The NIU Counseling and Student Development Center is all ears when it comes to student concerns.

Some of the most common types of problems students bring to the Center involve depression, anxiety, anger, relationship conflicts, career or academic inquiries, self-esteem issues and others, center psychologist Richard Long said.

An April 1996 Roper-Starch survey estimated that 1 out of 5 college students worry that their levels of stress or depression are higher than normal. Only 6 percent said they would seek help from their college’s counseling services.

The Center is a “multi-faceted outlet,” Long said. He said about 800 students seek individual counseling each year, but more than 5,000 students are included in outreach programs in the residence halls.

Of the 800 who actually visit the center, 70 percent are females, Long said. He said females are more likely to initiate the counseling process.

“Women are taught to talk about what bothers them, but men are socialized not to ask for help,” he said.

Long said one of the center’s goals is to make more students aware of the services they offer.

Some of those services include individual and group therapy, career services, sexual assault services, drug and alcohol assessment, learning assistance and study skills laboratories.

“It’s a stressful time of year, and if students need to come in, we hope they do so,” Long said.

Long also said it’s normal for students to feel stressed or emotionally conflicted. He said when the feelings don’t go away or get more intense, the worst thing to do is keep it all inside.

The staff at the center are “trained listeners,” Long said. He said most students talk about their problems with friends, parents or professors, but he extends the opportunity for students to take advantage of other resources.

Students who go in for counseling will have an intake consultation where the student and counselor determine the service that will best meet the student’s need, according to the Center’s Web site at www.stuaff.niu.edu/csdc/csdchome.htm.

If students can’t make it into the office, they can take advantage of the Center’s services on the Web site. One of the site’s online services is Barb Wire, similar to Dear Abby, where students can anonymously write in questions and receive advice.

Students can call the Center at 753-1206 or stop by the Campus Life Building, Suite 200 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to make an appointment for an initial consultation.