Resources

People who wish to explore career and vocational choices, as well as academic majors and changes in goals, can benefit from career counseling. The Counseling Center often uses interest inventories and other assessment measures to assist in the process of choosing a major/career.

The ultimate goal is to assist people in developing sound self-evaluation techniques. In addition, the center has a variety of current reference material about careers, as well as a computer-based system that includes information on specific occupations, job characteristics, employment outlook, training and educational facilities.

Which is the Right Department for Me? A Career Counseling FAQ

Q: I don't really know what I want to do with my life yet. Who can help me?

• Head here, to the Counseling Center, for Career Counseling! They will help you decide on a major and a career path based on your values, interests, and personality.

Q: I know what I want to major in. Who can help me find the classes I need?

• Instead of the Counseling Center, head to CSU Advise for Academic Advising! They will help you plan out the courses you need to take to graduate on time. CSU Advise - Schuster 202 - 706-507-8780

Q: I know which career field I want to work in. Who can help me get there?

• Instead of the Counseling Center, head to the Center for Career Development for Career Advising! They will help you gain experience and articulate your skills on your resume and in interviews. Career Development - 706-507-8760

Steps to Career Success

Freshman Year

• Locate and explore the Counseling Center.
• Locate and explore the Career Center.
• Begin an assessment of personal interests and skills.
• Make an appointment with a counselor in the Counseling Center.
• Explore various majors that interest you.

Sophomore Year

• Explore career opportunities related to academic areas of interest.
• Choose a major or re-evaluate your present choice.
• Consider career-related activities (e.g., summer employment, part-time work, volunteer jobs, student organizations) to help you explore beyond the academic environment.

Junior Year

• Continue to explore career opportunities related to your major.
• Talk to people who are working in fields you think you'd like. What do they do? (Information Interview)
• If graduate school is an option, take entrance exams (GRE, GMAT, MAT, LSAT, etc.) and start application process.
• Inventory skills and abilities that you have developed appropriate to the world of work.

Senior Year

• Go to the Career Center to check on the campus recruitment schedule.
• Initiate a job search with the Career Center; identify potential employers, research employers and companies, network, develop or refine résumé(s), and interview.

The Counseling Center is a clinical training site for graduate-level counseling interns and practicum students, supervised by licensed psychologists who are full-time staff members.

Interns will identify themselves to students as such. Use of qualified graduate students and interns help the center provide more staff to the campus community.

If you are interested in applying for a graduate intern or practicum position, please fill out Understanding the Requirements of the CSU Counseling Center to let us know that our program would be an appropriate fit with your program. To formally apply, please email your résumé to the Administrative Assistant, Christy Cook. You may also reach out to her at 706-507-8741 if you have any questions. After receiving your form and résumé, she will pass along your information for review and we will reach out to you.

Please note: It is our policy, in accordance with similar policies in other university counseling centers, that we cannot accept former clients as interns, regardless of their field of study. This does not include Masters' Program students who have participated in department-mandated Process Groups.

Outreach presentations include, but are not limited to, the following: Suicide Awareness, Test Anxiety, Stress Management, Impact of Grief, Self-esteem and Self-concept, Homesickness, and the Process of Addiction. Requests can be made by professors and students from the Columbus State University community. Additionally, a presentation can be created in order to satisfy the needs conveyed.

If you are interested in having the Counseling Center provide a presentation for your class or meeting, please call Mr. Kevin White, our Coordinator of Outreach and Prevention, at 706-507-8740 or email at white_kevin2@columbusstate.edu (email preferred). Outreach presentations must be scheduled at least 2 weeks in advance and are subject to the availability of the staff/interns to present.

Personal counseling is available to enrolled students who are currently taking classes. Issues can range from roommate conflict to depression to ADHD to test anxiety. Problems do not surface overnight, nor do solutions. You and your counselor will work together to reach your goals.

Students may be asked to complete a questionnaire or test to facilitate counseling. Involvement in counseling is confidential. Call 706-507-8740 or come to the Third Floor of the Schuster Student Center to make an appointment.

Services for Online Students

The counseling center provides consultation, referral, and career counseling services for all online students. Telecounseling is available on a limited basis for students who are taking only online classes, who pay student fees, and who live in the state of Georgia.

Support and therapy groups at The Counseling Center are intended to educate and help those participating. Support group sessions are available for free to any enrolled students. Check with any therapist or Counseling Center staff for more information. If there is a support group you would like to see on campus, please speak to your therapist or contact us at 706-507-8740. Requesting a support group does not guarantee that we will be able to accommodate it, but we will always do our best.

The Counseling Center offers workshops each semester on a variety of issues. As soon as the current semester workshops are completed the list will be posted here.

Workshops are a free service for the students of CSU. Topics vary from semester to semester.

All workshops are held in Schuster Center Classroom #319. You must sign up and reserve your space for each workshop. Please call 706-507-8740 or drop by The Counseling Center, Third Floor of Schuster Success Center.

Academic Retention Workshop

If you need to complete an Academic Retention Workshop per Student Affairs, please call our main office at 706-507-8740. Please call ahead to sign up for an Academic Retention Workshop - workshops with no sign-ups may be cancelled, so we can't guarantee you'll be able to walk-in.

This workshop is designed for students who would benefit from:

• Career/Life Planning
• Anxiety Reduction
• Learning Issues
• Academic Survival

Each workshop consists of self-assessment, training and practice exercises that promote new skills, and discussion of relevant information. You must sign up for this workshop. Seating is limited.