Individual Therapy

In individual therapy, you work one-on-one with a counselor to address your concerns. Our counselors are good listeners, they can be a source of support and understanding, and they will help you explore your options and develop effective strategies to cope with your concerns.

Common concerns addressed in individual therapy include:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Low self-confidence
• Relationship difficulties (e.g. romantic, sexual, family, peer)
• Academic problems
• Concerns related to discrimination or identity development (e.g., gender, race, sexuality, ability)
• Decision-making dilemma
• Concerns about eating or body image
• Difficulty balancing the demands of college student life
• Grieving the death or loss of someone close to you
• Recovering from unwanted sexual contact or violence
• Hopelessness or suicidal thinking

The Counseling Center uses a short-term model for counseling, meaning that issues are usually addressed in a focused manner over the course of no more than one semester. Depending on the nature of your concerns and your specific needs, our staff may help connect you to a community provider who can work with you on a longer-term basis. If you and your initial consultation counselor have determined that brief individual therapy at our Counseling Center is right for you, you and your assigned counselor will discuss your goals for therapy, frequency of sessions, and likely length of treatment to address your concerns.

Brief individual therapy can be an effective way to address many mental health concerns, but it is not the only way. For example, group therapy is often the most effective treatment for concerns related to interpersonal dynamics (relationship problems, communication concerns, social anxiety, etc.) and offers students a place to examine and improve their relationship dynamics in a safe, confidential group environment. Our mind-body workshops can help students learn specific coping strategies for common concerns. Single-session appointments and drop-in groups offer opportunities to get support for specific concerns without the commitment of ongoing appointments. Our online resources library and peer support groups are another great option for those who prefer to work on improving their mental health independently or with other UIC students. Our staff is committed to providing a wide range of resources to meet your specific needs.