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Counseling

Counseling Services are available on each campus 8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday during the academic year. Summer schedules may vary.

The Willmar campus counseling is located in building A on the Willmar campus. To schedule an appointment or to contact a counselor call (320) 222-5984, (320) 222-5983 or 1-800-722-1151.

The Hutchinson campus counseling center is located in the student services entrance, near the main entrance. To schedule an appointment or to speak with a counselor, call (320) 234-8504 or 1-800-222-4424.

Philosophy
The College is sincerely interested in the success of its students. The entire counseling department places emphasis on the students' growth and independence through an increasing knowledge of themselves and of opportunities available for education, careers, and personal development.

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Objectives

  • Assist students in acquiring information and developing attitudes, insights and understanding about themselves and their environment, which are necessary for maximum growth and development.
  • Inform students of educational opportunities to assist them in making appropriate educational choices.
  • Assist new and potential students to experience successful entry into the College.
  • Serve as consultants to members of the faculty and administration, as part of the educational team.
  • Provide an effective communication program with area high schools and surrounding communities.
  • Provide help to students needing assistance by referrals to campus services as well as community agencies.

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Services Provided
The counseling department provides information and services in each of the following areas: transfer, records, occupational, educational and community information, personal counseling, career assessment, course placement testing, follow-up program, research and evaluation, and career guidance counseling to students.

Assistance is available regarding concerns such as child care, transportation, finances, etc. Student may work with the counselor of their choice. Please feel free to contact the counselors during their posted office hours.

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Personal Counseling
Students face a variety of challenges that affect their personal growth, emotional well-being, and success in college. Some common concerns confronting students include anxiety, decision-making dilemmas, low-self confidence, self defeating behaviors, academic problems, or relationship problems. Counseling can provide assistance and a personal connection for these and many other concerns.

The professional counselors in the Counseling Center can help students identify, understand, and develop skills to resolve their personal concerns. Counseling is an educational process that enables a student to learn more about himself or herself. It is a chance to talk over what is on your mind confidentially with an objective person who can help you learn new skills and new ways of looking at situations. Working with a counselor at Ridgewater is generally short term, with clear purposes, to help you learn how to take charge of your life and be more capable of solving future problems on your own.

Ridgewater College recognizes the relationship between personal development, emotional wellness, and success in academic pursuits. Our counseling program is designed to support and assist students who have personal issues which impede their academic success by offering crisis intervention, brief solution-oriented counseling, and referrals to other agencies, services, or professionals in the community.

There is no fee charged to Ridgewater students for counseling services.

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Career Counseling
It is a fact, students who have a career or program goal that is well thought out are more successful at college.

Counselors at Ridgewater are trained to assist students with this important decision. Students can work individually with a counselor to take a career assessment and to set up career exploration activities. Students can even start this process on their own by checking out career planning websites and looking at materials in our career center.

Check out all the ways to do career planning at Ridgewater College:

 

Talk with a Counselor
Ridgewater counselors will help you explore your interests, skills, values, etc., that relate to a career decision. They will introduce various ways to assess yourself in these areas and they will help you learn about the world of work in general and about specific careers. Ridgewater counselors will suggest a plan to follow to make your decision and will guide you along the way.

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Sign Up to Do Career Testing
Schedule an appointment with a counselor to discuss different career assessments you can take. Your counselor will suggest appropriate assessments and provide an introduction to the test. After you test has been scored, your counselor will meet with you to discuss the results and suggest follow up activities.

Both campuses offer the Strong Interest Inventory and the Career Assessment Inventory. The Willmar campus also offers the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. There is a $10.00 charge for each test to cover materials and scoring. Contact the counseling office for details.

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Visit Our Career Planning Center
At the career planning center across from the counseling office, you will find career reference books, career books and pamphlets, and our college catalog library. You can research your college transfer plan or read about careers. Feel free to browse on your own or ask for assistance. Sit down at our computers to broaden your career information search through selected websites or online assessments.

