QCC Puts Priority On Counseling and Wellness

As the Spring semester gets underway and students are back in classes, Director of Counseling and Wellness, Tina Wells, a licensed social worker with years of student experience, is prepared to help those students who may feel overwhelmed or in need of support. The office of Counseling and Wellness is dedicated to promoting the emotional well-being of QCC students, with the intent to facilitate the student's ability to achieve their life goals and manage everyday challenges.

“My position is essentially counseling and wellness. I focus on support and solutions for student wellness - personally and academically,” Ms. Wells said.

Services that are provided include:

• Direct personal counseling
• Community referrals to local vendors and resources, to help assist with therapy resources
• Health and wellness consultation, coaching and information
• Resource information for legal, financial, childcare, elder care, utility support, housing and transportation

According to Ms. Wells, students generally come to her office when they are in distress and in crisis. The goal is to manage the crisis or immediate distress first, then access what the primary needs of the student might be and go from there.

“We discuss their strengths and their abilities and help them move to a better mindset,” she said. “We then create a plan of action with the student.” Counseling and Wellness support is meant to be short-term and solution-focused.

A large inner city college that has a very diverse student population brings its own set of unique challenges. Ms. Wells said that a variety of different issues are routinely brought to her, which she then has to triage and deal with accordingly. “How students deal with things often has a cultural component to it as well,” she said. 

The priority is always mental health treatment, which is dealt with first and foremost. During emergency situations, Ms. Wells accesses local emergency rooms when needed. 

Ms. Wells has been at QCC for four years, playing an integral role in connecting students with the services they need both on and off campus. She wants faculty and staff to know she is a resource that is available to them for any questions or concerns they may have.

“I work hard to meet with any and all students who contact me, as well as those who are referred by faculty and staff,” she said.

To refer a student, faculty and staff can reach out directly to Ms. Wells at 508.854.4479 or email her at twells [at] qcc.mass.edu to schedule an appointment. For non-urgent issues, they can also fill out the “Care Form” located on the College’s intranet (Frequently used Forms section under “Student Incident Report”.)

As the spring semester begins, Ms. Wells has several simple recommendations to students on how they can cope with the stress of being in college.

• Take breaks from studying           
• Try to get enough sleep
• Make healthy food choices
• Talk to yourself as you would your best friend. Don’t be so hard on yourself.

The optimum way to contact the Office of Counseling and Wellness is by phone or email (see above) for an appointment. 

Office hours are Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. To learn more visit Counseling and Wellness.