Counselling Services offers free confidential and professional support to enrolled VIU students. Counsellors collaborate with students in a compassionate setting to clarify concerns, establish goals and explore resources for well-being. We offer a variety of services assisting you to manage personal challenges so you can have the best university experience possible.
Our Focus
Counselling involves the development of a therapeutic relationship between a student and a counsellor that focuses on the student's needs and hopes. This involves a collaborative effort to identify and work towards the student's goals. Counselling is a process that promotes self-awareness and the development of personal resources for greater social and emotional functioning and life satisfaction. Counselling may focus on developmental issues, processing grief or trauma, improving relationships, making decisions, coping with a crisis or traumatic experience, or overcoming obstacles interfering with your well-being.
From Hope to Reality
Addressing concerns with your counsellor takes courage and at times can bring up emotions that may be difficult to feel. It's important to be patient with yourself and trust that your ongoing effort will help you identify and reinforce your strengths as well as build new skills to help you succeed. Through counselling people often experience more understanding, confidence, clarity, lightness, relief, courage, and/or hope.