Counseling Services
Counseling Services helps students manage obstacles that threaten their academic, career and life goals. Typical obstacles students face include a lack of career direction, inadequate academic and life management skills and difficulties in their personal lives.
Counselors help students increase self-awareness so they can make better career decisions. They work with individuals and groups to improve time management, organizational and study skills. Helping students develop effective communication skills and learn self-responsibility is an important part of the process. Additionally, counselors are available to help students deal with relationship issues, grief, depression, domestic violence, alcohol and drug dependency and other experiences that make it hard for students to focus on their academic coursework. When appropriate, counselors will refer students to resources in the community.
The Counseling Services office is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. If you need to speak with a counselor (non-emergency), contact counseling@pstcc.edu or call 865-694-6480.
Please use our Online Appointment Scheduling (OAS) service to schedule a non-emergency appointment with a counselor.
Services Provided
Career Counseling
The purpose of the Pellissippi State Career Counseling Center is to:
- Equip students with the tools, strategies, skills and knowledge to develop lifelong career development and job search skills.
- Empower students to choose and attain personally rewarding careers.
Counselors will assist you with career exploration tasks such as deciding on a major, researching career options or making a career change.
Counselors utilize many resources to help students with the process of career decision-making and planning. These resources include interest and skill assessments, computerized career planning assistance and individual career counseling.
Career exploration is not the same as searching for a job. When you are searching for a job, you are looking for current job openings and availabilities. Career exploration is a process of choosing education, training and jobs that fit your interests and skills.
Students may schedule appointments for career counseling by contacting the Counseling Office on any of the College’s campuses.
Personal Counseling
Students bring a variety of personal and school-related issues to personal counseling. Some of the more common concerns include: test anxiety, relationship difficulties, concerns about drug or alcohol use and stress and time management. Other concerns include depression, abuse issues, sexuality/sexual identity questions and interpersonal conflicts. We provide short-term solution-focused counseling, crisis intervention, referral services and consultation. All counseling sessions are confidential.
Crisis/Suicide Prevention
If you or someone you know are in immediate danger to self or others, please contact 911 right away or call the McNabb Center Mobile Crisis Unit at 865-539-2409.
Faculty and Staff Resources
You are on the front lines, witnessing the early signs of distress. Students are likely to initially seek assistance from faculty and staff members, particularly when they see you as available and willing to listen. Beyond the support you can provide, there are also professional support services available to students through Counseling Services. Counselors are available to meet with students and to consult with faculty and staff about providing the help that students may need.
Identifying a Student in Distress
Some signs that indicate a student may be experiencing more stress than he or she can handle are:
- Marked decline in quality of coursework, class participation, quality of papers or test results.
- Increased absence from class or failure to turn in work.
- Chronic fatigue and low energy.
- Attention and memory difficulties.
- Low self-esteem and prolonged depression, suggested by a sad expression, apathy, weight loss, sleep difficulties or tearfulness.
- Nervousness, agitation, excessive worry, irritability and sudden outbursts of anger, threats of harming others, aggressiveness or nonstop talking.
- Abrupt or radical changes in behavior or bizarre behavior, speech, writing or thinking.
- Abnormal eating or exercise behaviors.
- Alcohol and other drug abuse.
- Isolation from others.
- Extreme dependency on faculty, staff or community leader including spending much of his/her spare time visiting during office hours or at other times.
- Marked change in personal hygiene.
- Talk of suicide, either directly or indirectly, such as, “I won’t be around to take that exam anyway” or “I’m not worried about getting a job – I won’t need one.”
Helping a Distressed Student
The following recommendations can be used if a student approaches you with a problem and/or if you decide to approach a student about any of the previous signs:
Talk to the student in private.
Ask questions and listen carefully to the student’s answers.
Show concern and interest.
Repeat back the essence of what the student has told you.
Specifically state your reasons for concern.
Avoid criticizing or sounding judgmental.
Suggest they contact Counseling Services.
