Resources for Parents and Other Supports
The Lee University Counseling Center provides parents with resources to help their student with emotional development.
People engage and succeed most frequently in counseling when they have made a personal decision to seek out counseling. However, very few people come to this decision in isolation. If your child is interested in beginning counseling at LUCC, our "Beginning Counseling" page has all the necessary information about the process of beginning therapy.
The best approach to assist a student in considering counseling is for you or another individual who has an ongoing caring relationship with your child to bring up observations that lead you to believe counseling may be beneficial. Distressed Students is a document download that provides a number of suggestions for ways to approach that conversation.
While LUCC staff members do not call or otherwise contact students to recommend or request initiation of counseling, there are many others on campus who refer students to LUCC; sometimes even helping to coordinate connecting them to LUCC. Additionally, LUCC staff are available to speak with you (and other 3rd parties) if you need guidance or consultation regarding how to empower your child to make a decision about pursuing counseling.
Finally, LUCC staff are available during each of our intake times to consult with students regarding the possibility of counseling in addition to our traditional intake procedures during those times.
There are a variety of changes or problems you observe in your child which may be symptoms of a deeper problem that may require or benefit from counseling. Some of these indicators may include depressed or agitated mood, decreased energy, the decline in class attendance or academic performance, sleep or eating disturbances, social isolation, increased relational conflict, volatile or sad/tearful/angry mood, beginning or increasing substance use, and hopeless or suicidal thought. Additionally, certain life events may (but do not always) result in the need for counseling including the death of a loved one, traumatic or abusive experience, or experiencing a significant life change or adjustment (e.g. major illness, parental divorce, parent job loss or transition, etc.).
Students seek counseling for many reasons including, but not limited to the following: loneliness and adjustment issues, concerns about career choice and/or academic performance, family concerns such as alcoholism or divorce, emotional difficulties such as depression or anxiety, roommate conflicts, food or body image issues, problems with substance use, and suicidal feelings. Students may be seen at the Counseling Center or referred for other psychological or psychiatric services depending on the nature of their presenting issues.
The college years, late adolescence, and young adulthood are critical developmental times in the life of your son or daughter. In addition to growing intellectually, he or she is learning to live independently, make choices, accept responsibility, form relationships with others, contribute to the community, and further develop a sense of identity and purpose in life. These important steps are never easy and often are quite stressful. This is also a time when some individuals first experience problems with depression, anxiety, or other psychological disorders.
As clinicians, our staff members understand the concerns and anxieties that parents of university students experience. We view parents as critical partners in helping students survive and thrive in the university environment. Whether you have questions about adjustment to the university or other psychological or emotional issues confronting your student, we welcome the opportunity to discuss your concerns and answer your questions within the bounds of confidentiality.
Because psychological wellness is such an important component of every student's success, we also encourage you to become familiar with the information on our website, to learn about the symptoms of depression, anxiety disorders, eating problems, substance abuse, and to become familiar with our services. In this way, we can be effective partners for our students' wellness and mental health.
Due to state and federal law, as well as professional codes of ethics, we can neither confirm nor deny whether any individual age 18 or older is involved in ANY type of therapy at the Counseling Center. Furthermore, apart from a few exceptional circumstances such as harm to self or others, we cannot communicate any information regarding the session content, treatment history, or diagnosis of a client. If you are a family member or Lee University professional and you wish to receive ANY information from our office regarding a student, you MUST obtain that student's written permission. While we are happy to take any information you wish to share, we cannot communicate any information about a client without a signed authorization form.