If you’re trying to decide which classes to take, you should be talking with a college counselor.

If you’re wondering which classes will transfer to a four-year school, you should be talking with a counselor.

If you’re feeling anxious or stressed, a counselor can help with that, too.

JCCC has 30 counselors with Counseling and Advising Services, located in the Student Success Center on the second floor of the Student Center.

For assistance, all a student has to do is ask.

“Some students self-advise,” said counselor Jeff Anderson, who leads the counseling office with counselors Robert Murphy and Darwin Lawyer. “I would not advise that. There are many pitfalls.”

Sometimes, programs change and students don’t get the word. Sometimes, students take a class and find out later that it won’t transfer to the four-year college of their choice.

Even if a student has not figured out a career path, he or she is better off working with a counselor than going it alone, Anderson said. In fact, he said, counselors partner with the Career Development Center next door to help students figure out their career goals.

The counselors also provide a safe, confidential environment for students to discuss personal issues, which often can impact their studies. Because Johnson County is an affluent county, many people wrongly think students here live worry-free lives, Anderson said.

The counselors, who all have master’s degrees, are trained to assist with short-term interventions with issues such as depression, grief and loss, divorce, domestic violence and suicide. They also can provide referrals for long-term assistance.

“A lot of students have some pretty serious life issues,” Anderson said.

Within the last year, the counseling office has changed its system of delivery. For more than 40 years, the office let students walk in and see a counselor at any time.

“But it got to the point where students were waiting two to three hours and that was not good,” Anderson said. Also, he said, students used to show up “stone cold” with no preparation and ask, ‘What do I need to do?”’ Anderson said.

Now students are asked to call for an appointment. The number is 913-469-3809.

New students are asked to complete an orientation program before seeing a counselor, and all are asked to fill out an appointment checklist. The program and the checklist are available at the office’s online site.

The office still offers some walk-in hours and communication through instant messaging and email. Please see the site for details.

 “We want students to arrive with some level of participation,” Anderson said, “and make them part of the process.”