The pressures and responsibilities of adulthood stack like Jenga blocks. The pieces grow higher. Every day you worry about them toppling over. Therapy at the UIS Counseling Center can help you balance those pressures and responsibilities when college life feels insurmountable. They can help you pick up the pieces if you fall down.

There’s a fee within the tuition and fees when you attend UIS. The fee is listed as the health and counseling fee. If you’ve paid that fee, you are eligible to receive counseling at no extra charge.

You can attend just one session with a counselor or can attend counseling every week. The center offers assistance to anyone in need for any length of time.

There are plenty of reasons why a college student may want to receive counseling.

“I’m seeing folks struggle with choosing a major and the pressure of committing to one,” Kayli Rumple, a Master’s in Counseling graduate assistant, said. “I’m seeing a lot of folks with roommate conflict. They might need help on how to effectively communicate with other people in situations where confrontation might be needed.”

Each year, students attend orientation. This orientation includes a presentation by the counseling center, making students aware of the services they offer. In addition to this, the center regularly sends emails out and posts events on social media. Through these efforts and more, the center tries to make every student aware of their presence.

“That is one of the wonderful mysteries of working in higher education, is trying to reach every student,” Bethany Bilyeu, the Counseling Center executive director, said.

It can take a while to adjust to college life. Meeting fellow students can be anxiety-inducing. Final exams test not only your knowledge of the course but can also test your mental health. Therapy can help when you are in a serious situation.

Therapy does not have to be only for serious situations, though. Therapy can be a proactive weekly appointment to better your mental health. Counseling can be a part of living a healthier life.

“To me, it (therapy) is something to just sit and take stock of your life,” Bilyeu said. “You don’t necessarily have to have challenges or crises to come in. To me, it’s the old adage an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

The center not only helps students trying to work on their mental health, but it also gives future therapists valuable training. Kayli Rumple is one of those people being trained at the center.

Rumple receives a caseload of clients while receiving weekly supervision from Bilyeu. This in-person training teaches students how to apply what they’ve learned via a textbook or PowerPoint to a live person. It turns the theoretical into the practical.

“I think it really makes it real when you are sitting in front of someone, and you’re going through it, working through it,” Rumple said.

There are three different specialties in the human development counseling program at UIS. Those programs are for Marriage couples and families, clinical mental health, and school counseling. The course load varies for each of the three graduate degree specializations.

If you’d like more information about the human development counseling program, you can contact them at 217-206-6504.

If you want to receive therapy at the Counseling Center or would like to speak with a crisis counselor, you can contact them at 217 206-7122.