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Counseling Services

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

Crisis/Suicide Prevention

If you or someone you know are in immediate danger to self or others:

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.

Alcohol: https://echeckup.sdsu.edu/usa/alc/coll/pstcc

Cannabis: https://echeckup.sdsu.edu/usa/mj/coll/pstcc

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