The Community Counseling Training Center (CCTC), located in Graham Hall 416, offers free, confidential counseling to NIU and the DeKalb community, including:
- Communication and relational skills
- Individual/relationship counseling
- Mental health screenings
- Relaxation techniques
- Self-esteem-building skills
To begin or restart counseling, complete a request for services. For family or couples counseling, each person should submit a separate request. Check the appropriate box and identify other individuals planning to attend.
Eligibility
Services are available for adults, couples, families and minors ages 6 to 17. Limited services are available for minors ages 3 to 5. Clients must be willing and able to work toward mutually agreeable wellness goals and objectives.
Counselors are not able to work with the following problems:
- Chronic and persistent mental illness
- Court-ordered counseling or evaluations
- Domestic violence
- Eating disorders
- Long-term substance dependence and addiction
- Personality disorders identified as primary area of focus
- Severe trauma
Appointments
- September through April: Telehealth and in-person appointments available Monday through Thursday, variable hours between 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- May, June and July: Limited telehealth services available
- August: Closed
- Early-December through late-January: Closed
Please note that we’re not equipped for after-hours emergencies. If you leave a message on our answering machine after Thursday sessions conclude, we may not hear it until Monday.
Your First Visit
Plan to arrive 15-20 minutes early for your first appointment, as you may need to complete intake documents. You will meet with an intake counselor for approximately 55 minutes. Intake interview sessions are designed to explore your mental health and relational history, assess your needs, and discuss potential wellness goals for counseling.
If it’s decided that you will attend multiple counseling sessions at the CCTC, we will schedule you to meet with your assigned counselor the following week. Ongoing appointments last about 50 minutes once a week for four to 12 weeks.
At the end of your assigned counselor’s contracted term with you, you will have the option to request services with a new counselor at the start of the new counselor contracting term.
Transportation and Parking
Free bus passes are available to all CCTC clients, courtesy of the Voluntary Action Center in Sycamore. Find a bus route near you.
NIU Parking Services provides several parking options to students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus.