The spring semester is five weeks old and the Counseling Center no longer has a waiting list.

“We are fully staffed for the first time with our permanent staff,” said Katherine Wolfe-Lyga, director of the Mary Walker Counseling Services Center. “They had chosen to bring on temp staff to address the need [Last semester]. We have still retained some of the temporary staff to ensure we have the coverage this semester.”

Last fall, 25 patients were on standby as the center struggled with a high demand for treatment.

“My sense is that there is a change in demand,” Wolfe-Lyga said. “During the fall semester, students required more from us.”

The center hired two academic and year round counselors, a director, an office manager, three temporary staff members and graduate level interns to consult students.

Last month, Wolfe-Lyga, who worked in community services for 14 years, accepted the position of director of the Counseling Services Center.

She explained counselors have more of an opportunity to be wellness driven once a student enters college.

“The responsibility of the provider looks different,” Wolfe-Lyga said. “In a college setting, counseling services are structured to be short term, brief and solution focused. In community mental health, it tends to be long-term.”

This spring, the facility is offering five support groups to help students who are wrestling with sexuality, relationship issues, sexual assault and stress.

“We are trying to diversify some of the groups,” Wolfe-Lyga said. “We are also trying to do a better assessment of what a student’s need is.”

Recently, the center added LGBTQ sessions on Tuesdays from 4 to 5 p.m. in Room 258 in the Marano Campus Center. “Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction” is a program that uses yoga and meditation to combat stress is held on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Counseling Services Center lounge.

“We see a full range of adjustment and relationship challenges to suicidality,” Wolfe-Lyga said. “Come see us even if it’s just to consult…to get healthier and feeling better.”

The Let’s Talk program, an informal consultation program, is being used more frequently by students, according to Wolfe-Lyga. Meanwhile, Wolfe-Lyga, who is an Oswego State Alumna, is meeting with several organizations to help students become aware of the services.

“Last night, I went to visit the Caribbean Student Association,” Wolfe-Lyga said. “Each campus works uniquely. It’s about meeting people and getting a feel for the culture.”

She plans to work with administration to expand the services and offerings.

“We have a lot of students who have challenges that go beyond the scope of our services,” Wolfe-Lyga said. “We don’t have the capability of following people between semesters.”

After students were concerned with a lack of availability, the center extended its hours.

In the coming weeks, the center will hold a NASPA Consortium Survey, a series of questions to access student need.

“One of things I anticipate is that we’re going to have a lot more of our decision making student driven,” Wolf-Lyga said. “We are going to use the assessment data to make sure we are meeting the needs.”