Campus Life

Oglethorpe’s Counseling Center expands services, welcomes staff

The Oglethorpe University Counseling Center has welcomed new staff and expanded its services and programming for the upcoming fall semester to help students navigate the “new normal.”

Empowerment coaching (e-coaching) will be a brand new program designed to help students plan out and work toward personal goals, such as better organization or improved time management. Once per semester, students can either be referred to or self-enroll in the eight-week program in which they will use short, 5-15 minute sessions to speak to a coach about their plans to achieve goals related to education, activities, concerns or life situations. For those students interested in e-coaching, please contact Essence Washington, LCSW at [email protected].

The licensed mental health counselors at the Counseling Center will also oversee several new support groups in which students can convene to share ideas and confide in peers. The new support groups are specifically dedicated to women of color, men of color, social justice allies, anxiety management, healthy relationships and students living remotely.

New staff therapist Byron Kellam, MA, LPC, CPCS

In addition, the counseling team has added Staff Therapist Byron Kellam. He received a Master of Arts in Counseling from Clark Atlanta University and his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Stetson University. Kellam has extensive clinical experience in individual therapy, family therapy, group counseling and consultation. For the past 17 years, as a professional school counselor in the Fulton County School System, Kellam has served as a source of strength, guidance, and support to thousands of youth. He will facilitate the new support groups for men of color and anxiety management.

Drop-in hours will be available to students who have never used the counseling center and wish to inquire about services. These hours are a great way for students to get a feel for counseling and determine if any services are right for them. Drop-in hours will be available beginning September 8. Also new this year is the ability to schedule appointments and make inquiries via voicemail and text.

Consultations are available now via e-mail at [email protected]. Due to the face-to-face nature of counseling, all appointments will be conducted via Zoom for the foreseeable future. Find out more on the Counseling Center’s website.

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