The Counseling Center at Otterbein University

Welcome!

College can be one of the most amazing experiences in a person’s life. Like many experiences, it is not without its challenges. The Covid-19 Pandemic also dramatically shifted the way we do life and school. As a result, many college campuses have seen an increase in the number of student mental health concerns related to anxiety and depression. The Counseling Center is here to help. Our clinical team will empower and equip you to discover new insights and perspectives, acquire knowledge and skills, connect with others on campus and in the community, and learn new ways to more comfortably deal with life’s unique circumstances. We are excited to be part of your journey! Our Counselors are trained to help students with common concerns and struggles such as, but not limited to:

• Academic and Life Stress
• Relationships
• Sleep
• Motivation and Focus
• Transitioning and Adjusting to College
• BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and Marginalized Student Mental Health Challenge

Our Services

The Counseling Center operates using a short-term therapy model, and tailors the number of individual sessions to the individual students’ specific clinical needs. Typically, students report improvement within 3-6 meetings. There is no charge for appointments. We have professional relationships with mental health providers in the local community and can help students with the referral process to adjunctive therapy, medication evaluation, specialized care, or longer-term therapy, when needed.
When students first come to Otterbein, if they have been in ongoing counseling or under the care of a medical professional for mental health medications management, we invite them to come meet our Counseling Center staff and discuss continuing care options.
The types of services we provide include:

• Short-term counseling
• Single session counseling
• Same-Day Walk-In Appointments on a first come, first serve basis, 11:00 am, Monday-Friday
• Educational Workshop Series (INST Approved)
• Consultations for Individuals or Groups – please email your request to counseling@otterbein.edu
• Referrals to community providers for more specialized or long-term services
• Otterbein Reach Out; Suicide Prevention App (Visit your Apple App or Google Play Store)

During the academic year, appointments are available Monday – Friday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Urgent Walk-in appointments are available Monday-Friday at 11:00 am. During academic breaks, appointments are available, with reduced availability dependent upon demand. The Counseling Center is closed during the summer break.

Our Mission

Our Counseling Center will provide a supportive, therapeutic relationship and safe space for students to address and work through challenging situations, grow in their relationships, and realize their potential as active members of their communities. The Counseling Center will positively affect not only the health of individual students, but also the culture of campus wellness through outreach, advocacy, and healthy relationships with the Otterbein community.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

The Counseling Center values and celebrates the diversity at Otterbein University. We strive to be a welcoming and affirming space for all students and student identities including but not limited to those based on race, ethnicity, nationality and citizen status, sex, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, body shape and size, ability, religion, spirituality, and ideology. Also, we recognize the additional stress that may arise when a student belongs to a marginalized community or communities. Our counselors are trained and available to respond to student concerns involving minority stress, microaggressions, racial trauma, sexual harassment, and more.

Our Commitment to Cultural Competence in Counseling

Our Counseling Center Staff has participated in the following selected list of professional development training that help us be aware of and understand issues such as unconscious bias, oppression, and microaggressions. In addition to helping us appreciate different worldviews and approach students in counseling with an understanding of and respect for their needs and cultural values.

• Addressing Mental Health needs in LGBTQIA plus communities
• Anti-Oppression Informed Practice Foundations Series (NASW-OH)
• Building Cross-Cultural Competence: C.A.R.E. Method Training
• Cultural Considerations in the Delivery of Care for Racially Diverse Clients
• Culturally Competent Care for the Latinx Community
• Implementing the National Enhanced Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards
• Implicit Bias and Microaggressions (in-service staff workshop)
• Implicit Bias (OSU’s Brit Kirwin Institute)
• Increasing our knowledge base for Competent Transgender Care and Treatment
• LGBTQIA+ 201: Strategies for Engagement and Service Delivery
• Multi-cultural Supervision
• Project Implicit (Harvard)
• Sexual Harassment and Title IX Awareness (Otterbein-Vector)
• Stalking Prevention and Awareness Training (SPARC)
• The Work of Racial Justice during Crisis
• Trauma-Informed Care Training
• Understanding Racial Equity Through Transformative Self Reflection
• Understanding the Impact of Racial Trauma on Youth and Emerging Adults
• Working with International Students: Cultural and Clinical Considerations

This list is not inclusive of all the training completed by our counseling staff.