Schedule an Appointment

GETTING STARTED:

PHONE CONSULTATION

Students will begin with a 20-minute phone consultation with a licensed clinician (counselor) to discuss eligibility, confidentiality, and counseling services that will best meet students’ needs. This may involve individual, couples, group counseling or a community mental health referral. 

If you are referred for individual counseling with a DMC-CC counselor, you may or may not be matched with the counselor you spoke with during your consultation appointment.

how to Schedule a phone consultation

1. Select the "Schedule a Phone Consultation" button and enter all information requested.

2. A counselor will contact you via phone at the time you selected.

3. If you do not see a time that works for you or you would like to schedule an in-person consultation, please call our office at (361) 698-1586.

Appointments can also be scheduled by visiting one of our locations below.

locations:

• Heritage Campus (at Ayers & Baldwin), Main Office: Harvin Student Center, Room 233A (HC 233A)
• Windward Campus (at Airport & Old Brownsville Rd): Health Sciences Building 1, Room 262 (HS1 262)
• Oso Creek Campus (at Yorktown & Rodd Field): Main Building, Room 212 (MB 212)

 

WHILE WAITING FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT

Now that you've made the important decision to seek help, below are some ideas to take care of yourself while you are waiting for your counseling to begin. Not all of the ideas will work for everyone, but you can try a few of them every day to find ways to best help yourself. The first five are basics that are helpful for just about everyone.

However, if you are experiencing a crisis, considering hurting yourself or someone else, or considering using alcohol or other drugs to cope with an immediate crisis, please reach out to us for immediate counseling.

Suggestions for Coping While You Wait

Compiled by Brigid Cahill, Ph.D. at the University of Rochester

• Stick to a routine - get dressed, go to classes, go to meetings. Keeping structure in your day can help things feel less overwhelming.
• Be sure to eat regularly and in a healthy way. Skipping meals or overeating can wear down your coping resources.
• Get as much sleep as you need - and avoid sleeping too much. Six to eight hours are what most people need. To help with sleep, go to bed and get up at the same time every day, avoid napping, and do not study in bed.
• Do some physical activity that you enjoy - walking, running, swimming, working out, playing sports, etc. Moderate physical exercise can help you feel better emotionally. Start small with walks around campus.
• Talk to friends and family who are supportive and positive influences. Isolating yourself can make things feel even worse.
• Try to do at least one fun or enjoyable thing each day.
• Practice relaxation activities, such as progressive muscle relaxation and deep breathing, hot baths, massages, and yoga.
• Avoid using alcohol, other drugs, and caffeine for self-medication.
• Keep a journal - write down your thoughts and feelings. Remember, this is just for you - so it doesn't need to be perfectly written. It's an outlet for you to express some of the things going on inside you.
• Self-soothe using one or more of your five senses - watch the beauty of nature, listen to your favorite relaxing music, wear your favorite perfume, give someone a hug, eat strawberries, etc.
• Visualize a pleasant memory, a relaxing place, and image of yourself feeling better. These can be real memories or imagined events and places. Visualize with lots of detail, using each of your senses to create as vivid an image as possible.
• Give yourself permission to not worry about your problems for a while. Save your worries for one 20 minute period each day and only think about them then. Visualize blocking away your worries or sad thoughts - build a wall, bury them, lock them up.
• Use humor - spend time with people who make you laugh, watch a funny movie, read a funny book.
• Challenge negative self-talk - pay attention to negative messages you may give yourself and challenge their validity.
• Distract yourself temporarily from your difficulties - watch a movie, read a book, play a game. Give yourself permission to attend fully to something besides your worries and concerns.
• Attend to your spirituality - go to church/synagogue/mosque - pray, read religious works.

The preceding is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any conditions. It cannot substitute for a consultation with a physician or a mental health professional.

Client Rights and Information 

Much of the success of your counseling experience depends on you. You are most likely to reap benefits from counseling if you are motivated, honest, and willing to work at self-improvement and self-awareness. 

As Licensed Professional Counselors, we are committed to upholding the rules and policies of the Texas LPC Board. If you are not satisfied with your treatment, please raise your concerns with your counselor. Your counselor will make every effort to hear any complaints you have and to seek solutions collaboratively with you. If you feel that your counselor has treated you unfairly or has been unethical, you may contact: 

Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (bhec.texas.gov)
George H.W. Bush State Office Building
1801 Congress Ave., Ste. 7.300
Austin, Texas 78701
(512) 305-7700
Investigations/Complaints 24-hour, toll-free system (800) 821-3205