Current DTS students, staff, and faculty members are eligible to receive services through DTS Counseling Service Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 4:30. However, eligibility for counseling services may vary due to severity, appropriateness of services, and availability of resources.
DTS Counseling Services offers short-term individual and couples counseling services. A counselor will help you determine which services are available and most appropriate. Students might be scheduled with a counselor at DTS or they may be referred to an off-campus counselor. Off-campus counselors offer more flexibility for students to be seen more frequently or long-term and are also able to provide more specialized services.
Whether you call or come by DTS Counseling Services to make an appointment, a counselor will talk with you, gather some information about you (e.g., name, phone number, whether you have been to DTS Counseling Services before), briefly assess your needs, and make treatment recommendation(s) based on their professional opinion and in collaboration with you.
Attention: If you are a distance education student living in a state other than Texas, our licensed professionals on the Dallas or Houston campuses would NOT be able to offer services to you due to licensing restrictions that only allow them to counsel in Texas. If pastoral counseling would meet your needs at this time, please select our pastoral counselor as your choice of counselor and we would be glad to serve you. If yours are more clinical needs, please email studentlife@dts.edu and we will do our best to connect you with options in your area.
Counseling services are provided by licensed professional counselors. Services may also be provided by other mental health professionals, some of whom are in training. All professionals-in-training are supervised by licensed staff.
Information you share during contact with counseling services will be treated with the strictest confidentiality as allowed by law. In accordance with ethical and legal standards, this information will not be disclosed to anyone without your written consent, except in very specific circumstances as required by law. Counseling records are entirely separate from your academic record.
Just about anyone can benefit. No problem is too big or small. Listed below are just a few examples of some common concerns which bring students to DTS Counseling Services:
Symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression
College adjustment issues such as homesickness, academic problems, and long-distance relationships
Interpersonal difficulties, including roommate conflicts, family problems, romantic relationship concerns, problems with assertiveness, and other issues
Bereavement and grief related to the loss of a loved one (such as relationship breakups, deaths, parental divorce, or other major losses)
Questions/confusion about identity, self-image, sexuality, gender, or religious concerns
Concerns about body image, food, eating, or weight, as well as treatment for eating disorders
Experience with sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking, abuse, or other trauma
Thoughts of suicide, death, or hurting others
Behaviors that can be harmful to you, like drug or alcohol abuse or cutting
Our counselors are trained to intervene or provide support for a countless number of issues, far too many to list in any comprehensive way. While counseling might be helpful in numerous situations, there are some conditions in which we would strongly encourage you to seek counseling services:
You are unhappy on most days or feel a sense of hopelessness
You worry excessively or are constantly on edge
You are unable to concentrate on your schoolwork or other activities
You are unable to sleep at night or constantly feel tired
You have experienced a change in your appetite or your weight
You have experienced a loss (e.g., a relationship breakup, a parent’s death)
You have increased your use of alcohol or other drugs.
You feel overwhelmed by what is going on in your life
You are having thoughts about hurting yourself or someone else
If you and your counselor determine that individual counseling at DTS Counseling Services is the treatment recommendation that best meets your needs, you will then be offered the first available appointment that matches your schedule. If you have particular counselor preferences, this might increase the time you have to wait for your first appointment. Your appointment will usually be scheduled within a few days to a few weeks. (Please note that if you are in need of immediate help, inform our staff so that we can connect you to the appropriate DTS Counseling Services resources immediately.)
In your first appointment, your counselor will obtain information about your current concerns, relevant history and goals. Your counselor also will review relevant DTS Counseling Services policies and procedures, such as confidentiality.
For subsequent or follow-up sessions, you will meet with your counselor for 45-minutes, weekly for a specified period of time. If you would like additional counseling beyond what DTS Counseling Services can provide, then we will work with you to find a counselor in the community.
Early on, you will work with your counselor to set goals for your counseling sessions. Establishing clear goals will provide direction as well as help you to monitor your progress in counseling. If you have any questions or concerns about the counseling process, don’t hesitate to bring these up with your counselor, who will be pleased to discuss them with you. The exact direction of your counseling experience will depend on the issues you bring into counseling, your counselor’s perspective, and the goals you set for your work together.
Call the front desk at (214) 887-5175 as soon as possible after you become aware that you cannot come to your appointment. You can leave a message on the voice mail if you are calling outside of business hours.
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