Student Life: Counseling Services

The Kalamazoo College Counseling Center an office staffed by counselors and interns who are trained to help students understand and work through their personal concerns .

Counseling can be useful for students with mild difficulties in their lives as well as those with more serious or long standing problems. Any student who would like to sort out any concern is encouraged to come to the Counseling Center. Some of the most frequent concerns that bring students to the Counseling Center are: depression, anxiety, trouble with romantic relationships, family issues, academic stress, learning disabilities, low self-esteem, difficulty getting along or making friends, concerns about family members or friends, eating issues, sexuality issues (including sexual orientation), and questions about the use of alcohol and/or other drugs.

We do not give out information about participation or the content of counseling -- even to faculty members, parents, or RAs--unless a student gives us consent. Typically, that consent involves filling out a short written form that indicates with whom we may communicate and about what. The exception to this policy of strict confidentiality involves situations where we believe that a student is clearly dangerous to him/herself or to others. In those cases, we are ethically and legally bound as psychologists and counselors to inform persons, such as family members and/or residence staff, who can help reduce the risks of serious harm. The Dean of Students is also informed of these very serious situations.

More information

see the Counseling Department Web site

Staff

We are staffed by two Ph.D. clinical psychologists, Director Pat Ponto and Associate Director Alan Hill, an ACSW level counselor, Doree Lipson, a Ph.D. Counseling Psychologist, Danielle Standish and by 4  intern counselors Adriana Fox, Amy Cavanaugh, Kristen Gillen and Danny Huber.

Dr. Pat Ponto has been Director of Counseling at "K" since 1986. Her particular clinical interests include depression, eating disorders, women's issues, and concerns about self-esteem.

Dr. Alan M. Hill has been at "K" since 1992, fancies himself a generalist with special interests in anxiety, addictions, anger issues, family issues and ADD/Learning Disabilities. Dr. Hill performs alcohol and LD evaluations.

Doree Lipson, M.S.W., joined the Counseling Center in the Winter of 2006. Her clinical interests include sexual abuse/assault, sexual orientation; eating issues, meditation and relationship issues;

Dr. Danielle Standish  joined the counseling center in Spring of 2006. Her areas of interest include multicultural and diversity issues, outreach and training of interns.

Adriana Fox, M.A., originally from Romania, is an intern from the Ph.D. program in counselor education at Western Michigan University. This is her second year interning at K College. Adriana's primary areas of interest include counseling international students, adjustment issues, as well as treatment of anxiety and depression.

Amy Cavanaugh is a third year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at Western Michigan University. Prior to attending Western, Amy received her Master's in Counseling from Ball State University. Her research interest includes domestic violence, sexual assault, body image, women's issues, and vicarious traumatization.

Kristin Gillen, M.A., is an intern from the Ph.D. program in counseling psychology at Western Michigan University. This is Kristin’s second year interning with the Counseling Center. Kristin’s professional areas of interest include: grief and loss (with a particular emphasis on relationship breakups), resilience and coping, humor, college student adjustment and transition, and existentialism. She identifies her primary theoretical orientation as Interpersonal Process. In her spare time Kristin enjoys running, dancing, listening to music, writing, cooking, and laughing.

Danny Huber, M.A., is an intern from the Ph.D. program in counseling psychology at Western Michigan University. Danny moved to Kalamazoo from Iowa, where he frequently travels to visit his family. Danny's areas of professional interest include depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, and learning disabilities. For fun, he enjoys exercising, boating, traveling, and playing with his 2-year-old niece.