Contact us
Dorie Cruz, MA
Counseling & Testing Counselor
Email: counseling@victoriadestefano.com
Call: (817) 202-6514
Lalueni Niua
Counseling & Testing Testing Administrator
Email: Lalueniniua@victoriadestefano.com
Call: (817) 202-6255
Counseling
The counseling center has counselors available for personal, couple, emotional, relational, and career counseling. Their services are free of charge for Southwestern students. All counseling contacts at the Counseling and Outreach Center are covered by the appropriate Federal and State confidentiality laws and requirements. This means that any information disclosed during your contact with the counselors will be kept strictly confidential as required by law and by applicable ethical standards, with rare exceptions, as noted in the agreement that you will read and sign before your first counseling session.
Schedule an Appointment
Our office hours are Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. You can schedule an appointment with one of our counselors by calling 817-202-6255 or emailing us at counseling@victoriadestefano.com.
On-Campus Referrals
Students do not need a referral to receive counseling services from the Counseling Center. However, the Counseling team encourages faculty/staff members or friends to make a referral if they believe that a student/friend could benefit from counseling services or if a student/friend is experiencing mental health concerns. To make a referral the faculty/staff member or friend can:
Complete the Counseling Referral Form Referral for Counseling Services (office.com)
Please note that counseling staff will reach out to the student to follow-up on the referral. Due to confidentiality reasons, counseling staff can not provide any feedback or information about the outcome of the referral, to the faculty/staff member or friend, without written consent from the student.
Mental Health Assessment
The Counseling Center has a Mental Health Assessment available 24/7 for anyone to complete. The following is a link to this assessment.
Take a mental health assessment
The Relaxation Room
Discover tranquility in our Relaxation Room. It is a serene oasis where you can escape the hustle and unwind in a peaceful environment. Schedule your moment of calmness and rejuvenation today. We have a massage chair, an essential oil diffuser, a northern lights projector, a Fake Fish Lamp, and LED Lights to help you unwind and relax. Schedule your appointment today.
The Relaxation Room
Discover tranquility in our Relaxation Room. It is a serene oasis where you can escape the hustle and unwind in a peaceful environment. Schedule your moment of calmness and rejuvenation today. We have a massage chair, an essential oil diffuser, a northern lights projector, a Fake Fish Lamp, and LED Lights to help you unwind and relax. Schedule your appointment today.
Outreach Activities
Therapy Dogs come on a monthly basis during the school year to help students relax, unwind, and pet their stress away.
The Burleson Animal Shelters come twice a year during dead week and bring kittens and sometimes puppies and one large dog to help students unwind and pet their stress away before finals.
The Counseling Center schedules a Stress Relief Activity once a month to help students relieve their stress. Some of the activities that have been done include Cocoa & Coloring, Pumpkins Painting & Rock Painting, Mindfulness & a Movie Night, Wear Your PJs Coloring & Game Night, and Create Your Own Stress Bag during Dead Week.
The Counseling Center has partnered with The Reach Council to present Drug education programs; The Reach Council presented programs on Fentanyl and Marijuana last semester.
The Counseling Center is starting a Grief Circle for SWAU Students, which will meet on Wednesday nights for an hour and a half. Worship credit will be given if the students attend.
Career Planning
You may have come to the University knowing just what career path to take, or you may be exploring many careers. We're pleased to support you on your journey to a profession that will match your vocation.
Southwestern's students and staff are welcome to take any career or interest inventories available through the Center for Student Success and Advising. Results offer insight into your aptitudes, achievements, interests, personality, and values and how these will affect a particular career path.
You may find that your vocation, what Christians think of as a calling from God, is prompting you to take on new academic challenges. We want to help you.
Testing
We offer an assortment of tests to assist you in your educational endeavors, and we can help you find a testing center for graduate and professional exams as well. Fees apply for many of these tests.
- College Admissions tests, including ACT and SAT
- College Level Examination Program or CLEP tests
- Mathematics Advising Profile, or MAP
- Personality, aptitude, and occupational tests, including 16pf, MBTI, and COP System
We also offer test proctoring services.
We provide alternate date testing for the Texas Higher Education Association (THEA) and Law School Admission Test (LSAT) exams. Information on these exams and the scheduled dates can be found at www.thea.nesinc.com and www.lsac.org, respectively. Fees apply for these tests as well.