Counseling Services
Mission, Vision, and Diversity Statement
Mission
To support and improve the mental health, well-being, and academic success of our diverse Central Washington University student community by empowering students to create meaningful and fulfilling lives.
Vision
Providing exceptional mental health care that honors the diverse cultural experiences and dynamic needs of students.
Diversity Statement
Student Counseling Services staff believe that social justice and mental health are intimately intertwined. To effectively decrease the suffering caused by mental health concerns we must also work to increase equity and social justice. Living within a social system that is founded on and thrives upon oppression and discrimination is the root cause of interpersonal traumas, anxiety, depression, and a host of other mental health concerns - not only for people holding minoritized identities, but also for those holding privileged identities. For people with minoritized identities, the consequences of oppression within our society often are deadly. We directly advocate for the human rights of all our students, bringing to light systems of oppression and discrimination within our own practices, the practices of our field, university systems, and our communities locally, nationally, and globally. Within our practice, we strive to proactively educate ourselves and to actively integrate culture, identity, oppression and privilege into our therapeutic work. We recognize that each student holds multiple intersecting identities and create space for students to explore their whole selves as an integral part of addressing any mental health concerns.
Values
- Compassion: Our work is driven by care for the students we serve and a dedication to promoting connection and support among the CWU community.
- Respect: We respect the fundamental rights, dignity, and worth of our students including their rights to privacy, confidentiality, self-determination, and autonomy. In our work, we are aware of cultural, individual, and role differences, including those of age, gender identity, race, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status. We strive to reduce the impact of our biases on our work. We work to challenge systemic discriminatory practices.
- Equity: We recognize, respect, and attend to the diverse strengths and challenges of our students and minimize potential barriers to counseling access.
- Integrity: We strive to build a culture of trust and transparency in which every person is treated respectfully and ethnically.
- Innovation: We learn from experiences and proactively challenge our assumptions and traditions to meet the ever-evolving needs of our students, clinic, and university community.
Goals
As a result of participating in counseling services, students will report:
- Feeling respected, heard, and able to discuss their concerns in counseling
- Feeling satisfied with the progress they are making in therapy
- Feeling their individual and cultural identities are acknowledged, respected, and understood throughout the counseling process
- Receiving counseling improved the quality of their college experience
- Receiving counseling helped maintain or improve academic performance or ability to stay enrolled in CWU
- Increased confidence in their knowledge of how to seek counseling in the future
CWU News
CWU Army ROTC to host nighttime Norwegian Foot March this Friday
May 1, 2024
by Rune Torgersen
Grant-funded Limitless network brings Yakima students to CWU
May 1, 2024
by Rune Torgersen