Counseling & Advising
Monday: 8:00 am - 6:30 pm
Tue-Thu: 8:00 am - 5:30 pm
Friday: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Overview of Counseling & Advising
The MCC Counseling and Advising Center holistically supports the individual student and the campus community toward personal wellness, balance and growth through short term personal counseling, academic advising and mental health education.
All MCC counselors have graduate degrees in counseling, psychology, or related fields, and are Licensed Professional Counselors through the State of Michigan.
Counselors
Our counselors are committed to promoting the intellectual, emotional, occupational, social, cultural, and professional growth and development of our learning community by helping MCC students identify barriers, improve coping skills and the achievement of personal goals. The Scope of Our Practice serves currently enrolled and prospective students.
About Our Counselors
All MCC Counselors have graduate degrees in counseling, psychology, or related fields and are Licensed Professional Counselors through the State of Michigan.
Central to our mission and daily practice is a commitment to confidentiality, upholding ethical behavior, and providing counseling based on current research and proven standards. All MCC counselors adhere to the professional and ethical guidelines of the American Counseling Association.
Who is my Counselor?
Initially, students can meet with any counselor for information. As you progress in your area of interest, we encourage you to meet with the counselor designated to that pathway.
Common Concerns Addressed with Short-Term Intervention
When appropriate, students may be referred to services offered within the MCC Counseling and Advising Center. In order to use its resources most effectively, the Counseling and Advising Center utilizes a short-term model of therapy to assist students in addressing issues common in a college setting.
Some of the issues that are commonly addressed in short-term or intermittent counseling at the Counseling and Advising Center are:
- Personal concerns: mild to moderate anxiety &/or depression, loneliness, grief, low self-esteem, body image, crisis management, test anxiety and stress management
- Relationship concerns: partners, roommates, family, social
- Developmental concerns: adjustment to college, life transitions, life-style choices, personal, cultural, sexual orientation and gender identity
- Academic concerns: motivation, performance/test anxiety, perfectionism, time management
- Career counseling
- Other issues: effects of trauma, assault, spiritual concerns, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, crisis management
Scope of Practice
Mission: Counselors at Muskegon Community College are committed to facilitating student success, in college and in life, and cultivating a positive, productive learning community.
Update Mission: The Counseling and Advising Center holistically supports the individual student and the campus community. The Counseling and Advising Center is committed to promoting intellectual, emotional, occupational, social, cultural, and professional growth and development. Central to our mission and daily practice is a commitment to confidentiality, upholding ethical behavior, and providing counseling based on current research and proven standards. The Scope of Our Practice serves currently enrolled and prospective students.
When appropriate, students may be referred to services offered within the Counseling and Advising Center. In order to use its resources most effectively, the Counseling and Advising Center utilizes a short-term model of therapy to assist students in addressing issues common in a college setting.
Some of the issues that are commonly addressed in short-term counseling at the Counseling and Advising Center are:
• Personal issues: anxiety, depression, loneliness, grief, body image
• Relationship issues: partners, roommates, family
• Developmental issues: adjustment, transitions, identity issues
• Academic concerns: motivation, anxiety, perfectionism
• Career assessment and exploration
• Other issues: trauma, assault, spiritual concerns
Sometimes student’s needs fall outside of expertise or resources available at the Counseling and Advising Center. The Counseling Center provides referral services either after the initial session or as these factors become more apparent during the course of services. The Counseling and Advising Center’s counseling staff can provide referral options that we believe will best meet a student’s needs, but the decision for ongoing treatment ultimately resides upon the student.
Limits of our services include:
• Students who demonstrate a serious lack of motivation or engagement in treatment
• Students receiving counseling services from another provider
• Students with a desire to be seen more frequently than the Counseling and Advising Center resources can provide (e.g., more than weekly), or on a long-term basis
• Students for whom a short-term treatment model (e.g., up to 12 sessions) would be detrimental or inappropriate to the presenting issues
• Students with a history of longstanding, seriously maladaptive interpersonal behaviors, requiring services beyond The Counseling and Advising Center scope
• Chronic/ severe suicidality, severe self-injury, or multiple psychiatric hospitalizations
• Evidence or risk of progressive deterioration in mental or emotional functioning, requiring intensive intervention; including active psychotic symptoms
• Significant drug or alcohol problems needing treatment
• Failure to make progress in treatment
• Long standing or persistent eating disorder
• Other issues: Severe and persistent mental illness, medication management
• Students whose needs fall outside the clinical expertise of The Counseling and Advising Center faculty
• Students seeking or attempting to meet requirements of court-mandated treatment, legal proceedings, disability support, or employment clearance (including evaluation)
• Students wishing to receive documentation for an emotional support animal (ESA)
• Students who engage in inappropriate, harassing, menacing, threatening, or violent behaviors toward staff
Services that Require an Outside Referral
Sometimes a student’s needs fall outside of expertise or resources available at the Counseling and Advising Center. The Counseling Center provides referral services either after the initial session or as these factors become more apparent through the course of services. The Counseling and Advising Center’s counseling staff can provide referral options that we believe will best meet a student’s needs, but the decision for ongoing treatment ultimately resides upon the student.