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Check Out Career Planning Websites
If you want to start your career exploration on your own, check out these career planning sites. We encourage you to follow up with a counselor to discuss what you have learned from these sites about yourself and about careers of interest.

Career Planning Websites

Careers Info Net
Health Care Jobs and Careers
ISeek
Occ Outlook Handbook
Occ Inf. Network (O*Net)
MN Workforce center
MN Careers
Monster Trak
The Career Key
What Can I do with a Major in…

Take a Career Planning Course
You can learn how to make a career decision and have support for doing it by taking a career planning course. Ridgewater College and other colleges offer these courses. Some are online and some on campus.

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Counseling FAQ's

Q:Can I go to a counselor even if I feel my problem isn't that big?

A:Yes.If little problems don't get addressed,they can quickly become bigger problems that take a lot more emotional effort to solve later. Problems don't get rated by importance. Seeking an answer or a solution early shows good emotional maturity and self-reliance because you're trying to avoid a bigger problem by taking control of the situation. Just like your instructor tells you in class, "There are no dumb questions". . . . neither are there unimportant problems.

Q:Don't people with serious mental problems go to counselors?

A:While counseling does deal with people who have emotional problems, it can also help:
  • Students choose a program major or career path
  • Relationships that are experiencing conflict or misunderstandings
  • Individuals having academic problems, learning difficulties, or test anxiety
  • Individuals who are having thoughts of suicide or other self-destructive behaviors
  • Students trying to adjust to new surroundings or homesickness
  • Feelings of low self-esteem

Q:How can a counselor help me with my problems?

A:Actually, counseling is a cooperative venture between you and the counselor to resolve problems that are causing concerns in your life. It is an educational process which enables you to learn more about yourself and how to develop skills that are effective in resolving problems you may seek out counseling because you find that your usual ways of handling problems aren't working well for some reason, or that you are faced with an issue that you've never had before. Once the counselor hears your concern, she can help you learn new ways of looking at situations, or help you acquire skills that allow you to resolve this problem as well as others in the future.

Q:Can I see a counselor for any kind of problem, or must it be only school related?

A:You can bring any problem that is bothering you to the counselor. Even if a problem originates outside of college, it can easily have an affect on your ability to concentrate on school work or class attendance. If the counselor feels that she does not have expertise in that area, she will make a referral to the appropriate off-campus office or agency.

Q:Will seeing a counselor fix my problems?

A:The counselor cannot "fix" your problem; only you can. However, the counselor helps you to change your thinking process, seek alternatives, or learn skills so that you can find a solution.

Q:How can someone help me who hasn't experienced my problem or is of the same background?

A:Counselors are trained to be sensitive to and respectful of individual differences, including the specific concerns of students with regard to gender, racial/ethnic, cultural, religious, age, sexual preference/orientation, and socioeconomic issues. While problems are as unique as the people experiencing them, the feelings and emotions that people experience and the skills needed to solve problems are universal.

Q:Will anyone find out if I see a counselor?

A:The counseling office is committed to respecting your privacy. When you stop or call for an appointment, you will be asked the nature of your visit because the counselors see people for a variety of reasons, e.g. withdrawing from a course or from college, academic planning, career assessment, etc. This helps them to determine the length of the appointment. When asked, you simply say "personal counseling" and that will give the secretaries the information they need. The discussion with the counselor is strictly confidential, unless it is determined that you or someone else is at personal bodily risk. The counselor must get your permission before discussing your situation with an instructor or administrator.

Q:Is there a test I can take which will tell me what career I should enter into?

A:We prefer to call these Interest Inventories instead of tests, because with tests there are always right and wrong answers. The concept behind all Interest Inventories or Career Assessments is to sort occupations to match one's areas of interest or personality. You are asked questions or to make selections so that items that do not match are eliminated from the final list. This gives a person a much smaller and manageable group of occupations to research. No one person or assessment can tell you what to do; it is a choice you make as a result of a number of factors, hopefully the most important being something that you would enjoy doing.

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Course Transfer FAQ's

Q:Is there a way for students to research credit transfer online?

