Counseling Center

The Counseling Center provides an array of counseling services to Mercyhurst University. The college years can present many young adults with new challenges while living and studying in an environment away from home and familiar supports. Located near the campus bookstore, and directly above the Cohen Student Health Center, the Counseling Center is open Monday through Friday during the business day provided classes are in session. Students can contact the Counseling Center for an appointment by calling 814-824-3650.

The Counseling Center is staffed with experienced therapists from a variety of backgrounds. A consulting psychiatrist may assist students who are actively engaged in ongoing counseling at the Center and don’t have ready access to their physician/psychiatrist at home.

In addition to providing scheduled ongoing counseling appointments on those days, the Center offers an “urgent hour” mid-afternoon. The exact time of that hour is posted each semester or is readily found by contacting the Counseling Center. No appointment is needed for the Urgent Hour, and a student who would like to touch base with a counselor about an issue should try to be there by the start of the hour.

The Counseling Center provides services that are non-judgmental and confidential, driven by the student’s overall goals. These services include initial assessments, individual therapy, the “urgent hour,” access to crisis counseling/referrals, as well as consultation, trainings, and workshops. Students are not charged or billed for a Counseling Center visit.

Therapy is an active and collaborative process in which a student can work together with a counselor to address difficulties that the student may be encountering in their lives. Students can discover ways to better understand and manage a wide range of possible issues including stress management, coping with depression and/or anxiety, making difficult life decisions, grieving losses, learning assertive communication skills, developing more rewarding interpersonal relationships, and/or managing a wide range of behavioral health concerns.

In many instances, students may find that a relatively short period of counseling allows them to readily resolve a concern. Sometimes, issues may be more complex and require a longer period of counseling. The Counseling Center also works closely with others to assure that students know how to access evening and weekend resources in the event of a crisis.

The Center works hard to individualize services to the needs of each student. If a student needs a specialized service not offered at the Center or prefers to work to work directly with an organization or provider in the Erie community, Mercyhurst’s Counseling Center can help the student understand what area resources are available. The Center can also assist students trying to locate community providers.