Free Counseling at School?? CBT for Students

[Mozart22]

Most colleges and universities in the United States have a Health or Wellness Center, where students can go if they are sick and need to see a nurse or doctor. A lot of these health centers also having counseling services, where they help students who suffer from depression, burnout, stress, anxiety.

Have any of you used these counseling services for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? I've been considering using the health center at my university for this. It wouldn't cost anything extra, which is really good because therapy can be really expensive.

Anyone tried this before?

 

[Mozart22]

What, nobody tried this?? Nobody wanted to try free CBT from their university health center??

 

[vj288]

I tried it, it's the only therapy I've ever tried so I can't say if it was better or worse than others. It didn't work out for me, not because the therapist was bad but because I really wasn't really sure why I was going. It was free though, so no harm done to my wallet just to give it a go.

 

[Nyxy]

I thought about attending university counseling as well, but then it made me question if any records kept would reflect "pre-existing conditions" by health insurance companies, especially if you end up having a local psychiatrist recommended and start on prescribed medication. It's a definite concern for me since I am likely to be switching insurance plans once graduating from college.

 

[Mozart22]

I thought about attending university counseling as well, but then it made me question if any records kept would reflect "pre-existing conditions" by health insurance companies, especially if you end up having a local psychiatrist recommended and start on prescribed medication. It's a definite concern for me since I am likely to be switching insurance plans once graduating from college.

Not doing counseling because you're afraid of a medical record is silly.
Besides the point is to do Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, not having a
drug prescribed. In the United States they cannot bar you from getting
insurance from your employer if you have a preexisting condition because of the HIIPA law.
Also the new health reform law will do the same for individual insurance starting in 2014.

If you need help with something you get it. Worrying about records is silly and will just make things worse.
That's like saying you don't want to go to the doctor for diabetes treatment because you're afraid one day
your insurance will find out and penalize you. That's foolish.

 

[Mozart22]

I tried it, it's the only therapy I've ever tried so I can't say if it was better or worse than others. It didn't work out for me, not because the therapist was bad but because I really wasn't really sure why I was going. It was free though, so no harm done to my wallet just to give it a go.

CBT is considered the best treatment for social anxiety. It takes time and commitment but most things in life do. Certain antidepressants and benzos can help but they often come with some nasty side effects and they lose their effectiveness over time. I think it didn't work out for you because as you said you were unsure why you were doing it and you weren't very committed about it.