Student FAQ | Counselling Services | Seneca Students

How do I make an appointment with Personal Counselling Services?

• You can:
  • Drop into our office at the campus that you are attending:
    • Newnham E2427
    • Seneca@York S1175
    • King GH2188
    • Markham M280
  • Call our office at, 416-764-9700
  • Or email us at SenecaCnAS@senecacollege.ca
• When you contact us, the Office Assistant will ask for your Student number.
• In order to make sure that you are directed to the right service, you will be asked a little bit about your reason for wanting to make an appointment.

How long is a counselling session?

• You will be meeting with a counsellor for up to 50 minutes in each session.

Is there anything I need to do to prepare for a session?

• When you book your first appointment, you will be asked to complete some forms and submit them before the appointment.  Completing the forms is very important, as it will provide information to the counsellor ahead of the session and ensure that you are able to make best use of your time together. 

How do I decide if I want One at a Time counselling or Brief Counselling, what’s the difference?

One At A Time sessions are designed to provide counselling support when you need it. You would choose a One at a Time session if you:

• Have problem that needs immediate attention or is a time sensitive issue.
• Don’t know if you will need more than one appointment, but really need to speak to someone about an issue that is affecting you.
• Want to find some strategies or resources to help with a particular problem.

Brief Counselling is available for students who want support with an ongoing issue (i.e. mental health concern, adjustment issue, gender identity, relationship challenge, sexuality, etc.) and would benefit from a series of sessions with the same counsellor over a number of weeks.

You would choose Brief Counselling if you:

• Think that you are dealing with something that is going to take a little time to sort through. 
• Have an issue that you have dealt with in the past that it is resurfacing and you want to learn new ways of dealing with it.
• Want to meet with the same counsellor over a period of time on a problem that is affecting your performance at school.

What happens in a One at a Time counselling session?

In a One at a Time counselling session the counsellor will,

• Provide an introduction to counselling including:
  • What you can expect to happen in the session.
  • Information about the counsellor and their professional background.
  • The risks and benefits of counselling.
  • Your rights and responsibilities in the process.
• Make sure that you are safe.
• Listen and learn about what is most troubling you right now and how it is impacting you.
• Help you to identify your strengths in dealing with the issue and create a plan to help with this immediate problem.
• Provide you with strategies, skills or suggestions to help with the difficulty.
• Introduce you to interactive online sites, self help tools, books, apps, websites or resources that might be helpful in your situation.
• Provide recommendations for next steps that may include referrals to internal Seneca resources or external community supports.

What happens in a “Brief Counselling” Session?

• Brief Counselling involves the counsellor meeting with the student for a number of sessions on an issue that the student has identified needing help with.  The student and counsellor will identify goals and develop a plan for working together to address the issue(s).  
• In the first session the counsellor would let you know about the counselling process including:

• • What you can expect to happen in the sessions
  • Information about the counsellor and their professional background.
  • The risks and benefits of counselling.
  • Your rights and responsibilities in the process.

• In the first session, the counsellor would:
  • Identify the presenting issues and concerns that are causing you to seek help.

• • Understand how these issues and concerns are impacting you at this time.
  • Develop goals and a treatment plan that outlines how you are going to work together with a time frame to accomplish the goals.

• In follow-up sessions, you would work together to evaluate the goals and the counsellor would provide information, support and strategies to help you achieve the outcomes that you had identified.

I have had a One at a Time appointment, am I able to make another one later on?

Yes, you are able to schedule another One at a Time appointment at a future point, but it will not (necessarily) be with the same counsellor.

I am currently seeing a Personal Counsellor, but I don’t have another appointment for 3 weeks and I have to speak to someone about an issue that has just come up, can I make a One at a Time appointment, or do I have to wait to speak to my counsellor?

• Because this is a time sensitive matter that is important to be resolved, you should make a One at a Time appointment.  This will probably not be with your counsellor, but you will be able to see someone right away to get help with your problem.

I already see an Accessibility Counsellor, can I make an appointment with a Personal Counsellor?

• Yes, these are quite different services and you may need to access both services for different reasons. 
• A student with a disability will see an Accessibility Counsellor to get help with academic accommodations and issues with their disability related to being able to access their academic program.
• Personal Counselling is available to any full-time student who is facing challenges in their life that may be interfering with their school performance and/or involvement. 

What if I have to miss an appointment?

• Unfortunately we can’t always control everything in our life and sometimes things come up unexpectedly.
• If you are unable to make an appointment, it is important that you call as soon as possible to notify the office.  An Office Assistant will be happy to assist you in rescheduling an appointment.
• As we have many students waiting to see a counsellor it is very important that you contact us as soon as possible so that another student is able to use that appointment time.
• If you miss 2 consecutive appointments without calling in advance to cancel or reschedule, you will be asked to speak to one of our managers before making another appointment.  This is so we can understand the reasons behind the unexplained absences and if we need to make changes in order to accommodate your needs.

What is the difference between Personal Counselling Services and Accessible Learning Services?

• Accessible Learning Services offers a variety of services to support students who have a documented disability that may impact their participation in their chosen program at Seneca.  Depending on the nature of the disability, academic accommodations may be provided to support students in accessing their academic program.  Accessible Learning Services also has Assistive Technologists, Learning Strategists and a Service Advisor who are available to provide students with valuable resources to help them with their disability in the academic environment.
• Personal Counselling Services are available to all full-time students who may need help with a particular issue that is getting in the way of their life as a student.  The Personal Counselling Services offer a range of supports including individual counselling, group counselling, workshops, events, and mental health promotion activities to help students deal with many issues such as: relationships, mental health challenges, loss, gender and sexuality issues, unexpected traumatic events, and academic stress and pressure.