This fall, Oswego State’s Counseling Services Center began piloting the position of an embedded counselor to provide students informal consultation in on-campus buildings without the need to arrange an appointment.

Students can go to West Campus residence halls and talk to the on-site counselor, Craig Gilkey, about a variety of issues they may be experiencing such as relationships or general stress. Gilkey said many students seek guidance in dealing with anxiety, depression and adjusting to life changes.

Gilkey’s office is based in Cayuga Hall and he has set hours in Onondaga Hall, Oneida Hall and Seneca Hall, collectively 20 hours per week.

“I accepted this position because preliminary data is suggesting students are more apt to reach out for mental health services if those services are convenient and accessible,” Gilkey said.

Gilkey finds his position as a counselor rewarding because of the possibility of making a positive change in a student’s life by providing a safe, judgement-free area where they can talk. Gilkey’s position as an on-site counselor is a pilot program with the possibility of expanding in the future, depending on its success.

“Being a potential catalyst for the positive change in someone’s life is extremely rewarding,” Gilkey said.“With a lot of negativity in the world, it is important for students to have safe places where they do not feel judged.”

Gilkey’s position is sponsored by Residence Life and Housing. He offers mental health services to students in West Campus residence halls along with consultations, workshops and training for the department’s student and professional staff, according to Katherine Wolfe-Lyga, director of the Counseling Services Center.

“We collaborated with the Counseling Center for locations that would service the majority of the students, where we had private space available and was a visible and easy access location for students,” said Richard Kolenda, assistant vice president for Residence Life and Housing.

The embedded counselor position is different than the role of counselors in the Counseling Services Center.

The embedded program does not handle crisis services, which are available through the main counseling center located in Mary Walker Health Center. Gilkey does individual informal counseling and conducts group sessions including the Counseling Services Center “Let’s Talk” program, which has existed on campus for a few years and has been expanding since its implementation. “Let’s Talk” is an alternative counseling option for students to talk to someone and can result in pursuing further counseling in the Counseling Service Center.

The Counseling Services Center based the program off of Cornell University’s “Let’s Talk” program. The locations of “Let’s Talk” include all four West Campus residence halls as well as Hewitt Union, Laker Hall and the Lakeside Resource room, providing students options to best accommodate them. “[Students] keep coming, which says that the word of mouth reputation has been positive overall.” Wolfe-Lyga said. “Anecdotally, we receive a lot of positive feedback about the service.”

The Counseling Services Center and Residence Life and Housing chose the locations of Gilkey’s sessions and “Let’s Talk” based on accessibility, visibility and the ability to provide anonymity to students.

“The program is a success from the standpoint that it is widely used by students.” Kolenda said. “It’s convenient, in their own living environment, accessible and anonymous.The program provides students with immediate support when they most need it.”

The addition of the Lakeside Resource Room to the “Let’s Talk” locations has been very successful according to Robin McAleese, a mental health counselor in the Counseling Services Center who heads “Let’s Talk.” McAleese believes students can benefit from the informal consultation if they are “a little gun-shy” about the idea of counseling, and the session at “Let’s Talk” could encourage them to seek out further counseling depending on the circumstance.

“I hope students share what they are learning with important people in their lives in effort to make a positive ripple effect of healing others through their experiences,” Gilkey said. “This also helps crystallize their learning, because as research shows, there is no better way to learn than to teach someone.”

Photo: Taylor Woods | The Oswegonian