Needs for specialized services that may require an outside referral:
- Students receiving counseling services from another provider
- Students with a desire to be seen more frequently than the Counseling and Advising Center resources can provide (e.g., more than weekly), or on a long-term basis.
- Students for whom a short-term treatment model would be detrimental or inappropriate to the presenting issues
- Students with a history of longstanding, seriously maladaptive interpersonal behaviors, requiring services beyond The Counseling and Advising Center scope
- Chronic/ severe suicidality, severe self-injury, or multiple psychiatric hospitalizations
- Evidence or risk of progressive deterioration in mental or emotional functioning, requiring intensive intervention; including active psychotic symptoms
- Significant drug or alcohol problems needing treatment
- Long standing or persistent eating disorder
- Severe and persistent mental illness, medication management
- Students whose needs fall outside the clinical expertise of The Counseling and Advising Center faculty
- Students seeking or attempting to meet requirements of court-mandated treatment, legal proceedings, disability support, or employment clearance (including evaluation)
- Students wishing to receive documentation for an emotional support animal (ESA)
- Students who engage in inappropriate, harassing, menacing, threatening, or violent behaviors toward staff
- Students who are not currently registered for classes
Additional Counseling Related Activities Provided by MCC Counselors (Outreach, Education, Mental Health Promotion, and Training)
To build a healthy campus environment, MCC counselors conduct multiple services and programming to students, staff, and academic departments. Students, faculty and staff are informed about what constitutes good mental health, about the signs of mental health concerns, and what to do when concerning issues arise. Besides our clinical services, MCC counseling staff collaborate with our colleagues to provide:
- Psycho-educational support groups, trainings, and presentations to the college community
- Workshops on various topics, outreach, facilitating and supporting campus events
- Suicide prevention QPR trainings for students, staff, and faculty
- Mental health prevention/promotion activities such as the Jayhawk Redux, Active Minds and other initiatives
Connect with Us
Schedule an Appointment
Click the button below if you’re a current MCC student.
Not an MCC student? The Muskegon Community College’s Admission team will help you start the process! Click here to become a student.
Express counseling is for quick questions and immediate concerns where you can interact with counseling faculty.
Drop-In Counseling & Advising
EXPRESS DROP-IN HOURS
MON – THURS 1:00pm – 3:30pm
The counseling team is available for drop-ins face to face to…..
- Answering quick questions
- Questions regarding dropping a class
- Verify and update program codes
- Lifting academic holds
- Receiving secondary applications, if ready. (Nursing, medical assistant, respiratory therapy)
No appointment needed!
Services
Academic Advising
Academic advising is an intentional and continuous process of meeting with a college counselor to help students achieve academic success in the college setting. MCC counselors can assist students with academic planning, career and educational advice and questions about transferring.
Whether you’re planning to take one class to build skills, complete an associate degree or take courses to transfer, we can help.
Throughout your time at MCC, you should regularly talk with one of your counselors.
Students will benefit by working with counselors in the following areas:
- College enrollment procedures including orientation and testing
- Course selection
- Academic planning
- Choosing a major/career pathway
- Dropping/adding classes
- Changing a program or major
- Preparation to transfer to a four-year school (link to transfer services page)
- Campus resource referral
- Staying on track to meet your individual and personal goals
Career Counseling
The Counseling and Advising Center has a number of resources which may help with deciding on a career path and getting started on that path.
Personal Counseling
Everyone gets stressed out by school – it’s normal actually. But each of us manages stress differently. If you need someone to talk to, our MCC counselors are here to help. Maybe you have self-doubt, worries or confusion about all that life is throwing at you. Our professional counselors on staff are equipped to provide you with the help you need, to assist and support each student to be successful in school and life.
Do not wait for problems to get out of control, see a counselor now.
