Individual counseling
We offer short-term individual counseling with an emphasis on improving daily functioning and academic success. Our services cannot realistically meet the psychological needs of every individual. In such situations, we will discuss referral options with the client. All of our licensed clinicians and trainees are "generalists" and work with clients presenting a large range of concerns.
Specialized counseling available
We do have clinicians with specialized training and experience, which allows us to provide services tailored for specific diagnoses, such as eating disorders. We also have more intentionally-focused outreach and service options for groups such as student military veterans, international students, student athletes, LGBTQIA+ students and students from diverse ethnic, socio-economic or cultural backgrounds.
At Counseling Services, we offer specialized services for students who are struggling with negative body image and disordered eating. If you are concerned about the impact that your relationship with food, weight, eating or body image is having on your life, you may schedule an initial appointment to meet with a counselor to talk about your options. Your counselor will help you to determine the appropriate level of care based on what you are currently experiencing.
Counseling Services offers outpatient treatment for people struggling with disordered eating. We work very closely with the staff at the Student Health Center in order to provide a multidisciplinary treatment team approach. Usually this means that students meet with a counselor for individual therapy, with a physician for evaluation and monitoring of medical health, and with a registered dietician for nutritional counseling.
Many students who struggle with concerns related to eating and body image also attend group therapy at Counseling Services. We have found that individuals with disordered eating often experience overwhelming feelings of secrecy, shame, and isolation from others. Although it can sound intimidating and scary at first, group therapy offers hope and relief through a sense of community and connection with others who understand.
Sometimes students need long-term or more intensive care than we are able to provide. When we feel that a higher level of care is needed, we will provide you with referral information to an outside treatment facility or agency.
Counseling Services welcomes student athletes and offers them a variety of services. If you are an athlete, you are eligible for the same services as other students, including initial evaluation, individual therapy and group therapy. We emphasize wellness by encouraging all students to live a healthy, active lifestyle. We believe this is best achieved by finding a balanced life routine with respect to eating, sleeping, physical activity, social and academic life and other meaningful and fun activities.
Sport psychology consultations
At Counseling Services, we have an Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP-certified), Nevada-licensed sport psychologist, several well-trained staff and graduate level supervisees providing sport consultations.
This consultation focuses on the psychological factors associated with physical performance. In addition to your physical talents, you may want to increase the mental skills that allow you during competition to consistently execute all the behaviors that were practiced so well in training.
Why sport psychology is important
Professional athletes frequently speak to the issue of mental skills.
Shannon Miller, an Olympic Gold Medalist in gymnastics, agrees that mental preparation is the key to success. She says she couldn't have made it to the Olympics on physical ability alone. "The physical aspect of the sport can only take you so far." She goes on to say that most Olympic athletes have excellent physical gifts, train hard, and are exceptionally prepared for competition. It is the mental preparation that separates them.
Ray Knight, a former baseball player, says "Concentration is the ability to think about absolutely nothing when it is absolutely necessary."
What are these scientifically-validated mental skills that enhance and maintain optimal performance? They involve increasing the powerful motivation that carries an athlete through the pain or discomfort of extended competitions. This motivation must go beyond pleasing family, achieving fame, or big money rewards. They involve quelling the enemies of athletic success, such as excessive anxiety, loss of focus, and fear of losing.
Techniques such as positive self-talk, arousal regulation, breathing, visualization, goal-setting, and pre-performance routines are important mental skills. When these are learned, you can be more confident during a completion. During the competition, you can stop overthinking, let go of control, and react based on muscle memory to what is happening in the moment. This is the famous state of flow, also referred to as "the zone."
Any athlete can also struggle with a number of other problems affecting performance such as problems with teammates and/or coaches, body image and eating issues, burnout or overtraining, and injury or rehabilitation issues. An athlete may also have problems beyond those of the sport. These can include difficulties with family, partner relationships, or diagnosed psychological problems. These matters can also be addressed during the consultation.
Contact us
For more information you may contact us at (775) 784-4648 or contact Yani Dickens, Ph.D., CC-AASP at (775) 682-8856 or by email at ydickens@unr.edu.