A:Yes, at http://www.mntransfer.org

Q:What is the difference between Liberal Arts, Transfer Education and General Education?

A:None. All of these terms can be used to describe courses that are typically designed to transfer from a two-year college to a four-year college.

Q:Do the terms "two-year" college and "four-year" college refer to how long I will be in school?

A:Yes, but only if you attend these institutions full-time (16 semester credits per semester) and follow one consistent plan. It you need to attend less than full-time or change your academic plan, your time at college will be extended.

Q:What is the difference between technical and transfer education?

A:Technical education is typically designed to train for immediate entry into the workforce, while transfer education is typically designed for those students who wish to continue on for a bachelor's degree.

Q:What are the differences between goal area courses and elective courses?

A:Goal areas are defined in the AA planner as those discipline areas the colleges and universities feel give students a broad general basis of understanding. Goal areas refers to the requirements of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (see below).

Q:What are the differences between lower division and upper division courses?

A:Lower division courses are those that are numbered as 100- or 200-level courses (offered at two-year colleges), and upper division courses are 300- and 400-levels (offered at four-year colleges).

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General Education Transfer of Credits FAQ's

Q:If I don't complete a degree, can I transfer?

A:Yes, you can transfer at any time. Generally, transfer education coursework numbered 100 or higher with grades of "C" or better will transfer. There are three major ways a transfer can take place:
  • "Course by course" where individual courses are transferred. Go to MnTransfer.org, or contact a college counselor to verify courses will transfer.
  • "Goal area to goal area": Many courses are assigned to goal areas in the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum. If you have met the goal area criteria for your current institution, the state university will give credit for that goal area, as well.
  • Minnesota Transfer Curriculum. See below.

Q:What is the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum?

A:The Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) is a means by which students can transfer their completed lower division, general education requirements. This is a package of 40 credits that includes ten goal areas.

Q:Who will take the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum in transfer?

A:All Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU), the University of Minnesota, some private colleges, and out-of-state colleges and universities. Please contact a college counselor to inquire.

Q:What is the benefit of completing the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum or an AA degree?

A:The transfer curriculum (40 credits) and the AA (64 credits) transfer as a package. This means the transfer institution does not look course-by-course to evaluate for transfer, nor do you, as the student, need to meet their transfer education requirements. By transferring with an AA, a student can transfer as a Junior to a four-year college and by following a plan designed for transfer into that major, be fully prepared for their major classes.

Q:How do I research individual course transfer equivalents?

A:http://www.mntransfer.org

Q:How much longer will I need to go to college for a bachelor's degree if I have a two-year AA?

A:Normally, this involves two more years of a full-time credit load. However, this depends on how well a student has made decisions and planned their courses. Students who do not follow a specific academic plan when they start may have more than two years left at the transfer university. Also, some bachelor's degrees simply have so much content, they may take more than four years to complete. Example: Elementary Education majors typically are in college for 4-1/2 years, on average.

Q:Are all credits good forever?

A:Generally, technical credits are good for up to five years. Transfer credits tend to remain good for longer periods of time if they are general in nature like Sociology, Psychology, History and English. Students entering technical or medical-related majors with older courses in science or technology may be asked to repeat these.

Q:Who decides how my general education credits will transfer? Will my general education credits transfer towards any degree or major?

A:The college you're transferring to determines the transferability of your courses from Ridgewater. Also, four-year college departments, such as education or business, may ask for a specific set of courses from Ridgewater College. It is very important to check with an advisor, or counselor, and refer to the catalog for help planning for a specific major.

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Technical Education Transfer of Credits FAQ's

Q:Do my technical credits transfer? If so, how and where?

A:In general, for a four-year college, students can transfer up to 16 credits toward a bachelor's degree (or AA at a community college). These credits transfer as elective credits.

Q:If I get a technical degree, do four-year colleges accept my two-year program as the first two years?

A:Several four-year state universities have designated majors of study that use an AAS degree as the first two years of a bachelor's degree. There may be additional prerequisite courses required. Please check with a college counselor to review these options.