MCC counselors will provide the following services:
- Guidance, support, feedback, and information
- College survival skills
- Human relations skills
- Study and learning skills
- Stress management
- Crisis intervention and support
- Referrals to community agencies and resources when necessary
If you are off-campus and experiencing a mental health emergency, please call 988.
Transfer Services
We’re here to help with all aspects of the transfer process:
- admissions applications,
- college visits,
- official transcripts,
- credit evaluation,
- essays,
- references,
- academic requirements,
- financial aid,
- housing arrangements,
- major choice, etc.
Choose Your Pathway
Explore six career pathways with different academic areas of study and degrees to help you identify a possible career.
Resources
Mental Health Resources
All MCC counselors are Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC) or Limited Licensed Professional Counselors (LLPC).
The MCC Counseling and Advising Center holistically supports MCC students’ mental wellness through short term personal counseling & mental health education.
Schedule an appointment by calling (231) 777-0362.
Helpline Resources
Online Apps and Resources
Meditation & Relaxation
Mental Health Platforms
Videos
Resources for MCC’s Faculty/Staff
Counseling Presentations
QPR (Question. Persuade. Refer.) Suicide Prevention: A training to learn the 3 steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide.
Presenter: Trefny Chelesvig, Counselor
Dates/Times:
Location:
Please complete the form to reserve your seat:
Department Staff
FAQs
- Talk with an MCC counselor to determine your program of study.
- You can either schedule an appointment or utilize Express Counseling to meet with a counselor.
- Visit the Counseling & Advising page to see hours, schedule an appointment or drop in during Express Counseling.
Advising appointments are scheduled for 30-45 minutes. Express Drop-in sessions are between 10-15 minutes. Some appointments, depending upon the nature, may be scheduled for 60 minutes.
No, counseling and advising services are free for MCC students.
As many times as you need.
Yes! If you are meeting with a counselor for the first time, please bring unofficial transcripts from other colleges you have attended if you have questions about transferring credits to Muskegon Community College or completing a degree at MCC. If you are coming in to register, think about the days and times you would like to go to school. You may also want to look over classes you are interested in taking in the MCC Course Catalog.
Students are allowed to take the Accuplacer test twice. You will need to call to make an appointment to test at the MCC Testing Center: testingcenter@muskegoncc.edu or (231) 777-0394. We recommend you review the questions for the Accuplacer test with Accuplacer’s free study app. If you feel your Accuplacer scores do not reflect your ability, see an academic counselor to discuss your concerns. The counselor will evaluate your request and provide you with retest referral if appropriate.
A counselor in the Counseling and Advising Center can help you begin to make this decision and suggest good courses to take. You can also make an appointment with our Career Services and Transfer Coordinator to help you identify your career interest areas and assist with transfer information.
First, you should talk to your instructor. For additional help, you can talk to a counselor to consider alternatives like tutoring. Also, a counselor can help you access support available to prevent future drops. You can drop a class online through your MyMCC registration button. Make sure you are aware of the reimbursement dates and deadlines as well as financial aid implications before you drop a class!
Our financial aid page is very helpful and will explain what you need to do to apply for financial aid. If you have questions regarding your financial aid, we recommend you speak with a financial aid representative in the MCC Financial Aid Office. The MCC Financial Aid Office is located in room 1040 on our main campus.
Each grade is worth a total number of honor points. Multiply the number of honor points of each grade received by the number of credit hours for that course. Then divide the total number of honor points by the total number of credit hours earned. The following grades do not have honor points and are not factored into your GPA: I = Incomplete W = Student Initiated Drop
College offers classes in the morning, afternoon, and evenings. We also offer online and hybrid courses. You can take whatever course you want during any time of day that works with your schedule if you have the pre-requisite courses needed. You need to be in class for as many hours a week as the amount of contact hours you are registered for. A typical three-credit class will meet twice a week for 90 minutes. (1.5 hours x 2 times a week = 3 hours per week in class.) You should allow 2-3 hours of homework per hour per week that you are in class. (3 credit hours x 2 hours = 6 hours to study for one class.) So, if you are taking 12 credit hours, you will probably need 24-36 hours of study time to be successful in school. It is hard to be successful in school if you work too much or don’t have enough time to study.
Yes! All the counselors in the Counseling and Advising Center are licensed counselors and have experience with personal as well as academic issues. When making an appointment for personal counseling, let the office staff know that you would like a longer appointment time for personal counseling. Everything discussed in personal counseling is confidential. All personal counseling is absolutely free.