The Counseling and Student Development Center is making it easier for students to seek advice about their problems by changing its walk-in procedures.

“Basically, we had walk-ins for emergencies only and appointments for the initial visit,” said Anna Beth Payne, associate director of CSDC. “Students now can walk in any time between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. during the week.”

Payne said students should take advantage of CSDC and its services.

“We provide a broad range of services. Students come in for career counseling. More psychological problems include depression, anxiety and relationship problems with boyfriends or girlfriends or even roommates,” Payne said. “We really do encourage students to make use of us. We hope that by allowing walk-ins, we will be easily accessible to them.”

Payne wants interested student to know CSDC takes confidentiality seriously.

“We are legally and ethically bound to confidentiality, unless there is a threat to life, whether it be their own or someone else’s,” she said.

In addition to one-on-one counseling, CSDC provides several group meetings on weekday afternoons. In the group sessions, common topics such as depression and alcoholism may be discussed.

“We do group therapy with weekly meetings between people with common problems,” Payne said.

CSDC recently received the 2003 Outstanding Training Site of the Year award from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University.

The honor was given to NIU for providing outstanding training in the field of clinical psychology to Argosy University students. NIU’s counseling internship program has been accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1989.

Payne said it is a nice reward for the hard work done by the faculty and students involved at CSDC.

Students interested in any of the services offered by CSDC should call 753-1206, visit the office at the Campus Life Building, Suite 200 or visit www.stuaff.niu.edu/csdc for more information.