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Counseling and Advocacy Center

The mission of the Counseling & Advocacy Center is to provide services which help students overcome life challenges to achieve academic success and attain their educational goals. We provide a full array of counseling services including personal, mental health, substance abuse, career, academic and relationship concerns. We offer crisis intervention including victim and gender advocacy, services for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender students, prevention and education programs, a Women’s Resource Library and aid for students with emergency needs through a clothing bank and food pantry and emergency fund.

Counseling Services

Sometimes life’s challenges feel overwhelming. The Counseling & Advocacy Center can help you develop answers to personal difficulties through short term individual counseling. We provide support for you to find solutions and feel better. Some concerns that students seek counseling for include:

  • Academic Stressors
  • Relationship Problems
  • Career Guidance
  • Depression and Anxiety
  • Grief and Loss
  • Substance Abuse Recovery
  • Smoking Cessation
  • Suicidal Thought

Women and Gender Advocacy Services

Specialized care is provided through our Women and Gender Advocacy services. Advocacy services include many personal supports and education programs for persons of all genders on issues such as violence prevention, sexual harassment, sexual assault, relationship violence, affectional orientation and gender identity. For persons facing gender issues, from gender identity to gender equity, we provide information and individual assistance which permits students to explore gender role concerns and discover answers that fit their career objectives and personal values. Women’s advocacy services helps women overcome the experience of gender discrimination.  Through our Women’s Resource Library, women are empowered to understand and address many gender concerns including life balance and relationship equity.

Violence Prevention and Gender Advocacy Services

Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, Relationship Violence and Stalking are all crimes of power and control.  They are a violation of Title IX protections for students and not tolerated on our campus. If you are the victim of one of these crimes, we can help you reclaim your power through nonjudgmental support and advocacy. As a survivor, you have the right to choose if and when to report the assault; you decide how you want to proceed.

LGBT Services

The Counseling & Advocacy Center is a strong ally for members of the LGBTQIA community. Our resource center is located in room 3372 and we advise the Gay-Straight Alliance on campus. We provide support including:

  • Title IX Assistance
  • Individual Counseling
  • OQS Diversity Club

Education and Advocacy

Making life better through educational programs that address issues of concerns to students is an essential part of the work of the Counseling & Advocacy Center. Our counselors are available to provide workshops and programs to create awareness and understanding on a broad range of advocacy, mental health and healthy lifestyle issues.  We provide education through:

Social Services Referral and Resources

Are financial stressors making it tough to meet your academic goals? We can guide you to supports in the community and offer resources to help with an urgent need through:
  • Food Pantry
  • Clothing Bank
  • Student Emergency Services

Crisis Intervention

A person is in crisis when their ability to act and think clearly is impaired and they are unable to cope with problems.  Crisis situations may include but are not limited to:

Suicidal or Self Harming thoughts
News of the death of a loved one
Experiencing a traumatic event
Physical or Sexual Assault
Relationship Violence

The Counseling & Advocacy Center is not a 24 hour mental health agency. Office hours are from 8:30 am to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Jewell Building, Room 3371.  If you are experiencing a crisis situation during office hours, you can walk in to our office or call 913-288-7640 and ask to speak to a counselor. 

If you are in need of crisis support after 5:00 p.m. or during the weekend you can access help in these ways:

  • Campus Police (913) 288-7636
  • Mental Health Crisis Line – Wyandot Center 913-788-4200
  • KU Med Center Emergency Room – 3901 Rainbow Blvd. Kansas City, KS
  • Suicide Prevention Hotline – (800) 273-8255
  • Trevor Lifeline- Suicide Prevention for LGBT youth 866-488-7386