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University Counseling Center
Myrtle Hall
865-251-2217
Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The University Counseling Center is dedicated to training professional therapists as they serve Johnson University and the surrounding communities. The Counseling Center exists to offer a broad range of preventative, remedial, and developmental counseling services. Our primary goal is to offer accessible quality care to clients that is respectful of that person’s family and loved ones, language, culture, ethnicity, gender, spirituality, and identity as a sexual being.
Whether you are concerned with time management, an interpersonal conflict, or planning your future, life transitions can be difficult to navigate alone. The University Counseling Center (UCC), located in Myrtle Hall, offers personal counseling at no charge to students while ensuring utmost confidentiality in all matters. Counseling services are provided by licensed counselors, pre-licensed counselors, and graduate students in training who are under the careful supervision of licensed clinical supervisors. Counselors at the UCC are trained to ethically integrate faith into the helping process and welcome opportunities to explore this area with all clients who desire to do so.
The UCC will continue to provide remote services to students via videoconferencing throughout the semester. Telehealth services are provided through a HIPAA-secure version of Zoom. Group services & opportunities will be provided in a face-to-face, socially distanced setting, similar to academic classes.
The UCC works with community clients on a limited basis; call 865-251-2217 to inquire about current openings.
To make an appointment, please come to Myrtle Hall between 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday. You will be asked to provide general contact information and complete an intake form. The intake form must be completed in full before we can assign you a counselor.
If you are unable to come to the UCC due to illness or COVID-19 quarantine/isolation, please call 865-251-2217 to enroll in services. If we are unable to answer your call right away, please leave a message with your name and a phone number where we can reach you.
Consultations
A UCC counselor will meet with you to assess and discuss your reasons for counseling in order to determine the best treatment recommendations. By assessing each client at the beginning of treatment, we hope to identify a good fit between you and your counselor, as well as identify services specific to your needs. These options may include any combination of the following: weekly or biweekly individual counseling, group counseling, other group-based interventions such as workshops, or possibly a referral to an alternative off-campus provider. The counselor during your consultation may not be the same as the counselor you are assigned to for ongoing services.
Click here for additional information telehealth services.
The process for telehealth services follows the same process as in-person services. During your consultation with the UCC the counselor will assess the appropriateness of telehealth for your sessions and discuss any of your questions or concerns. Telehealth sessions will be held via a HIPAA secure version of Zoom. Your counselor will send your access link to the session through the Client Portal. In order to participate in telehealth session, you will need:
Check out these helpful guides:
Client Portal Registration
Technology Disruption Tips
Tips to Enhance Your Telehealth Services
“We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” – Maya Angelou
Group counseling and workshops offer Johnson University students opportunities to learn about mental health and wellness, as well as experience the power of connection and community within the healing and growth process. The UCC offers multiple groups throughout the fall and spring semesters on a variety of topics. Groups are generally limited in number and last around 50 minutes. Most groups are eligible for Small Group Chapel credit.
Groups are a great introduction to the counseling experiencing and provide additional support and resources within individual counseling. UCC groups seek to address topics of wellness, coping, and resilience—all basic components to any individual counseling experience.
Confidentiality
Providing quality care and protecting your privacy is a primary concern of the group facilitators. While groups will remain small and limited in number, creating a safe space where people can share personal information relies on each participant’s ability to maintain one another’s privacy. Participants should not discuss any information shared within the group and continued participation is contingent upon the ability to maintain confidentiality.
Group Types
Groups are formatted differently to address the varying needs, interests, and comfort levels of students. Each group will be designated under the following categories:
Spring 2021 Groups – beginning 1/26/21
Most groups are limited to 8-10 participants and will last 50 minutes unless otherwise indicated.
You will receive location information after signing up. Click the links below to register.
If you would like to participate in one of the groups listed below but are unavailable at the listed time, please contact the UCC.
Group | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
Wellness Workshop (Tuesdays, 9:00 a.m.) | Learn | Whether you want to get started or brush up on some healthy habits, this workshop focuses on information and tips to improve your emotional and mental health from a holistic perspective. Topics include increasing resiliency, identifying healthy coping skills, building support systems, and more. Sign up here. |
Stress Busters (Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m.) | Talk | Do you find anxiety and stress getting the best of you? Learn to recognize the impacts of stress, what it’s trying to tell you, and strategies for managing it. Sign up here. |
Wired (Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m.) | Share | Men only. This group will focus on cultivating healthy sexual perspectives and addressing pornography in a non-judgmental way. Humans are hard-wired for connection with one another, but our culture has significantly changed how we interact. We will work toward building healthy minds and healthy hearts that lead to healthy connections with others. As our relational health improves, it impacts the health of the communities we participate in. This is a closed group; once it has begun, no additional participants will be added. Sign up here. |
Fresh Perspectives (Thursdays, 9:00 a.m.) | Share | Women only. Navigating the first year of college has both ups and downs; together we will focus on connecting and supporting one another through this exciting transition. Topics will include managing stress, adjusting to the college setting, navigating relationships, and additional topics identified by participants. This is a closed group; once it has begun, no additional participants will be added. Sign up here. |
At times students may experience more urgent distress and need to talk with someone more immediately. Situations may include the inability to keep yourself physically safe, threatening to hurt yourself or others, recent sexual or physical assault, the recent loss of a loved one, seeing or hearing things that are not there, or uncontrollable panic with the inability to calm oneself.
