Our Services

Counseling Services

Counseling Sessions: Students may receive approximately 10 sessions of counseling free of charge during their academic career. If a student requires sessions beyond what the Counseling Center can provide for them, referrals to community resources are available.

Population Served: Students must be actively enrolled full-time or part-time as an undergraduate or graduate student for the term they are requesting counseling services for.

Services Provided: Individual and couples counseling, crisis management, psycho-education, outreach, referrals to community providers/resources, and consultative services in-person, video- conferencing, and via telephone.

Type of challenges seen within the Counseling Center:

Stress (academically, socially, emotionally)
Adjustments to college (homesickness, work/college balance)
Phase of life issues
Time management
Anxiety
Depression
Suicidal thoughts
Self-esteem
Sadness
Loneliness
Identity issues
Eating Disorders
Substance Use
Family concerns
Interpersonal issues (roommate issues, significant relationship challenges)
Grief

Let’s Talk

“Let’s Talk” is a drop-in service that offers informal, confidential consultation with a counselor.

Let’s Talk consultations are …

FREE for Chaminade University students
Offered first-come, first-served (no appointment necessary)
Typically about 20-25 minutes in length
Informal, and not a substitute for counseling
Not appropriate for urgent concerns or mental health emergencies

Let’s Talk is not a substitute for counseling and does not constitute mental health treatment. Let’s Talk counselors can listen to specific problems, help explore solutions, and introduce you to what it’s like to speak with a member of our staff. Please refer to our FAQs below for more details.

Other options for care from the Counseling Center include individual counseling, Vibe, and workshops throughout the year. In a crisis, please call 911 or see our crisis resources page.

Mondays and Fridays, 8:30–9:30 a.m.

Leilani: Mondays, 8:30 a.m. at the Counseling Center
Elisabeth: Fridays, 8:30 a.m. at the Counseling Center

Let’s Talk FAQs

Let’s Talk is a program that provides easy access to informal consultations with counselors from Chaminade University. It is not necessary to schedule an appointment, and there is no fee.

This service is open to all Chaminade University undergraduate and graduate students. Let’s Talk is the best fit for the following people:

Students who have never been in counseling before, are not sure if it’s right for them and wonder what it’s like to talk with a counselor;
Students who are not interested in ongoing counseling but would like the perspective of a counselor;
Students who have a specific problem and would like to talk it through with someone;

Students who are interested in learning more about what campus and community resources are available to them and how to access them.

Students with an immediate or urgent concern;
Students who already know they want regular counseling;
Students who don’t want to wait for their next appointment at the Counseling Center (these students should instead contact their counselor directly to seek an earlier time);
Students seeking specialized services, such as psychiatry.

Let’s Talk visits are typically 20-25 minutes, and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Sometimes there is a wait, and occasionally when it’s very busy, the counselor might not have enough time to see everyone. However, there are Let’s Talk hours every week during the semester, so you can try again the next available day. During your session, the counselor will listen closely to your concerns and provide support, perspective, and suggestions for resources.

Students who access counseling through the Counseling Center do so by scheduling appointments to meet with a counselor, and sometimes participate in ongoing counseling through scheduled weekly or bi-weekly appointments.

In contrast, Let’s Talk is not formal counseling and is not intended to be a substitute for mental health treatment. Rather, it is a convenient drop-in service where students can have an informal consultation with a counselor.

Absolutely. The Let’s Talk counselor will talk through your issue with you and help you determine the best way to get help. If you feel comfortable with the counselor, it is sometimes possible to meet with them at the Counseling Center in an ongoing way.

If you believe you need to be seen sooner than the appointment you were given, it’s best to call the Counseling Center directly (808-735-4845) and explain your situation.

Since regular counseling visits which meet your needs may not be available at Let’s Talk, following up with the referral is a good idea. Unfortunately, the Counseling Center may not always provide ongoing counseling to every student who requests it, due to limited resources.

