Counseling

We’ve Got Your Back

Have questions about classes, careers, or issues outside school? The counselors at OCC can help you find answers. They can help with questions like:

• What classes should I take?
• How can I get help with my course work?
• What kind of career best suits me?
• How can I overcome life challenges that affect my schooling?
• How do I transfer to another school after graduating from OCC?

They have one overriding goal: to help guide you to success in school, a career, and your life.

OCC provides more than 60 counselors at our five campuses. They all have graduate degrees in counseling, psychology or related fields, and most are licensed professional counselors through the State of Michigan.

It’s easy to get help from a counselor. If possible, you should work with the same counselor throughout your time at OCC. This helps you and the counselor develop a relationship that benefits both of you.

Be sure to also check out Resources to Help You Succeed, a list of nearly 100 websites compiled by OCC counselors. It can point you to everything from free software for OCC students to job listings to sources of low-cost health care.

OCC Counseling Services: Convenient, Confidential & Caring

Educational Counseling

Educational counselors help you plan your education and make sure your class choices align with your goals. They can also answer your questions about these resources and more:

• Degrees & Programs
• Registration for Classes
• Student Handbook
• College Policy and Procedures
• Graduation Requirements
• Transfer Student Resources
• Program Plans Alliance (PDF)

Career Counseling

If you’d like to explore what kind of career best suits you, counselors can help. They’ll talk to you about your interests, skills, and strengths, and will hook you up with resources – either on or off campus – where you can get the information you need to make a great choice.

• Self Exploration
• Occupational Information
• Job Preparation Guides
• Career Cruising (see OCC Counselor for password)

Personal Counseling

Sometimes, life circumstances pose challenges to academic success for our students. To assist with these potential challenges, the OCC Counseling Discipline is formalizing personal counseling services for currently enrolled students.

The purpose of this time-limited service is to support the mental health and well-being of students as they strive toward academic success. These services are not intended to be all-inclusive or for long-term use. Counselors may still choose to refer students  to outside resources and human service agencies within the surrounding community at any time.  

Please continue to refer students to counseling as you have in the past, automated early alerts are coming soon to make this process easier for faculty.

Emergency concerns and safety issues should be reported via the Behavioral Assessment Program. 

• Limited Personal Counseling for Academic Success Informed Consent (PDF) 
• Limited Personal Counseling for Academic Success Services Agreement (PDF)

Additional Resources

• Common Ground Crisis Hotline Phone (800) 231-1127
• Give or Take Food Pantry (Providing free food and personal care items)
• Grief Issues
• LGBTQ Resources
• Mental Health Issues
• Mental Health Resource List
• Transition to College Issues

Nahrein Atkinson, Counseling Faculty at OCC