Counseling Services
In-House ESF counselors are here for students! Students are encouraged to meet with counselors for consultation, crisis intervention, and/or help with...
- Mental Health (depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD)
- Alcohol and/or Drug Use
- Eating Disorders
- Sexual and/or Relationship Violence
- Interpersonal Concerns (adjusting to college, homesickness, roommate issues, assertiveness or communication skills)
Calendar of Events
- September 18 — QPR Suicide Prevention Training for staff and students
11 am - Noon, Bray Hall Room 217 - September 20 — Safe Zone Training for Staff & Faculty
11 am - Noon, Bray Hall room 217 - September 25 — Safe Zone Training for Students
11 am - Noon, Bray Hall Room 217
Counselors work with students to accommodate busy schedules. Please keep in mind, counseling is short-term, solution-focused in nature. If the student requires additional and/or intensive services, the counselor will work with the student to connect with agencies and other counselors in the surrounding community for ongoing care.
ESF counselors offer dozens of prevention, education and outreach events to students throughout the year. Some events include:
- QPR (Suicide Prevention)
- Safe Zone (Learn how to be an ally to our LGBTQ students, staff, and faculty)
- How NOT to Date a Psycho
- Stress Less activities prior to Midterms
- Quit Kits for tobacco awareness
- The Clothesline Project for domestic and sexual violence awareness
Confidentiality
Counselors take your confidentiality very seriously. What you say in counseling stays in counseling with a few, very specific exceptions:
- You are an imminent danger to yourself or others
- You make terroristic threats
- You are abusing a child or vulnerable adult
- Your file is subpoenaed by a court of law and the subpoena is signed by a judge
Client counseling files are securely kept and never become part of your academic record. Your parents/guardians, ESF staff or faculty will not be informed of your participation in counseling.
Meet the Staff
Ruth A. Larson, Director of Counseling Services
Ruth has been a counselor for over 20 years and her focus is on adjusting to college, depression, anxiety, mindfulness, grief and loss, PTSD, sexual and relationship violence, and LGBTQ issues. She is certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), an effective tool for PTSD and phobias.
Roger D. Howard, Staff Therapist
Roger has worked in the human services field for 10 years, with the last 7 years working as a counselor. Areas of focus are: depression, anxiety, adjustment to college, grief and loss, healthy relationships, cultural issues, substance abuse, and LGBTQ. He worked as a domestic violence educator for 6 years, grief therapist for 3 years, and a mental health therapist for 4 years.
Evelyn Piccoli, Office Assistant 2
Evelyn has worked for over 13 years at several medical practices. She has several years of experience working as a secretary at an outpatient mental health and substance abuse clinic.
