Academic counseling services are available to all students in all levels of the program. The Academic Counselor assists students in understanding and adapting to the academic rigors of chiropractic education. The realities of being a chiropractic student can make it challenging to maintain one’s sense of well-being. Therefore, counseling can serve both as a safety net for many and part of the total developmental process that characterizes the graduate school experience for everyone.
The Academic Counselor will work with you individually to help identify more efficient or effective ways of handling the demands of the program. As a result, the counselor’s role may shift or overlap from and among the following areas:
- Study Skills Training – to determine learning styles, establish optimal study patterns, identify available resources, adopt relaxation techniques, evaluate test-taking strategies, address impediments to the learning process and more
- Personal Issues – to address specific concerns interfering with academic progress such as anxiety or to optimize overall level of functioning through verbalization, meditation, visualization
- Disabled Student Services – to address learning barriers such as known or suspected disabilities and to facilitate the provision of accommodations upon receipt of documentation substantiating a disability
- Complaint Resolution – to receive and evaluate complaints of discrimination. The Academic Counselor also serves as the College’s “504/ADA Coordinator” for disability issues, “Title IX Officer” for gender issues and “Title VI Officer” for racial issues
Confidentiality
The College’s counseling office adheres to the ethical principles set forth by the American Counseling Association (ACA). No information which students share in counseling is released without their written permission, except in the rare instance when the counselor believes such disclosure is necessary to protect the student or someone else from imminent danger, or when such disclosure is required by law. Academic Counseling records are maintained by the Academic Counselor and kept separate from student academic files.
Appointments
Academic counseling hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Appointments can be made through the Academic Affairs Office in Room 105 or by contacting the Academic Counselor directly at 1.800.788.4476 ext.2061, (510) 1.510.780.4500 ext.2061, or by e-mail at lpino@lifewest.edu.
