Photo of counselor

Counselor Education Program

IPFW Community Counseling Center

Client Information

Services

The IPFW Community Counseling Center offers help for individuals (in individual, couple, and family settings) who are experiencing personal problems, adjustment reactions, or career counseling concerns. Typical client concerns include the following:

  • Personal problems
  • Relationship issues
  • Family/Marriage relationship problems
  • Parenting needs/Child discipline problems
  • Remarriage and stepfamily issues
  • School problems
  • Life adjustment problems
  • Depression/Anxiety disorders
  • Difficulty managing stress
  • Difficulty coping with loss
  • Low self-esteem
  • Career counseling concerns
  • Poor time-management
  • Lack assertiveness skills

Fees

Sessions are free of charge. The IPFW Counseling Center is the primary training center for graduate students-in-training. Most sessions are observed by a faculty supervisor and another student. Each evening, the professional team discusses how to provide the best services possible. In the last decade, IPFW faculty and counseling students earned two national and nine statewide awards for excellence. The program has both state and national accreditation.

Making Appointments

To arrange an appointment or make a referral to the IPFW Community Counseling Center, call the clinic manager at 260-481-5479. Sessions are available by scheduled appointment on Monday-Thursday evenings between 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. All inquiries are treated confidentially.

Who Should Attend

Parents/guardians must accompany children under the age of 18, on their first visit. A determination will be made during the first session regarding who will attend counseling to best serve the child’s needs. 

Our Approach

As counselors, we are dedicated to helping individuals, couples, and families deal more effectively with their concerns. We function within the guidelines of our professional code of ethics and maintain a focus on the rights of our clients. We do not discriminate against anyone for any reason, including race, sex, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin. We believe that individual growth and development are best nurtured in the context of environmental and family relationships.

For more information about code of ethics, client rights, and/or confidentiality contact the IPFW Community Counseling Center, the American School Counselors Association (www.schoolcounselor.org) or the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (http://www.aamft.org/index_nm.asp).

Confidentiality

As counselors, we respect the rights of clients and adhere to a strict ethical code. A central tenet of our ethical code is maintaining client confidentiality as mandated by law. Any information you share cannot be released to anyone without your written consent. The only exception that may occur is where Indiana law requires counselors, psychologists, psychiatrist, marriage/family therapists, and social workers to break confidentiality. These areas include when clients are a danger to themselves or others, or when there is evidence of child abuse. Counselors are also required to break confidentiality when required by court to release information. For more information you may contact the American School Counselors Association or the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Policies

Cancellations and Missed Appointments

As a client at the IPFW Community Counseling Center, it is important that you attempt to keep all of your scheduled appointments. There is a high demand for our free services and we often have a significant waiting list. If you need to cancel, please call your counselor or the clinic manager. If you do no show up for a scheduled appointment and your counselor cannot get in touch with you to confirm your next appointment, your time slot may be given to someone else on the waiting list. Therefore, if you miss an appointment, please contact your counselor or the clinic manager to confirm your next appointment. If you miss three appointments without calling to cancel, we must give your appointment time to someone else on the waiting list. Counseling has the best results when client consistently comes to his/her appointments. We hope we can work together to make this a beneficial experience for you.

Contacting Your Counselor

If you need to contact your counselor to cancel an appointment or if you have an emergency, call (260) 481-5405. To leave a message for your counselor, follow the prompts:

  • Press 1 if your appointments are on Monday nights.
  • Press 2 if your appointments are on Tuesday nights.
  • Press 3 if your appointments are on Wednesday nights.
  • Press 4 if your appointments are on Thursday nights.
  • Press 5 to leave a message for the clinic manager.

Your call will be returned within 24 hours.

If you have an emergency that cannot wait, you can call Park Center at (260) 481-2700, or Parkview Behavioral Health at 260-373-7500.

Clients Who are Minors

Clients under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian for the initial session. The legal guardian must sign the “Consent for Treatment” form before counseling can begin.

Video Camera

A video camera is used to record counseling sessions. A supervisor (a licensed counselor or therapist) monitors the sessions either live via a television in a different room, or by viewing the recorded session on DVD or cassette. This is a teaching tool used to help train the counseling student. The tapes/DVDs are not viewed by anyone outside of the counseling team and are never taken out of the clinic. Cassettes and DVDs are always destroyed after the end of the student’s practicum training.

Parking

Free parking is available at the Dolnick Learning Center. Please feel free to park in the areas marked “college parking”. Handicapped parking is also available.

Possession of Drugs, Alcohol, or Weapons

IPFW policy prohibits the possession of drugs, alcohol, or weapons on its property.

Faculty Supervisors

  • James Burg, Ph.D., Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Mental Health Counselor. Associate Professor and Director of the Counselor Education Program.

  • Amy Nitza, Ph.D.  Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the School Counselor Track.

  • William Utesch, Ph.D., Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Mental Health Counselor, and School Counselor. Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Marriage and Family Therapy Track.

  • Stephanie Furnas, M.S., Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Adjunct professor in the Counselor Education Program.

  • Miles Nitz, M.S., Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Adjunct professor in Counselor Education Program.

  • Ken Weaver, M.S., Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist, and Mental Health Counselor. Pastoral Counselor and registered family mediator. Adjunct professor in the Counselor Education Program. 

Contact Information for Client Services

Community Counseling Center
Indiana University—Purdue University Fort Wayne
2101 E. Coliseum Boulevard
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46805-1499
/prst/counselor/clinic/

  • Clinic Manager: 260-481-5479
  • Contact your counselor: 260-481-5405

Location 

The clinic is in the Dolnick Learning Center on the former Fort Wayne State Developmental Center campus. Free visitor parking is available. (Insert map of Developmental Center below)       

Current Clients

As a current client you may need all or some of the following forms:

  • Consent to Treatment [Word]
  • Personal Data Inventory [Word]
  • Custody Addendum [Word]
  • Policies [Word]
  • Map to Dolnick [Word]
  • Contact Information for Client Services/Scheduling

Center Information