Ask directly how you can best help them.
Explain to the student that Counseling Services is confidential.
If the student resists help and you are still worried, consult with the counseling staff.
Know your limits as a help-giver. When a student needs more help than you are able or willing to give, consider making a referral to a counselor.
Making a Referral
Examples of issues that may prompt referral to a counselor include the following:
Social/personal concerns
Career choices/selecting a major
Stress, depression, general anxiety
Family and financial issues
Identity development/individuation
Substance abuse
Sexual assault
Relationship concerns
Racial/cultural adjustments
Academic difficulties, test anxiety
Grief/loss (including loss of a romantic relationship)
Below is some additional information to offer when making the referral:
Sessions are confidential! This means that information about students cannot be released to family, friends, faculty or other offices without the student’s written permission. There are limitations to this confidentiality which will be explained to the student in their first session.
Counseling records are kept separate from academic records and are protected by law.
Counseling services are free to Pellissippi State students.
With the information you provide, a counselor will contact you to assess the quality of service given.
Crisis/Suicide Prevention
If you or someone you know are in immediate danger to self or others:
- If on campus, call Campus Police at 865-694-6649
- Contact 911
- Call the Mobile Crisis Unit at 865-539-2409
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – SAMHSA
- Call the TN Statewide Crisis Line at 855-CRISIS-1 (855-274-7471) or text TN to 741741
- View the Pellissippi State Community College’s Suicide Prevention Plan (PDF)
College students seek counseling services for many reasons. Some common concerns:
- Difficulty coping with emotions (e.g. depression, anxiety, anger).
- Health-related concerns (alcohol, problems with eating or sleeping, sexuality).
- Academic issues (e.g. choosing a career path, poor motivation, concentration problems, test anxiety).
- Stressful or traumatic experiences (e.g. financial/legal problems, conflicts among roommates, friends or family members, the death of friend or family members).
Counseling helps students learn new coping skills, set goals, solve problems, make decisions and manage stress. Counseling also provides a safe and structured environment in which students can explore various aspects of their emerging adult lives – independence, values, personal goals, intimacy and friendship.
eCHECKUP TO GO
Alcohol and Cannabis
eCHECKUP TO GO is a free self-assessment tool available to students, faculty and staff to examine their own alcohol or cannabis use. It takes about 20-30 minutes to complete, is self-guided and requires no face-to-face contact time with a counselor.
The program provides immediate personalized feedback about:
- individual pattern of use
- risk patterns
- aspirations and goals
- targeted risk reduction strategies
- helpful on and off-campus resources
Answers are STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. No name is attached to the form, and no personally identifiable information from the survey will be stored.
Contact Us
Counseling Services
counseling@pstcc.edu
865-694-6480
Counseling Staff
Nancy T. Truett, LPC-MHSP, Director
Hardin Valley Campus, GN 130
nttruett@pstcc.edu
865-694-6430
Heather White,
LPC-MHSP (temp)
Blount County Campus, BL 113
hnwhite1@pstcc.edu
865-981-5303
Elissa Winzenburg, M.S., NCC
Hardin Valley Campus, GN 129
elwinzenburg@pstcc.edu
865-694-6532
Esmilsa Alford-Christian, LPC-MHSP
Strawberry Plains Campus, ST 2935
eealfordchristian@pstcc.edu
865-225-2312
Doug Devaney, Ph.D., M.A.
Magnolia Avenue Campus, MA 142-D
dwdevaney@pstcc.edu
865-329-3113
Resources
TN Statewide Crisis Line
Call 855-CRISIS-1 (855-274-7471)
The Tennessee Statewide Crisis Line, available 24 hours a day/365 days a year, is a resource for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis.
Tennessee REDLINE
The Tennessee REDLINE is the 24/7/365 resource for substance abuse treatment referrals. Anyone can call or text 800-889-9789 for confidential referrals.
Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine
Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)
Text TN 2 Quit by texting “QUIT” to 615-795-0600