COUNSELING CENTER CELEBRATES TEN YEARS OF GROWTH

It's a ten year anniversary for Les- ley' Counseling Center, not only celebrating a decade of serving both undergraduate and graduate school students, but, with the arrival of Counselors Cynthia Jirak and Magi McKinnies, the creation of its graduate internship training program.

The Counseling Center has greatly expanded to fill the needs of the Lesley student body, from one small shared room ten years ago, to a new suite of offices in 23 Mellen Street. Individual and group counseling are offered, as well as crisis intervention, psycho-educational workshops, resource and referral service, and consultations. Manju Banerjee, Lesley's coordinator of disability services for students, also works closely with the center to identify special issues of students with disabilities.

Jirak and McKinnies have seen students' difficulties change over the years. They point out that no longer are students only dealing with the stresses and strains of separation from family, individuation, and other developmental challenges. "Over the past ten years, we have observed very clear changes in the problems expressed by our students," says Jirak. "These issues are more multi-faced, serious in nature, and more profoundly affect their overall functioning." McKinnies adds, "Staff and faculty are consulting us more and more around concerns about students."

And, as the international student population increases, Jirak and McKinnies are finding that more students require help in their transition to another culture and educational system.

The counselors are supported in their work by several graduate students who are part of the internship and training program, originally created under the supervision of Professor Eleanor Roffman. Interns who are selected for the internship generally have strong backgrounds with previous experience in the field. They represent a variety of disciplines -- Counseling Psychology, Expressive Therapies, and Social Work -- and form a very dynamic and cohesive group.

One intern is selected to participate in the joint internship between the Counseling Center and The Learning Center. This collaboration provides an opportunity to address both counseling and learning concerns for students, and reflects the Center's philosophy of serving the whole person rather than simply the emotional or academic well-being of the person.

As the Counseling Center enters a new decade, it will continue to address the changing issues and needs of Lesley's diverse community.