Counseling and Wellness Services (CWS) offers a variety of in-person and telehealth options.
Please Note – Not all students are eligible for counseling services.
Typically, individual counseling services are available to students who:
- Take 6 or more credits AND ALSO
- Live within 50 or less miles of Cheney/Spokane campuses
- OR are a Running Start student
Ongoing, short term counseling services are available services are available to most EWU students.
Students who would like ongoing sessions, must first schedule an intake (new client) appointment.
(There are eligibility requirements for personal counseling appointments. Most students qualify but please see top of the page.)
Paperwork to start this process can be found in the Client Portal link below.
Services are available at the Cheney campus and the Spokane Catalyst building, with in-person and telehealth options.
Paperwork will need to be completed prior to your appointment.
It can be filled out in the office at 225 Martin Hall or at home through the Client Portal.
Here’s the link to start the paperwork:
(If you have trouble accessing the Client Portal,
please contact our office at (509) 359-2366 or cws@ewu.edu)
Please note that no-show appointments may limit options for future personal counseling appointments. Please arrive for your appointment on time.
Appointments will be marked at a “no show” appointment once a student is 10 minutes late.
Even if you have reached your limit with personal counseling sessions or have been removed from the schedule due to no show appointments, crisis walk in hour appointments are still available.
Note that these forms are not monitored 24/7. If you are in mental health crisis and we are outside of business hours, please call:
24 Hour Crisis Line: 988
911
CWS has limited appointments each week for single session therapy.
Here are some examples of needs that can be met with single-session therapy:
- Process bad news
- Manage roommate conflict
- Process recent breakup
- Stress management
- Cope with anxiety symptoms
- Navigate adjustment to college
These sessions are stand alone appointments and not for those currently seeking ongoing sessions (see Ongoing Individual Counseling).
They are also not for those experiencing a mental health emergency (see Walk-In Crisis).
Single Session requests will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis.
There will be some paperwork to complete.
Please call (509) 359-2366 if you are interested in scheduling a single session appointment!
Important Change to Walk-In Crisis Hours: Due to low staffing, walk-in hours no longer available on Wednesdays.
Starting January 29th, if a student is in a mental health crisis on a Wednesday and needs assistance being connected to 988, a counselor can be pulled from an appointment to help the student in the making the phone call.
Front desk staff are happy to help students not in crisis complete paperwork and schedule a later appointment.
We deeply regret any distress or inconvenience our staffing issues may cause.
CWS offers crisis sessions for mental health emergencies, for example:
- suicidal intent
- auditory/visual hallucinations
- recent loss of someone close
- a recent traumatic event such as a sexual assault, arrest of a parent, or eviction.
This list is merely to provide examples. There are many other types of events that can fall under mental health emergencies.
Crisis appointments are available to students even if they have reached their limit on personal counseling appointments or have been removed from a counselor’s schedule due to no shows.
Students may utilize crisis services in-person at our Cheney location or by telehealth if unable to meet at the Cheney campus.
They are generally offered on a first come, first served basis, but please be aware that on occasion, a student may be seen ahead of others.
Crisis Walk Ins are currently offered Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons. Schedule may vary over breaks.
Please call 509.359.2366 for more information.
24 Hour Crisis Line: 988
Brief, confidential conversations with a CWS counselor. Let’s Talk does not require students to fill out any paperwork.
It is not mental health treatment, but is a brief conversation to discuss a problem, receive support, explore possible solutions, and receive resources.
More dates to be added!
2024-2025 School Years
Mondays
2pm to 3pm, CAMP 305 Monroe Hall
Wednesdays
11 AM-12 PM, Showalter 122, Veterans Resource Center
Biofeedback Therapy
Biofeedback is a type of therapy offered by the counseling center that can be very effective for some students.
Biofeedback helps students learn how to influence their physical responses to stress and anxiety. For example, they may learn how to voluntarily warm their hands, reduce muscle tension, or slow and deepen their breathing to reduce stress.
Some reasons students might consider biofeedback:
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Pain
- Muscle tension
- Headaches
Please see our biofeedback page for more information about this program: CWS Biofeedback Services
If you are an ongoing client at the counseling center, please ask your counselor about biofeedback therapy.
If you are new to the counseling center, please see “Individual Counseling” above for information about scheduling an appointment to meet with one of the counselors trained in biofeedback therapy.
For some students, their mental health needs will not be met by the short term model used by the counseling center.
Their intake counselor may direct them to an appointment for community referrals.
CWS will work with the student to identify counselors in the community that best pair up with the student’s concerns, based upon scheduling availability, insurance, and other resources.
Students can also directly request a referral appointment.
Please see “Individual Counseling” above for more information on necessary paperwork.
At least one day prior to your appointment, please upload a picture of the front and back of your insurance card to the Client Portal
Students, staff/faculty, and members of the EWU community are also welcome to utilize a referral directory called ThrivingCampus
Please note that any provider can add their name to the ThrivingCampus directory. These providers are NOT screened by the counseling staff or other Eastern Washington University staff.
CWS counseling groups usually form at the beginning of each quarter and typically meet once a week for about ninety minutes.
Take advantage of this opportunity to learn, share, and grow with others. Note that most groups require a pre-group interest appointment to learn more about whether a group will meet your particular needs.
*Group sessions do not have session limitations.*
Here are some examples of groups offered in the past. Please check back for updates for current offerings.
Compassion Focused Therapy Group
Experiencing difficult emotions like anxiety, sadness, shame, and anger are part of the human experience. This group will help participants understand why difficult emotions arise, and what their purpose is, so that we can more intentionally respond to them. Group members will also learn tools such as mindfulness and compassion to grow their ability to engage their soothing systems and live a more balanced, intentional life.
Grief & Loss Group
This group will aim to discuss emotions & normalize feelings around grief and loss, while also working to provide a safe space for group members to express their own experiences.
Perception Check: Tabletop Role Play Group Therapy (TRPG)*
This alternative group therapy approach allows individuals to build a character within a fantasy realm. Players are invited into a world where they will role play the characters they created within a team-oriented setting. This form of narrative play is designed to challenge the group and broaden their perspective with various social, behavioral, and mental health concerns. Due to the creative flow of role-playing games, most players can explore new methods of social and behavioral skills without judgment or “real life” consequences.
*no experience with tabletop gaming necessary
Groups are offered and run based upon student interest.
Please call Counseling and Wellness Services at (509) 359-2366 if you are interested in group counseling or if you have questions about a particular group.
You may be asked to complete some online paperwork. The receptionist can assist you with this process.
Because late arrivals impact the quality of your time with your counselor and may cause the appointment to run over into another client’s time, the counseling center is enforcing a 10 minute policy.
If a student arrives 10 minutes late for an appointment, the appointment will be marked as a no show.
This applies to both in person and telehealth appointments.
Thank you for your understanding.
