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Mental Health Counseling Services

Unprecedented Times

We recognize that we are in unprecedented times. This Fall quarter, we are offering counseling appointments in person and remotely (through confidential video conferencing or phone) to support you.

Updates:

LWTech COVID-19 Updates

Resources:

Updates:

LWTech Stands in Solidarity with the Black Community

Resources:

What is Counseling?

Personal counseling is a chance to talk confidentially with an objective person who can help you learn new skills and look at situations in different ways. This can help you become more capable of solving new problems on your own in the future. Some students benefit from one or two sessions of problem-solving, while others may require more. Although counselors may differ in their approach to counseling, they all have one goal in common: to help you find relief and resolutions to your concerns.

LWTech offers short term counseling services to all students for FREE.

Academic Advising

If you are looking for assistance with class selection or registration, that is done by the Advising Office. Please visit the Advising webpage for more information.
The Counseling webpage is for mental health counseling services, not academic advising.

Appointment Details
Making an Appointment

Appointment Times and Session Length

Appointments are available Monday - Thursday
Appointments available virtually through Zoom, phone, or in-person.
- In-person appointments are available:
  - Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  - Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Appointments are 30-50 minutes long
Appointments are FREE for all currently enrolled LWTech students.

Short-Term Counseling Services

Students are eligible for short-term counseling services.

Short-term means counseling can range from a few sessions to meeting for a full quarter depending on the student needs.
Our counselors will work together with the students to find referrals for more long-term support for students that need more support.

Waitlist

There may be times during some quarters where counseling sessions will become fully booked. A waitlist will be put in place. Counselors will always do their best to get each student connected with a consult call to discuss next steps, and provide resources as soon as possible.

Same Day Appointments

In most cases, we are unable to offer same day appointments and encourage you to connect with the 24-hour crisis line for emergency assistance at (866) 427-4747.

To make an appointment with LWTech's Mental Health Counselor:

Email Counseling@lwtech.edu from your student email address.
Include the following information in your email:
- Name & Student ID number
- Preferred mode of meeting
  - Zoom video / phone available Monday through Thursday
  - In-person appointments available Tuesday and Wednesday
- Phone number where we can reach you in case of technical difficulty
- Availability (general days/times that work for you)
  - Counseling appointments are popular and may be booked out 1-2 weeks
15 minute consultation calls will be booked to discuss your needs further and create a counseling plan prior to scheduling your initial counseling session.

Emergency Assistance

If you are experiencing a health related emergency, please call 9-1-1, Campus Public Safety at (425) 739-8224, or the 24-hour crisis line at (866) 427-4747.

Meet Our Counselors

Juliette Blank, LMHC
Pronouns: She/Her
Faculty Mental Health Counselor

Image of Juliette Blank, Mental Health Counselor Juliette is a full-time faculty Mental Health Counselor at LWTech! She started in September 2021. Juliette comes to LWTech from San Francisco. Juliette’s previous role was at a community college where she was a Student Accessibility Services and Psychological Services Counselor. In that role she provided mental health counseling, assisted with disability accommodations, provided consultation and presentations on disability and mental health awareness, and created curriculum on life skills for students with disabilities and mental health concerns to assist with better transition into higher education. Prior to this, she worked as a therapist and behavioral health counselor at various community mental health and substance use recovery clinics.

Juliette received her Master’s degree in Clinical Counseling from the California School of Professional Psychology in San Francisco. Juliette is licensed with Washington State Department of Health as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (#LH 61123929).

Students can schedule with Juliette for counseling support with the following:

Body image & self esteem
Eating disorder recovery
Addiction recovery
Trauma
Anxiety & panic attacks
Mood disorders
Psychosis
Relationships & dating
Family stress
Exploring identity & purpose
Career & life transitions
Academic stress
ADHD
Learning challenges
Chronic health conditions and disability-related stressors
Grief
Resources and connections to other mental health supports
And More! Feel free to be in touch to see how Juliette can help…

Juliette’s Approach to Counseling

Every counselor has a different style and theoretical orientation applied to their work. I believe that all humans deserve a safe space to feel seen and heard in their needs. I work from a person-centered, holistic and integrative approach in all that I do, recognizing that not one size fits all, that it sometimes takes a combination of remedies and modalities to achieve your goals, and that YOU can truly be the expert of your own life. I believe that in achieving these goals, the path to get there is always unique to the individual. I work from an integrative mix of styles and theories (CBT, DBT, ACT and mindfulness-based therapy, Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative therapy, Humanistic/People-centered therapy, Existential therapy) and I try to cater interventions and theoretical components towards your needs. I will not take it personally if you decide that my counseling style is not a good fit for your needs – and instead I can help you with outside referrals if that’s desired.

Carol Van Buren, LMHC, CDP
Pronouns: She/Her
Contract Mental Health Counselor

Photo of Carol Van Buren, LWTech Counselor

Carol is a contract counselor who provides services to LWTech students in a limited capacity.

Carol has over 20 years of professional mental health experience. Prior to working at LWTech, she had most recently been in private practice providing counseling. In addition to private practice, Carol has experience working in a variety of roles from direct client counseling to unit supervisor and Clinical Director at organizations such as Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center, Group Health, Sunrise Services, Monroe Department of Corrections, and more. Carol received her Master of Counseling degree from Seattle University and holds the following licenses: Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Chemical Dependency Professional, and Registered Nurse’s Assistant.

Carol's Approach to Counseling

I specialize in therapy for individuals. I emphasize work on “self” in all relationships, including family of origin, providing a different way of thinking about yourself and your life. I provide treatment that values truth and honesty, as the only route to one’s true self. Focus on self can address a host of benefits including improving self-knowledge, relationships that are based on self-understanding, recovery from abusive relationships whether experienced as an adult or as a child, better physical health, and an increase in creativity. My strongest belief is that as one improves their sense of true self, the ripple effects move outward to all relationships—past, present, and future.

Additional Support for Students with Mental Health Diagnoses

If you identify as a student with a disability, inclusive of mental health diagnosis' such as anxiety or depression, you may qualify for additional support services at LWTech. Many times students with mental health diagnoses do not consider themselves to be students with disabilities which leads to them being underserved in the following support programs. We highly encourage you to connect with these services to see if you qualify as you may benefit from the services provided.

Disability Support Services: Provides disability accomodations (such as additional time on tests, priority registration, reduced distraction testing areas) to students with documented disabilities.
TRiO: Provides academic advising, scholarship assistance, tutoring, transfer planning, financial literacy education, and support to eligible students.