advice-services
About the Counseling Center Services
Facing various issues in personal, family, social, academic, religious, legal, and other aspects of life is often challenging and accompanied by feelings of dissatisfaction, confusion, anxiety, despair, and helplessness. We have all experienced that we are not able to organize the various problems of life on our own. Sometimes we may seek guidance from family, friends, and acquaintances to solve a problem, but receiving specialized help enables better and faster control of the issue with a lower margin of error.
Entering university and starting the student period is usually stressful due to the major changes it brings to various areas of one's life. Sometimes, the lack of access to reliable supportive resources may create crises for the student.
The Student Counseling Center of Qom University of Technology, considering the above necessities and with the aim of assisting in such cases, began its activities as an independent management unit in November 2010 (Aban 1389) under the Vice-Chancellery for Student and Cultural Affairs. Currently, it provides services in the fields of counseling, psychology, social work, and mental health to students and university staff. The activities of the Counseling Center can be divided into two sections:
A) Counseling and Therapy
B) Mental Health
In the Counseling and Therapy section, specialists and experts in psychology, counseling, and social work are ready to help clients achieve a more suitable and healthier mental and psychological state. Counseling services are provided through in-person sessions and telephone counseling. The answers provided here to some frequently asked questions will familiarize you further with the nature of counseling services.
In the Mental Health section, services such as compiling and publishing brochures, CDs, books, booklets, and holding workshops and educational seminars are carried out. Obtaining published materials is possible through in-person visits or by printing from the website.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is a counselor?
- What happens in counseling?
- What kinds of problems does counseling help to solve?
- Is counseling information kept confidential?
Who is a counselor?
A group of trained specialists and experienced counselors, who have been trained to help people with a wide range of problems, are providing services at the center.
This group of specialists includes psychologists, counselors, and social workers. A psychologist deals with thoughts, attitudes, feelings, and behavior, and is also an expert in psychological testing. Counselors, through an individual or group approach, provide the groundwork for creating positive changes in the individual (for example, starting a new study or beginning honest communication with friends, etc.) and offer advice on academic, emotional, family, religious, communication, legal, and other issues. Social workers are most familiar with social support resources.
What happens in counseling?
Counseling does not mean giving advice or admonition. The counselor seeks to help you focus on the issues that are worrying or troubling you and to reach a clear understanding of them. The counselor's role is to support, understand, listen, and respond without judgment or criticism. They respect your values, choices, and lifestyle. They help you recognize your feelings and, in some cases, identify what lies beneath the surface of your current problems. They can assist you in making decisions, choices, or changes that are in your best interest.
What kinds of problems does counseling help to solve?
Counseling helps to solve most personal, relational, or identity issues, including anxiety, stress and depression, communication and family problems, sexual issues, and identity concerns. Counseling can also help with issues such as adapting to a new culture, coping with difficult situations, making tough decisions and choices, or specific problems like addiction. Do not wait until problems become major and serious — we prefer that you come to us when your issues are mild, so that they can be resolved more quickly.
Confidentiality in Counseling
The information you share in your first session and throughout the counseling sessions is confidential. Under normal circumstances, nothing is disclosed to anyone outside the center without your explicit permission. Rarely, there are situations where we reserve the right to breach confidentiality. These situations only include cases where it is determined that there is a serious threat to your health or the health of another person.
Please contact us if you have any questions in this regard. The factual information you provide in the initial counseling form and subsequently in sessions may be compiled in the form of anonymous statistics regarding the use of center services.
In some cases, to evaluate the center's performance and review the opinions of clients, questionnaires may be given to you in person or by mail. You may complete these questionnaires with or without providing your name.