The counseling relationship differs from both social friendships and patient-doctor contacts. Unlike most doctors, counselors don't give specific advice or tell you what to do. Instead, they serve as skilled listeners who help you to clarify issues, discover your true wishes and feelings, and deal effectively with problems. The length of counseling varies.
Some problems lend themselves to a one or two session counsultation.
Others require a series of appointments. The maximum number of sessions for individual counseling is 12 appointments for any course of counseling and 20 appointments over the course of the student's NYU career. Sometimes a problem is better addressed through group counseling than individual appointments. Talking to other students who have had similar experiences provides support and perspective. Every semester new groups are offered.