Mission Statement
The University of South Carolina Center for Community Counseling provides counseling
services to the Greater Columbia community and to University of South Carolina students
who are not being seen by the student counseling clinic.
The clinic’s mission coincides with the mission of the College of Education and the
Counselor Education program in that we are devoted to preparing culturally sensitive
counselors who are engaged in scholarship, leadership, service, and advocacy for systemic
change and who exemplify the highest ethical and professional standards.
Who We Are
The counselors at the Center for Community Counseling are graduate-level students
pursuing an Ed.S. or Ph.D. in counselor education. As part of their training, our
students are supervised by full-time counselor education faculty members, each with
many years of experience in counselor supervision.
In addition, counselors meet with their supervisors on a weekly basis to review videotaped
or live observations of their sessions with clients to ensure that any client issues
are addressed fully and thoroughly.
Our students and faculty are committed to client confidentiality and the Center is
HIPPA compliant, which means the information you share for our records is protected
according to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
What We Do
The Center for Community Counseling is committed to serving the community by providing counseling services that focus on the following issues:
- Anxiety/depression
- School problems
- Grief and loss
- Aging
- Marriage and family issues
- Anger
- Career stresses
- Decision-making
- Bullying
- Study skills
How We Help You
Our counselors provide individual, family, couples, and child-based counseling. We
help our clients resolve problems by developing supportive and trusting relationships
with them while using research-backed counseling strategies. Together, we will identify
realistic treatment goals and develop a treatment plan designed to meet those goals.
We will revisit the goals and treatment plan throughout counseling.
The number of sessions each client has is largely based on progress towards goals.
Because we operate on the university’s academic schedule, all sessions will end before
the semester ends. Clients may have the opportunity to resume counseling during the
new semester should the need arise.
We can also provide referrals to community and/or university-based services that may
be beneficial.
Who We Help
All potential clients are screened in order to ensure they are a best fit for our
clinic.
We provide counseling to children, adolescents, and adults, as well as couples and
families. Because of the nature of the Center our focus is on clients whose issues
are compatible with the short-term treatment we can provide.
Our clinic hours are variable; clients and their counselors will decide on meeting
times.