College presents opportunities to build friendships, find a passion for a field of study, try new things, and make fun memories, but it can also present challenges for students juggling a new environment and workload. Azusa Pacific’s University Counseling Center (UCC) is a great resource for students living both on and off campus who want extra support on their college journey.
The UCC’s mission statement is to provide students with Christian counseling and outreach to promote psychological and social wellness on campus. Using their mission statement as a guide, the center has two main focuses including clinical and outreach. The clinical side refers to the therapy services that the center offers. UCC sessions are completely free and confidential for all enrolled students. The sessions are designed to help with various challenges through individual, relational, premarital, and group counseling. Sessions offer flexibility to be conducted in person, over the phone, or through video conferences. “APU is committed to helping our students through our resources,” said Nathaniel Fernandez, PhD, psychologist and outreach coordinator for the UCC. “We are mainly focused on the undergraduate population, but we also happily serve graduate, professional, and regional campus students.”
As the outreach coordinator, Fernandez takes great care in promoting the UCC to students by spreading awareness about their free therapy services as well as the general support and knowledge the center shares with students. “It is key for us to go out into the APU community and make it a better place to be overall by promoting campus wellness,” Fernandez said. The center strives to help students succeed academically, socially, and spiritually by being present in peer educator internships, Welcome Weekend fairs, and faculty/staff/student leadership training. Fernandez and the rest of the UCC team are also receptive to the campus climate by hosting other workshops, events, and panels that are relevant to community needs. “These all help us to be visible for students who might be interested in seeking out our services.”
The UCC also understands that therapy is not the solution for every student. They host a variety of self care events and workshops throughout the year to help students learn to manage mental health challenges themselves. Each year, the UCC puts together a Cougar’s Care workshop series to help students build upon important skills such as time management and also provide information about dealing with mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety. Other self care events the center has put on in the past include a learning to knit workshop, yoga events, and having puppies on campus in collaboration with the Office of Residence Life. “These events create connections, teach students about self care, and allow people to dive into particular topics for useful information,” Fernandez said. “I am grateful that APU supports us in putting these events together for our students to show how much the university cares about their wellbeing.”
What makes the UCC such an impactful resource for students is how it simultaneously promotes social, spiritual, psychological, and academic wellness. “Our team does life-changing work to help students succeed holistically,” Fernandez said.
We want students to reach their goals and be equipped to follow God’s calling for them by overcoming whatever may be holding them back.
The entire team is not only knowledgeable about mental health, but they are particularly able to understand what it means to deal with the challenges of being a college student. “Our clinicians are very supportive and are able to connect students with other offices on campus for extra support if needed,” said Yoseline Fuentes ’26, a graduate student and the UCC’s peer education coordinator. “They also have specializations in different areas so that we can provide well rounded and holistic care.” To read more about the clinicians and see if one would be a good fit for you, read their bios here.
The UCC is located in the Shire Mods in Magnolia Court next to the Student Health Center. Students can make appointments in person, over the phone by calling (626) 815-2109, online in the Cougar Health Portal at home.apu.edu, or on the APU Now app. A 24/7 urgent care service is also available after hours, on weekends, and on holidays by calling the general UCC number at (626) 815-2109. “Reaching out can be a big step, so we want students to know that we are accessible and available to them whenever they need,” Fernandez said. “We need to take care of ourselves to grow into the people that God has called us to be, and our team has a passion for helping students to succeed in their education and in the rest of their lives.”