Individual Therapy

In individual counseling or therapy, a client meets one-on-one with a staff member, usually in fifty-minute sessions. Such a working relationship may last for only a few sessions or may continue for much longer, depending on the needs of the client. Although talking to a counselor for the first time can feel awkward or embarrassing, many Vanderbilt students, faculty, and staff access our services each year. Evaluation of our services suggests that we are able to effectively help clients deal with a variety of issues and improve their quality of life.

Clients come to the Center for a wide range of reasons, hoping to feel and function better. Common issues include: general anxiety and stress, difficult childhood and family experiences (past and present), relationship struggles, depression, homesickness, and eating and body image issues. Clients also come to the Center to work toward developing a better self-image, to explore existential themes (e.g. "What's my purpose?" or "Why am I here?"), or to achieve personal growth. The approach to such treatment varies from person-to-person, but may for some include a good deal of initial work involving the client's past experiences, and for others may emphasize current experiences. We hope to provide a supportive environment in which our clients are able to work toward their unique goals.

In most cases, we can schedule your initial appointment within two days of your phone call. If you should ever feel that you are in an emergency, the Psychological and Counseling Center has professional staff on-call during our business hours who can help you immediately. After hours callers will be referred to other resources within the University or Nashville community.

For descriptive psychological articles and other information pertaining to the issues above as well as many others, please click the link below to access the American Psychological Association website. Once there, type your request into the search box.

For more information on psychological issues such as depression or anxiety, visit http://www.apa.org to search the APA's database of articles.

Psychological and Counseling Center | Vanderbilt University
Box 7707, Station B | Nashville, TN 37235-7707
615.322.2571 | (fax) 615.322.1326