Counseling Services
What is counseling?
Counseling is defined as “a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals” (Kaplan et al., 2012, p. 93). Counselors create a space for clients to discuss and attend to personal concerns in a supportive therapeutic environment. The goals of counseling vary greatly based on the needs of clients seeking help, and goals are created collaboratively with the counselor. Various forms of counseling exist, including individual counseling, couples/relationship counseling, group counseling, and family counseling.
The Flanagan Counselor Education Clinic offers a variety of free counseling services to the greater Williamsburg Community and Tidewater area. Counseling is provided by master's and doctoral students in the Counseling program. The clinicians at Flanagan Counselor Education Clinic are trained to address issues regarding racial, ethnic, sexual, gender, income, and other inequities through culturally responsive therapeutic approaches. All master’s counseling students are under the supervision of a faculty member and/or doctoral counseling student throughout their time in the clinic.
Family Counseling
Family counseling is an approach that seeks to help emotional and behavioral challenges by promoting the growth of the family system collectively. Family counseling helps to address concerns that impact the family’s functioning and wellbeing. Through family counseling, individual family members learn to function together, build stronger relationships, and improve communication which likely helps the family resolve conflicts and overcome challenges.
A few common reasons to seek family counseling include:
- Problematic behaviors among children
- Desire to improve closeness, warmth, support, and security at home
- Communication within a family
- Conflicts within a family
- Death or loss in the family
- Intergenerational issues
- Adjustments to new life circumstances, including instances of divorce and relocation
Couples or Relationship Counseling
Couples or relationship counseling involves conversations between people in a committed relationship that seek to create better intimacy and understanding. Counselors offer a variety of tools and resources that seek to foster healthy communication that will encourage the relationship to thrive.
A few common reasons to seek couples or relationship counseling include:
- Making decisions about the relationship
- Premarital counseling
- Strengthening emotional and communication bonds
- Developing problem-solving skills
- Learning to meet each other's needs
- Gaining new perspectives to enhance the relationship
- Addressing simple sexual issues affecting the relationship
If you are interested in receiving services or are seeking more information, contact us at 757-221-2363 or email us at fcec@wm.edu. Before the session, an intake will be completed, and clients will be assessed for appropriateness for the clinic. Counselors in the Flanagan Counselor Education Clinic are unable to see clients that are currently experiencing domestic or intimate partner violence. If the level of care the Flanagan Counselor Education Clinic offers is not suitable for the client(s), an appropriate referral may be provided.
Program Offerings
We are proud to offer several group offerings for individuals interested. To receive more information about our current programs, please visit our menu housing our sign-up forms or contact the clinic. One of the program coordinators will be in touch to answer any of your questions and assist you with registration.Flanagan Counselor Education Clinic
William & Mary
301 Monticello Ave
Williamsburg, VA
Phone: 757-221-2363
Fax: 221-1983
