What is Counselling?

Counselling is a way of helping people solve their current emotional, personal or interpersonal problems. This is done through the purposeful use of relationship to facilitate improved self- awareness, coping strategies, mood, personal relationships, emotional regulation, and the optimal development of personal resources. Counselling provides a rare opportunity to be listened to without being judged in a supportive, trusting, accepting, and objective environment.

One of the benefits of speaking to a stranger versus a friend or family member is that you can get a third-party point of view from someone who is not personally invested in the particular situation. The focus is entirely on YOU and ensuring you feel heard and supported. Even though your counsellor is not your ‘friend’, they deeply care about your wellbeing and a close relationship of a different kind often develops.

ASC Counsellors have expertise in identifying barriers that impact learning and understanding the complex interplay between learning disabilities and mental health (LDMH). Recognizing that counselling support, learning strategies, accommodations and advocacy are critical components in supporting students with disabilities in obtaining their educational goals, we provide brief therapeutic interventions, ADHD Coaching and LD-informed therapy. We also can assist students who suspect that they have a condition that impacts learning by screening for learning disabilities, ADHD, mental health concerns.

All counselling and psychotherapy activities at Durham College are intended to be short term in nature, typically 8 sessions or less; focused on the present and future; and geared to promoting your academic success. We utilize an integrative approach and primarily employ brief therapeutic modalities such as solution focused therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy strategies. These brief models encourage you to actively collaborate with your counsellor in a process that emphasizes your competence, strengths and possibilities.

We are Registered Psychotherapists with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). As members of CRPO we must also ensure we work within our scope of practice and within the mandate of the Access & Support Centre at Durham College. As a result we may need to refer students to alternative supports or community-based programs.

Students that are coping with complex mental illness exhibiting symptoms of acute mania or psychosis, personality disorders, addictions, eating disorders, and/or are of high risk of harm to self or others, may need to be referred to more intensive community/hospital based programs.

What is Counselling/Therapy?

How Can an ASC Counsellor Help Me