Q:What if I get a technical diploma; will that transfer?

A:Generally, the diploma would transfer as 16 credits of electives.

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Miscellaneous Credit Transfer FAQ's

Q:Are credits taken as a Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) student transferable?

A:Yes, they are credits from the college and will transfer with the same criteria as any other credits do.

Q:What is Tech Prep credit; how does that transfer?

A:Tech Prep courses are identified courses in a high school that are technical or occupational in nature. After completion of these courses with at least a B grade, the students are given a certificate listing colleges that will offer credit for these courses. Credit is offered for courses that are required by the student's college program.

Q:Do "Advanced Placement" AP courses taken in high school transfer to a college or university?

A:High school students who take an AP course and then demonstrate what they have learned by taking an AP exam may be able to receive college credit. A score of "3" or better is required by Ridgewater College.

Q:What is a 2+2 program plan?

A:It is an agreement between Ridgewater College and a four-year college or university to provide an option for students with technical degrees to complete a four-year bachelor's degree. These programs have a specific academic plan - please refer to mntransfer.org for details.

Q:What is CLEP?

A:CLEP stands for College-Level Examination Program. College students can take CLEP exams to earn college credit. The receiving college will decide which exams they will offer and what score they will require to pass.

Q:What is concurrent enrollment?

A:Concurrent enrollment students take college courses at their high school. When completed, these courses appear on a college transcript and can be transferred to other colleges.

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Links and Resources

The World Wide Web has extensive information on a wide variety of personal development and mental health related topics. Some of these are listed here to help you explore what is available. Our listing of these sites and resources does not imply that the Counseling Office has authored or endorses all of the information that is included. Much of this information has been developed for students from other college Campus. We encourage you to evaluate the materials and use what you find helpful.

Academic Planning Career Exploration Study Skills Mental Health and Wellness   Click Here

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In a Mental Health Emergency in the Willmar area, contact:

On the Willmar campus

  • The Counseling Center at (320) 222-5984 or
    (320) 222-5983
  • Woodland Centers Crisis Center at (320) 235-4613
  • Rice Memorial Hospital at (320) 231-4390

In the Hutchinson area, contact:

  • The Counseling Center at (320) 234-8503
  • Hutchinson Hospital at (320) 234-5000

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Veterans Benefit Information

Note: Ridgewater College is approved by the Minnesota State Approving Agency for Veterans Education Benefits.

Veterans, dependents of veterans, National Guardsmen, or Reservists who are eligible for educational benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs must contact the VA Certification Officer on campus for certification. Recipients will be given instructions and the forms necessary to apply for benefits. Contact should be made at least 45 days prior to the first day of attendance as processing time may take six to eight weeks.

A person applying for VA benefits needs to complete a 22-1990 form. Along with this form, a certified copy of the DD-214 for prior active duty and a NOBE for National Guard is required to process the application.

Once you are an enrolled student, you will be required to verify your enrollment each month that you attend class for payment purposes. This can be done by phone or internet. If your enrollment status changes at any time during the semester, it is imperative that you notify the Veteran Service Office immediately. For more information about veteran benefits visit http://www.gibill.va.gov.

Please contact the VA Certification Officer in the Counseling Office, Student Services Building, or call (320) 222-5983 for further information.

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Willmar Campus
2101 15th Avenue NW
PO Box 1097
Willmar, MN 56201
320-222-5200 | 800-722-1151		   Hutchinson Campus
2 Century Avenue SE
Hutchinson, MN 55350
320-234-8500 | 800-722-1151
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Ridgewater College is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in employment and education opportunity. No person shall be discriminated against in the terms and conditions of employment, personnel practices, or access to and participation in, programs, services, and activities with regard to race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, or membership or activity in a local commission as defined by law.

This document is available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities by calling 1-800-722-1151 or through the Minnesota Relay Service at 1-800-627-3529.   Ridgewater College ensures that limited English language skills will not present a barrier to admission in the institution or participation in college events.   Fees, charges and policies are as of the publication date and are subject to change.

Ridgewater College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
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