Every individual deserves to have optimal mental health and wellness. If you doubt you can achieve this, the services provided by the staff at the Iona College Counseling Center can help change your attitude toward yourself and your environment. Located on the second floor of Spellman Hall, the Counseling Center is a free and confidential space for Iona students to find emotional and psychological support.

“I think the people who work at the Counseling Center do a good job from what I’ve seen,” junior Kristina Kozakevitch, who knows several people who use the Counseling Center, said. “Some people find out more about themselves and they realize that they have more to talk about than they thought they did initially.”

Those who use the Counseling Center are aided by professional clinicians who are trained in mental health, according to the center’s webpage on the Iona website. The staff will help you with anything that is hampering your emotional, cultural or spiritual growth. The Counseling Center also maintains confidentiality when providing services to students.

“Not everyone can afford to pay for a therapist,” junior Nicole Frasca said. “For this reason, having this facility on campus is great for people who just need someone to talk to, someone whom they can trust. Everything there is confidential and nothing will get out, [no matter what] you say to them.”

Many students pay visits to the office to learn strategies for a variety of issues, like relationship problems, anger management, depression, forms of abuse or low self-esteem. How is it possible for students to tell when it is the right time for them to go to the Counseling Center? For many, the answer may be in how they can tell they need some additional support.

“I think it comes more so if they feel that they just need to talk to someone, or there’s an indicator that there is something more that is going on that they should seek additional help, whether it may be a serious situation or if they just want to talk to someone,” Kozakevitch said. “It depends on the person. There’s no distinct time that they should seek someone out.”

While the Counseling Center is a valuable resource, some students might have difficulties talking to a stranger about issues going on in their personal lives.

“I was a little scared to make an appointment because I don’t like talking about myself to strangers,” Frasca, who has considered making an appointment with the Counseling Center in the past, said.

Senior Kade Lamontagne has been going to the Counseling Center on and off since his second semester of freshman year.

“Acting as a place where I can be my authentic self, the Counseling Center has been there for me through the ups and downs,” Lamontagne said. “Honestly, if it were not for my time at the Counseling Center, I truly do not know if I would be where I am today. The counselors I have seen there have listened to me, validated me and encouraged me to grow in ways that I never thought I could.”

While some students have had positive experiences with the Counseling Center, others have not. One Iona student, who wishes to remain anonymous for privacy, said that she did not find the Counseling Center helpful when she went to the center last year.

“They kept sending me to counselors who were there on their externships, [so] I truly don’t believe they were experienced enough to give me the help I needed,” the student said. “They refused to believe that my anxiety was anything else but a manifestation of stress from school, which was simply not the case.”

While the student no longer uses the Counseling Center’s services, she does think that having the right counselor plays a part in the success of your experience.

“I will say, however, that if you get the right counselor there, I think that place could be really helpful,” the student said. “I went there once just for a general evaluation and the counselor I went to was incredible and actually helped me feel a lot better.”

If the Counseling Center isn’t for you, you can also look into what other therapists are in the area. No matter what, mental health is something that shouldn’t be neglected, and the Counseling Center can be used as a possible resource if you are seeking help.

Additional Information about the iona College Counseling Center Location: 715 North Ave, Spellman Hall, Room 4-203 (2nd floor)

Phone Number: (914) 633-2038

The counseling center provides the services listed to all students, regardless if you’re a full time, part-time, undergraduate, graduate, commuter, or a resident student:

Counseling for: individuals, groups, families and couples.

Support groups for: women and body image, grief and loss, first generation college students and adult children of alcoholics.

Student workshops on: HIV, sexual harassment, sexual assault, relationships, alcohol awareness and multicultural awareness.