Counseling isn't just for individuals. Relationship counseling is for ALL relationships, including dating, friends, roommates, and families.

Only one member of the relationship needs to be an undergraduate SPU student to be eligible for services. Access the Patient Portal and fill out a Counseling Appointment Request Form to get started.

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Premarital counseling

We offer premarital counseling throughout the school year. Using a variety of assessment tools, couples learn more about each other and work toward growth and enrichment in their relationship.

We also incorporate aspects of each person's family history into counseling, which often helps explain why each person acts or reacts the way they do.

Areas we cover in counseling often include:

  • Marriage expectations
  • Personality issues
  • Communication
  • Conflict resolution
  • Financial management
  • Leisure activities
  • Sexual issues/expectations
  • Children and parenting
  • Family and friends
  • Relationship roles
  • Spiritual beliefs
many hands

Family counseling

Family counseling can cover several generations, and can affect your ability to be a successful learner in the SPU community. We see everything from students with their parents and grandparents, to students with their spouse and children. Nontraditional families are also welcome.

Issues in family therapy include:

  • Conflict with parents or other family members
  • Issues with in-laws
  • Parenting concerns
  • Issues arising from living with a chronic mental/physical illness
  • Family stress
  • Divorce and remarriage, stepparents
wedding rings

Marital counseling

Marital counseling can take many forms.

We see some couples who have been married for a little while and who want to enrich their relationship by working out some of their marital growing pains.

We also work with couples who feel angry, exhausted, and at their wits’ end. We create goals and help you work together to make changes that can bring greater satisfaction in marriage.

high five

Other relationships

Sometimes relationship counseling is needed for other types of relationships, such as dating, roommates, friendships, or coworkers. We can help in those situations, too. All relationships can use some extra support or space to talk through things, whether there are problems or not.

We strive to provide all services with compassion, respect, and sensitivity to the uniqueness of each concern and diversity of each student. The SCC is welcoming and inclusive of all students. This includes students of any race, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, ability, gender identity and sexual identity.