If you are experiencing a crisis:
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or feel you are incapable of maintaining your own safety, call Helen Ross McNabb’s Mobile Crisis Hotline at 865-539-2409.
Additional resources include:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255
Sexual Assault Center of East Tennessee Hotline
865-522-7273
National Sexual Assault Hotline
1-800-868-4673, Live Chat: RAINN.org
24/7 call and chat about past and present sexual trauma.
Trevor Lifeline for LGBTQ+
1-866-488-7386
Text TREVOR to 678678
Live Chat
Interpersonal /Domestic Violence
1-800-799-7233
Live Chat
Emily Eisenhart, M.A., LPC-MHSP, LMFT, BC-TMH
Director of Clinical Services & Clinical Supervisor
Ashley Bergman, M.A., LMFT, BC-TMH
Staff Therapist & Clinical Supervisor
Donald Bohannon, Ph.D.
Clinical Supervisor
Pete Cummins, Ed.D., LMFT
AAMFT Approved Clinical Supervisor
Kristel Headley, Ph.D., LPC-MHSP, ACS, RPT-S, BC-TMH
Clinical Supervisor
Carletta Smelcer, Ed.D., LPC-MHSP
Staff Therapist & Clinical Supervisor
Jody Miller, M.Ed.
Office Manager
Therapists:
Jacob Chandler, B.A.
Emma Downer, B.S.
Elizabeth Mackey, B.A.
Ryo Ogawa, B.A.
Christina Pickens, B.A.
Ali Priano, B.A.
Jessica Dayle Stewart, B.S.
Delaney York, B.S.
LPC-MHSP – Licensed Professional Counselor-Mental Health Service Provider
LMFT – Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
ACS – Approved Clinical Supervisor
BC-TMH – Board Certified-TeleMental Health
RPT-S – Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor
AAMFT – American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255
Sexual Assault Center of East Tennessee Hotline
865-522-7273
National Sexual Assault Hotline
1-800-868-4673
Live Chat: Rainn.org
Trevor Lifeline for LGBTQ+
1-866-488-7386
Text TREVOR to 678678
Live Chat: The Trevor Project
Interpersonal/Domestic Violence
1-800-799-7233
Live Chat: The Hotline
Starting the Conversation: College and Your Mental Health
HelpYourselfHelpOthers: Free, confidental online screening
Mental Health in College
ULifeline Online Resource for College Mental Health
Jed Foundation: suicide prevention resources
MY3 App: helps identify, suppport and prepare for times of suicidal thinking
Calm Harm App: helps resist the urge to self-harm
GriefShare: small group environment for support in navigating the loss of a loved one
Celebrate Recovery: discipleship for anyone needing support for a hurt, hang-up, or addiction
Samson Society: sexual purity groups for men
Fortify: app to help reduce porn use
StartYourRecovery.org: information on substance misuse and local treatment and support groups
Rehabspot.com: information on addiction and treatment options
Academic Tips
Eating Disorders
Emotional and Psychological Trauma
MindShift CBT: app with interactive tools to help relieve mental health distress
Guided Meditations
Simply Being: guided meditation for relaxation and presence
Calm: app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation to reduce stress
Headspace: app for meditation
Breathe: app to help you relax and focus on your breathing
Relax Melodies: app to assist with improving sleep
Stop, Breathe, Think: app with short mindfulness activities
Relaxation Training Exercises
The college years are an important and unique time in a student’s life that can lead to tremendous growth and development, as well as significant stress. This is even more true among Johnson’s community of traditional and non-traditional students, comprised of varying intercultural experiences and stages of life. Often faculty and staff are the “front lines” in observing the initial signs of distress and may have a unique opportunity to connect students to the appropriate resources.
Your feedback is important to us! Please take a few moments to complete the UCC Satisfaction Survey.
You may also send your feedback and/or concerns to:
Emily Eisenhart, LPC-MHSP, LMFT, Director of Clinical Services
865-251-2163