Counseling Services

Your first appointment

Your first visit will include a brief period of time discussing your present concerns. This session will help both you and the counselor decide how the Counseling Center services can best help you. These services may consist of individual or group counseling at the Counseling Center or possibly a referral to another office on campus or an off-campus service that may be more appropriate to your needs.

Prior to your first appointment, students must first complete the Counseling Center intake form prior to their first appointment.

Complete the Counseling Center intake form

Additional appointments

If it is mutually decided that additional individual sessions at the Counseling Center are needed, an appointment will be set for this. You and your counselor will determine the frequency and length of your counseling sessions. During an early visit with your counselor, you will work on establishing goals for counseling.

Because of the large number of students requesting counseling, the Wayne State College Counseling Center provides short-term counseling, which means that counselors recognize the limited time available to students and attempt to help them remain effective members of the Wayne State College community.

Depending on when you request counseling and what the current demand for counseling is at the Center, you may have to wait a few days to see a counselor. We recognize that coming to counseling often takes courage and resolve, and waiting can be frustrating when you are doing something important. Please know that the Counseling Center is doing its best to accommodate as many people as possible with a minimal wait.

Cancellations and no-shows

Personal commitment to counseling is crucial for success. We encourage you to keep all appointments scheduled with your counselor. If you must miss a session due to illness or an emergency, please call the Counseling Center at 402-375-7321 to cancel the appointment as far in advance as possible.

If you “no-show” for a session, please call the Counseling Center to reschedule as soon as you become aware that you have missed your appointment. If you miss three or more sessions in a semester, you will need to speak with your counselor regarding ongoing regularly scheduled appointments.

The Counseling Center is located in the Student Center, Room 103, at 1111 Main Street, Wayne NE 68787. Students who are unable to attend in-person sessions may opt for telehealth services. The telehealth services offered by WSC utilize Zoom Pro technology. Consent for telehealth services is valid for one year.

Telehealth consent

By consenting to counseling telehealth services, I understand that:

• My counselor is licensed in the state of Nebraska to provide mental health services, and telehealth services are only available to students currently in Nebraska. 
• I can decline the telehealth service at any time without affecting my right to future care or treatment, and any program benefits to which I would otherwise be entitled cannot be taken away.
• I may have to travel to see a health care practitioner in person if I decline the telehealth service. 
• The same confidentiality protections that apply to my other counseling care also apply to telehealth service.
• I will have access to all counseling information resulting from telehealth service as provided by law.
• The information from the telehealth service (images that can be identified as mine or other medical information from the telehealth service) cannot be released to researchers or anyone else without my additional written consent.
• I will be informed of all people who will be present at all sites during my telehealth service. Typically, only your counselor will be on site. We encourage you to also find privacy during your sessions.
• I may exclude anyone from any site during my telehealth service.
• I may be directed to be seen by a mental health or medical professional in person should an urgent need arise.

Counseling often involves sharing sensitive, personal, and private information between a student and their counselor. Recognizing this, laws and ethical guidelines require that all interactions with the Counseling Center, including content of your sessions, your records, scheduling of or attendance at appointments, and progress in counseling are confidential. No record of counseling is contained in any academic, educational, or job placement file.

Exceptions to confidentiality
For the vast majority of students, no exceptions to confidentiality are made. However, there are some exceptions to confidentiality that you should know about before you begin counseling:

• The counseling staff at the Counseling Center operates as a team within the college. Therefore, from time to time, your counselor may consult with other counseling staff members or receive supervision from a clinical supervisor. Additionally, Counseling Center staff may consult with the Dean of Students or Vice President of Student Affairs.
• You may request, in writing, that the Counseling Center release information about your counseling to professional persons you designate.
• If there is evidence that an individual poses a clear and imminent danger of harm to self and/or others, a counselor is legally required to report this information to the proper authorities. Appropriate medical or law enforcement personnel will be notified to ensure the safety of the student and the community. Information about a student may be released to the Behavioral Intervention Team when appropriate for evaluation of safety and well-being. 
• Counselors are required to report physical and sexual abuse of minors or the elderly to the State Department of Social Services.
• A court-ordered subpoena can require the Counseling Center to release information contained in records or require a counselor to testify in a court hearing.

View our Confidentiality Statement

Community resources and local helplines

Twenty-four-hour crisis coverage is available through Heartland Counseling Services and Behavioral Health Specialists. This is a short-term service which aims to assist adults and youth who are in a crisis as defined as, suicidal, homicidal, and/or psychotic. The crisis responder will screen all crisis calls to assess the severity of the problem. If the crisis responder identifies the problem as severe, the crisis responder will contact the licensed mental health therapist on call to request a crisis assessment be conducted.  

• Dakota, Dixon, Thurston, Burt, and Wayne Counties: 877-958-7776
• Madison, Stanton, Pierce, Antelope, Cuming, Cedar, and Knox Counties: 888-370-7003
• WSC Campus Security: 402-375-7216. The Campus Security number is answered 24/7. If a counselor is available, Campus Security will put you in touch with someone. If a counselor is not available immediately, please refer to the helplines listed below. If Campus Security is not available to answer the phone, calls roll over to the Wayne Police Department dispatcher.

National 24-hour helplines

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988
The 988 Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the United States.
Visit the 988 Lifeline website

Crisis Text Line: Text "Brave" or "Hello" to 741-741
The Crisis Text Line serves anyone, in any type of crisis, providing access to free, 24/7 support and information. Visit the Crisis Text Line website

SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990
The Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH) is the first national hotline dedicated to providing year-round disaster crisis counseling. This toll-free, multilingual, crisis support service is available 24/7 to all residents in the U.S. and its territories who are experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.
Visit the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline website

The Trevor Project Lifeline: 1-866-488-7386
A suicide hotline for struggling LGBTQ youth, available 24/7.
Visit the Trevor Project website