Counseling & Psychological Services
Appalachian State University

Mission Statement

The Counseling and Psychological Services Center supports the mission of Appalachian State University and the Division of Student Development in the academic, vocational, emotional, social and cultural development of students. The goal of the Counseling Center is to assist the University community in maximizing the personal growth and development of its members. Services are primarily offered to students and focus on education, prevention, remediation, and crisis management. These services help students resolve personal difficulties and acquire the attitudes, abilities, and knowledge that will enable them to take full advantage of their college experience and be successful. The major activities of the Center include: individual and group counseling services, 24-hour crisis management, psychological assessment, outreach, supervision, training, teaching, consulting, research and staff development.

Vision Statement:

 The comprehensive services under the Counseling Center umbrella create an atmosphere of respect, trust and collaboration in which we promote the successful personal and academic development of Appalachian State University students and the University community.

Core Values of the Counseling and Psychological Services Center:

We value

• the potential of every human being to change and to continue learning throughout the lifespan, in formal and informal settings, and especially in the environment of counseling and psychological services
• strong relationships as the primary vehicle in helping others to learn new ways of thinking, feeling and behaving, including collaboration within the university community and partnering with other offices to provide comprehensive mental health services to students
• an emphasis on prevention of mental health problems via education, intervention and outreach into the University community
• training new professionals and support for on-going training of staff
• respect for diversity of individuals, their cultures, languages, lifestyles, identities, ideologies, intellectual capacities, personalities, and capabilities to expand our learning opportunities and understanding of global connections

Statement on Diversity

The staff of the Counseling and Psychological Services Center is committed to the valuing of diversity in all of its forms. All are welcome, respected, and appreciated here.

We live in a diverse world consisting of many groups of people who have been de-valued and discriminated against based on such characteristics as race, ethnicity, cultural background, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical and mental abilities, religious beliefs, and socioeconomic status. We believe that such prejudice and discrimination is detrimental to those who are targets, those who target, and the world in general.

It is our belief that diversity represents beauty and passion in our world. Only through learning about and valuing the diversity that exists in our community and beyond can we truly experience and enjoy all that our world has to offer. Through experiencing diversity, we stretch ourselves to become all that we can be. Through honoring diversity, we create a community that is ideal.

The staff of this Center strive to create an environment that is open to the exploration and honest discussion of attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors. We acknowledge that all individuals feel prejudice of some kind and we seek to create opportunities where these feelings can be explored in a way that develops our minds, our hearts, and our community. The process of exploring attitudes and being sensitive to diverse life experiences of others enhances our ability to provide the highest quality of service and training.

We as a staff commit ourselves to respect, civility, and openness to learning. We strive to continually evaluate our progress in creating an environment that honors diversity and stimulates exploration. We welcome you to join us in our endeavors to create a community where diversity is not only respected but also embraced.


Adapted from the Student Counseling Service of Texas A&M University