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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.
The process for telehealth services follows the same process as in-person services. During your first appointment, your 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:
While there can be an initial adjustment to telehealth, most clients find the experience as effective as in-person services. Telehealth has been established and used in multiple professions for many years and has a demonstrated ability to reach underserved populations effectively. Research shows there are generally no differences in outcomes between in-person and remote services in mental health. All counselors at the UCC receive training in telehealth before offering services; our clinical supervisors have received or are currently pursuing credentialing as Board Certified–TeleMental Health providers (BC-TMH).
Telehealth rooms are available in each dorm for clients needing a private location to hold their session. Ask your counselor for information during your first appointment.
Check out these helpful guides:
Client Portal Registration
Technology Disruption Tips
Tips to Enhance Your Telehealth Services
Check-in provides an informal, confidential meeting with a UCC counselor to find support, problem-solving, and resources for a specific issue or situation in your current life. Check-in appointments can be helpful when you have a specific concern or problem and would like to get the perspective of a counselor. These appointments can also be helpful if you are unsure about the counseling process.
What to expect: Meetings are meant to be brief and time-limited (1-2 appointments). Check-in appointments do not constitute mental health treatment or take the place of traditional counseling. During the appointment, the counselor will help you determine if additional resources or counseling would be beneficial.
Counselors will seek to provide perspective and problem-solving strategies for a current issue you would like support in addressing. Counselors will work collaboratively with you to determine appropriate resources, and may offer a follow-up appointment.
Scheduling: Appointments are first-come, first-serve. Book an appointment here.
Confidentiality: Appointments are confidential; however, when there is a serious intention of self-harm or harm toward others, our counselors are required by law to report this information. Confidentiality is also limited when there is evidence or reasonable suspicion of negligence or abuse of minors, elders, or dependent adults. The UCC keeps a brief record of the appointment for follow-up appointments and attendance tracking. If you have any additional questions, please ask the counselor at your appointment, or call the UCC.
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, ACS, BC-TMH
Director of Clinical Services & Clinical Supervisor
Ashley Bergman, M.A., LMFT, BC-TMH
Staff Therapist & Clinical Supervisor
Kindal Akers, M.A.
Staff Therapist
Donald Bohannon, Ph.D.
Clinical Supervisor
Pete Cummins, Ed.D., LMFT, BC-TMH
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:
Laura Branson, B.A.
Brooke Carlson, B.A.
Emily Chadwick, B.S.
Michael Charnley, B.S.
Meghan Griffin, B.A.
Luke Lanzoni, B.A.
Baylie Lawhon, B.A.
Mike McTaggert, B.S.
Hunter Powers, B.S.
Sara Ramos, B.S.
Heather Willard, B.A.
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
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