Individual counseling helps students address issues causing emotional distress and those which may be interfering with their personal goals and/or academic success. Colby students have the opportunity to meet with a professional counselor to address such issues as stress and anxiety, relationship concerns, adjustment difficulties, depression, self-esteem, eating and body image concerns, and a variety of other emotional and developmental issues. Individual counseling sessions are approximately 50 minutes in length and typically occur on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
Groups are facilitated by professional counselors and give students the opportunity to interact with peers who may be struggling with similar issues or concerns. Groups help students to realize they are not alone and that they can give and receive help and support in healing ways. Some examples of current and past groups include Family Rules, a support group for students affected by the substance use of family members ([email protected]); Unapologetic; Liberation from Body Shame ([email protected]), Food & Mood Cooking, culinary art therapy for wellness ([email protected]); Contemplate & Create, spirituality and psychology through journaling and art ([email protected]); Survivor Pride, for those who have experienced gender or sexual based violence or trauma ([email protected]); and Group Drumming, stress reduction, self expression, community building, spirituality, and creative music making – no musical experience necessary ([email protected]).
A Peer Counselor (PC) is a student employee of the Colby Counseling Services office who provides one-on-one support to students that need guidance on topics related to everyday aspects of student experience. Topics can include (but are not limited to) homesickness, roommates, concerns about friends, coming out, consent, and general health and well-being questions. PCs are trained and supervised by the Counseling Services and are not a substitute for therapy. Students who are in need of clinical services or are in crisis should seek a licensed professional.
This weekly meditation group is on Mondays and Tuesdays from 4 to 5 p.m. at Rose Chapel and is facilitated by Jim Nowik and Jaime McLeod from Treetop Zen Center. The group provides a supportive environment that promotes individual meditation and mindfulness practice. Meditation is a time-tested method to learn about the individual self and mind through the most direct experience. Meditation practice evokes peacefulness and the ability to let go of our egocentric mind and distorted conceptions, which are misleading and create disturbances in our emotional and physical lives. For more information, or to sign up for group meditation, please contact Kate Smanik ([email protected]).
Counseling Services offers assistance to faculty, staff, parents, students, and others who are concerned about the emotional well-being of a Colby student(s) or who are concerned more broadly about psychological issues on campus. Consultation involves talking with a professional counselor about those concerns and developing a plan to address them.
There is a counselor on call to handle mental health emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week while school is in session. In addition to emergency situations, our on-call counselor is available to students who would benefit from more immediate attention when waiting until the next day or until their next scheduled appointment won’t provide the support needed. Please note that the same support is available to students who are living and/or working on campus during semester breaks and over the summer.
The Colby College Protocol for Safeguarding Students at Risk for Suicide provides clear guidelines for how members of the Colby community should respond when they have reason to believe a student is suicidal.
Online Resources
Counseling Services offers free psychiatric consultation for medication to any enrolled Colby student, whether you are receiving counseling or not. We can also make referrals to MaineGeneral College Health for students interested in psychiatric care. College Health has medical providers on staff who can provide psychiatric consultation/medication management for students.
Counseling Services offers the Colby community a variety of programs on mental health-related topics. Groups and individuals who have requested workshops in the past include athletic teams/coaches, CAs, faculty/staff, and student-led clubs and organizations. Possible topics include meditation, anxiety and stress reduction, how to help a friend with eating and body image concerns, grief/trauma, and improving sleep, to name only a few.
If you are interested in arranging a workshop on these or other topics, please contact our office at 207-859-4490 or [email protected].
Counseling Services provides trainings on mental health-related topics for faculty, staff, and students who are often responsible for providing support to other members of the Colby community. Trainings typically focus on how to recognize warning signs and effectively respond to others who are struggling with emotional concerns.
Even with the more relaxed pace over the summer and a fraction of students present on campus, mental health issues can still arise. It is important for students living and/or working on campus over the summer months to know what mental health resources are available locally should help be needed. This is particularly important because campus mental health resources are not available to students in the same ways they are during the academic year. The Counseling Services office is closed during the summer months, generally from late May until late August. As a result, our office is not available to provide on-going counseling for students over that span of time. However, the director is available for routine, non-emergent consultations and to assist with providing referrals for local mental health services. For urgent mental health concerns, our on-call counselor is available to provide brief support for students who are living and/or working on campus, as well as off campus, over the summer. Students can reach the on-call counselor 24/7 by calling Counseling Services at 207-859-4490 and pressing “0”. If on-going counseling is needed, referrals to local resources will be provided. All Colby students also have free access to Talkspace, an online therapy service that connects users to a dedicated, licensed therapist in their state of residence year round.
For questions, routine mental health consultations, and assistance with referrals, please email Eric Johnson, director of Counseling Services, at [email protected].
Mental health referrals:
Garrison-Foster Building, Room 205
