We are all navigating different struggles in our lives, and sometimes we don’t know who to turn to or where we can go for help. Iona College understands the importance of mental health and the need for programs specifically designed to help college students. On the second floor of Spellman Hall is the Iona College Counseling Center, which offers resources that are free to all students.

The counseling center is a confidential space where students can go for emotional and psychological help at no cost at all. The counseling center is fully staffed with faculty who are professionally trained in matters concerning mental health.

The center’s faculty includes trained clinicians and a psychiatric nurse practitioner who are all there to help students, whether they just need to talk to someone or are in need of psychiatric evaluations and medication.

Since some students may not know about the benefits of the counseling center, the faculty works to help students and make others aware that they can reach out to them as well. Dr. Brielle Stark-Adler, the director of the counseling center, talks about what resources are available within the center.

“Our counseling center offers individual counseling where you can meet on a short-term basis with an individual therapist,” Stark-Adler said. “Once your primary goals are addressed, then we often will refer students to other counselors, privately, that they can see long-term.”

Students are able to talk confidentially about a variety of topics with counselors, such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, mental or physical abuse and even stress. Students are also able to take advantage of the counseling center’s new walk-in program. On weekdays from 1 to 4 p.m., students are able to access a walk-in appointment with a counselor on a first come, first serve basis.

Dr. Stark-Adler says that students have responded well to the program.

“We really want to make sure students can get to us as quickly as possible,” Stark-Adler said. “Sometimes students are not ready to make regularly scheduled appointments, so we try to offer an alternative.”

Students who have taken advantage of the center’s resources have positive reviews and recommendations of the establishment and its counselors.

“Whether you are stressed and need to talk or are going through serious mental health issues, the counseling center can help anyone like they had helped me,” a student who wishesto remain anonymous said.

Along with offering free and confidential counseling, the counseling center has and continues to host various events to raise mental health awareness. Recently,they contributed to an event called “Out of Darkness” on Sept. 19 with Gamma Lambda Rho. Additionally, the counseling center hosted “R U OK? Iona” on Oct. 29 which was an event to spread awareness of suicide and the prevention of it.

The counseling center works to promote the visibility of mental health and encourage students to know that it is always okto ask for help. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursdays. Students can also call the counseling center at (914) 633-2560 to make an appointment if they do not wish to do so in person.