E-mail: studentrelations@colum.edu
Fall and Spring Semester Hours
Monday-Thursday, 9:00am to 6:00pm; Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm
Summer, Winter Term, and Breaks
Monday-Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm
- Contact Info and Office Hours
- Meet Our Staff
Tiana Hill, MSW, LCSW
Director of Student Relations
tihill@colum.edu
Kelli Collins, M.S.Ed.
Director of Student Assistance & Community Standards
kcollins@colum.edu - Common Concerns Addressed with StudentsAcademic Challenges
- Excessive absences
- Missed assignments
- Conflict with instructor
- Lack of academic progress
Mental Health Issues
- Short-term and solution-focused behavioral health care
- Referral and assessment for community resources
- Crisis intervention
Lack of Basic Needs
- Homelessness
- Food insecurity
Behavioral Intervention
- Atypical or concerning behaviors
- Code of Conduct matters are referred to the Dean of Students
Interpersonal Conflict
- Roommate conflicts
- Issues with faculty or staff
- Challenges in romantic relationships
Difficult Life Transitions
- Adjustment to college
- Stress surrounding graduation
- Caring for an ill family member
- Death in the family
Medical Absence
- Hospitalization
- Medical leave for illness
- Services
- Deliver individual, short-term counseling sessions to students with a variety of clinical concerns, offering emotional support and solution-focused problem-solving
- Conduct safety assessments and crisis intervention
- Provide outreach and support to students who may be experiencing difficulty
- Offer appropriate referrals for resources at Columbia and within the greater Chicago community
- Facilitate a student’s transition back to the College after a medical or psychiatric hospitalization
- Communicate and advocate for students' well-being with faculty and staff
- Foster a student's ability to address and manage behaviors that may be impacting others
- Offer consultation for parents, faculty, and staff who express concerns for a student
- Provide resources for students that become homeless or experience food insecurity
- Develop relationships with community organizations for case coordination and continuity of care
- Plan and execute campus workshops on health and wellness
- Serve as a confidential resource for students that have experienced sexual misconduct
- Philosophy StatementThe Student Relations office recognizes that the period of life when a student is in college can be challenging but also a time of significant development. Many students, especially those navigating young adulthood, have not experienced some of the common life-stressors that occur while in college. Subsequently, the Student Relations staff provides a holistic approach to help support students that may be experiencing difficulty. Through outreach and meetings, the staff offer student-centered, solution-focused, and strengths-based services to promote health, well-being, and academic achievement. The staff are cognizant of understanding the student’s perspective, which is shaped by the student’s own personal experiences and culture. Student Relations staff view the challenges that students face as an opportunity to develop resiliency and allow students to self-determine their care. Student Relations staff believe that personal growth is part of the educational successes achieved during the college years. To best serve students, the Student Relations staff adhere to ethical standards of practice as determined by their respective credentialing bodies and any state, local, or federal laws that are applicable.
- Learning Outcomes
The staff in Student Relations strives for students to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:
- Student implemented a plan to use campus and/or community resources for assistance in managing concerns
- Student identified and implemented coping skills to better manage current and future stressors
- Student expressed stronger sense of self by conveying and acting upon their own goals and values
- Student demonstrated empowerment and self-advocacy in problem-solving their own concerns
- Student recognized the importance of holistic well-being and engaged in habits that encourage health, wellness, safety, and security
- Student independently engaged in actions and habits that address academic challenges and facilitate academic success
- Student developed a plan to increase involvement and engage with the college community
- Student increased self-awareness by recognizing how their behaviors may affect and impact others
- Differences Between Student Relations and Counseling Services
Student Relations provides solution-focused counseling, but interventions are typically a few meetings until the matter is resolved. For students who desire more formalized therapy in a brief treatment model, Counseling Services is the appropriate resource. Counseling Services offers therapy to students throughout the academic semester with a maximum of twelve free sessions per academic year as clinically appropriate. Student Relations is an effective starting point for almost any other concern due to our focus on problem-solving and support. If Student Relations cannot resolve your concern, then we will help you find the on-campus or off-campus resource that can resolve your concern via our robust referral network. Meetings in Student Relations do not have a fixed limit of sessions, and typically completion of services is determined by the student’s concern being successfully addressed or the student being connected with appropriate assistance.
Unlike Counseling Services, Student Relations conducts outreach to students. With Counseling Services, students must actively choose to engage in services. Student Relations, however, will call or e-mail students when notified of a concern by faculty, staff, family members, or peers. Student Relations will then encourage students to connect with our office for support and assistance. Because of this capacity for outreach, Student Relations is often the best option to begin addressing a student concern.
Student Relations and Counseling Services do collaborate frequently. Staff in both offices have the same credentials as mental health providers. Student Relations may refer a student to Counseling Services for therapeutic support while Counseling Services may refer a student to Student Relations if an academic challenge, significant medical event, or food or housing insecurity arises. Additionally, Student Relations and Counseling Services provide educational workshops to the Columbia community regarding health and wellness. Under the umbrella of Student Health and Support, both offices strongly believe in collaboration in order to holistically support students.