
someone who is genuinely
interested in helping them;
2. learning positive methods
of coping with problems;
3. improving self-esteem and
interpersonal relationships.
The fee for each
counseling session is
$10.00.
In some cases, children
and adolescents who are
brought to the Center do not
have a positive opinion of
counseling perhaps because
they are anxious about
having to do something they
have never done before or
view it as a form of
punishment. This is why it
is important for parents to
let their kids know that
they will be participating
in the counseling process as
well and to reassure them
that upon completion of
their first session, they
will probably find that it
was not as bad as they
thought it would be. That is
because MTSU Professional
Counseling students are
taught about the importance
of establishing a good
working relationship with
the child that is based on
warmth and mutual respect
and not to push the child to
go “too far too fast” in
counseling sessions. It is
the relationship that is the
foundation for everything
else that happens in
counseling.
Counseling referrals:
Referrals to the PSC are
made by a professional
affiliated with a community
agency, clinic, school or
court after they have
screened a child/adolescent.
Parents may call the Center
to schedule an appointment
after a professional has
made a referral.
The types of problems for
which children/adolescents
can be seen by
student counselors include:
• Adjustment problems (e.g.,
adjusting to divorce, death
of a significant other,
moving to
a new school)
• Anxiety problems (e.g.,
excessive worry, fears)
• Low self-esteem/poor
self-concept/unhappiness
• Relationship problems
(e.g., friendship problems,
difficulty getting along
with parents
and/or teachers)
• Non-compliant behavior at
home and/or school (e.g.,
refusing to follow through
with
requests of parents and/or teachers; frequent arguments with
parents)
• Minor legal issues (i.e.,
first time offense for
things such as stealing,
destruction of
property, truancy, etc.) if individual is between the ages of 8 and
13.
The types of problems for
which children/adolescents
cannot be seen by
student counselors include:
• Physical/sexual abuse
• Clients in crisis (e.g.,
suicidal, homicidal)
• Moderate to severe
depression / bipolar
disorder
• Alcohol/drug dependency
issues
• Developmental disorders
(e.g., mental retardation,
Asperger’s disorder, Autism)
• Psychosis (e.g.,
hallucinations, delusions)
• Legal issues (e.g., child
custody; persons who require
an interview with the
purpose of
using the interview information in court proceedings or other
litigation; adolescents
older
than 13)
MTSU
Psychological Services
Center
MTSU
P.O. Box 87
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
Telephone: (615) 898-5192
Fax: (615) 494-8727
Electronic mail:
psc@mtsu.edu
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"Thanks to the MTSU College
of Continuing Education &
Distance Learning
for their financial support
of this website and
associated services."
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