By Abby Bullock
Students on campus being spared a few steps with the relocation of Bellarmine’s Counseling Center, due to the center being too far from the main campus.
The center that once had its home in the top floor of Allen Hall made the move to Treece Hall in Centro on Dec. 15, and Counseling Center Director Dr. Gary Petiprin said the timing felt right.
“Basically, because some other offices were shifting around, the opportunity came available for us to move our staff over here,” Petiprin said. “We got regular feedback through our survey we do every semester… and something that consistently came up was students’ desire to have this centrally located.”
Petiprin said he already feels that the change is making a difference.
“[We feel] like this is going to make it easier for students to access services,” he said. “And it puts us more in the heart of student activities in general. Already, we've had more traffic with people just dropping in and wanting to chat or set up an appointment.”
Sam Hacker, a senior who uses the Counseling Center, said she has seen a clear difference between the Allen and the Centro location.
“It was very stagnant [in Allen]. There was no music, and the walls had some decorations, but not as much as the space that Centro now has,” Hacker said. “It felt much more… I don’t know… corporate? They had only pamphlets for you to look at, instead of actual activities to get you off the fact of ‘oh yeah, this is what you’re waiting for.’”
Sam Bowles, another Bellarmine senior who has used the services at the Counseling Center, said he was thankful about the move and the easier access.
“It was on the very top floor [of Allen Hall], so, you get in there, go in the elevator, go up the top floor, and then you have to figure out where you're going from there,” Bowles said. “So, it's very nice just to have it where a lot of students are located. So that way when they say, ‘Hey, Counseling Center is open,’ it's right there.”
To celebrate the move, the Counseling Center held an open house in its new location in Treece Hall on Jan. 8. Petiprin said more than 30 students showed up, and about an equal number of faculty and staff members also stopped by.
While the event was meant for the Bellarmine community, Petiprin said he also got a lot out of the experience.
“We have a lot of doctoral trainees that are working with us, and people hear about it, but they don't see it,” he said. “So, it was much more evident of how much we have going on… people get to really see what our operation is about rather than just something on a piece of paper.”
Petiprin said he hopes this relocation is what the students are wanting and feels it will have an impact – for the students, the Counseling Center staff, and the entire Bellarmine community.
“I've been here almost 17 years at Bellarmine, and this is the first time where I've really felt like I'm seeing people I work with in the university daily now rather than, you know, just whenever I'm over here in Centro for a meeting or something,” Petiprin said. “Now, I'm here all the time.”
Bowles said: “I'm just glad it's somewhere else. [It’s] a lot more convenient for students.”
Hacker said the new location may encourage more students to use the Counseling Center.
“I know therapy is very difficult for some people to take the step forward to do,” Hacker said. “So, I feel like the environment they have now provided a much more safer and more comfortable place for people to go.”
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