If your next appointment is not soon enough, it’s best to contact the Counseling Center (808-735-4845) to see if they can see you sooner.

Although Let’s Talk counselors are professionals, Let’s Talk is not a substitute for psychotherapy or formal counseling and does not constitute mental health treatment. Let’s Talk counselors provide informal consultations to help students with specific problems and to introduce them to what it’s like to speak with a counselor. Your Let’s Talk counselor can help you determine whether formal counseling at the Counseling Center would be useful for you and, if appropriate, assist you in scheduling an appointment.

Conversations with Let’s Talk counselors are private and confidential, with a few very rare exceptions. Counselors may need to share information in an emergency when there is an immediate threat of harm to self or others. Counselors are required by law to report when a minor, elderly person, or someone otherwise incapacitated and unable to act on his/her own behalf is being abused.

Let’s Talk counselors keep brief written notes of their contacts with students to provide a place for further documentation if an emergency occurs during session. These notes are considered “non-appointment, non-clinical” notes. In the event that there is an emergency or a student is referred to the Counseling Center, other counselors may see these notes. Finally, these notes can be released in the unlikely event of a court order. Let’s Talk visits are never noted on a student’s official university record.

We don’t want anything to be a barrier to students accessing help. If you have further questions about confidentiality, we encourage you to discuss them with a Let’s Talk counselor.

Let’s Talk Counselor Bios

Leilani Riahi, MSW, LCSW

Let’s Talk session: Thursdays, Campus Ministry Conference Center and/or Hale Lokelani’s Multipurpose Room, 12:30 pm-2:30 pm

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Position: Director of Counseling Services

Education: Master of Social Work with a specialization in behavioral mental health, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Languages Spoken: English, Farsi

About Me: I believe in the power of connection, expression, and self-discovery, and that everyone deserves to create a life worth living. My role as a counselor is to support students in gaining insights, coping tools, and awareness of their inner resiliency to improve their wellbeing. I am passionate about ending the stigma around mental health and making students feel accepted for who they are. In my free time, I enjoy surfing at sunset and watching reality TV shows like “90 day Fiance” while playing with my puppy. One Fun Fact: I have solo traveled to Nicaragua, Denmark, Spain, and Turkey

Elisabeth Mather, LMHC, NCC, CSAC

Let’s Talk session: Wednesdays, Virtual, 9am-11am

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Position: Mental Health Counselor

Education: Master of Science in Counseling Psychology, Chaminade University of Honolulu

Languages Spoken: English

About Me: I believe people have the strengths and capacity within themselves to move towards healing and wholeness. My role as a counselor is to walk alongside students and help facilitate growth as they journey through the successes and challenges in their education. As an alumna of Chaminade, I deeply value this community and want to help students find their own sense of belonging. In my free time, I enjoy hiking and playing the flute very mediocrely. One Fun Fact: My one dream in life is to overcome motion sickness long enough to go on an Antarctic expedition to meet some emperor penguins.

Vibe

Vibe is a monthly, informal gathering where students can participate in creative activities and mindfulness activities that can help develop a sense of connection, regulation and personal expression.

Who is this for? Any Chaminade University student can join! The gatherings will be facilitated by Counseling Center staff.

When:

Friday, November 18, 12:30 – 1:30pm
Friday, Jan 27, 2023 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Friday, Feb 24, 2023 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Friday, Mar 31, 2023 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Friday, Apr 28, 2023 12:30pm – 1:30pm

Where: Vi and Paul Loo Student Center, Clarence T.C. Ching Hall

How: Students do not need to preregister and can drop in at any of the gatherings listed above. Students will need to provide their first and last name and student ID number, but no other personal information will be requested unless an emergency arises.

Vibe FAQs

No, we will provide supplies! You will need to know your student ID number.

No, Vibe is not counseling and is not a substitute for mental health treatment.

No, confidentiality is not fully guaranteed due to the other students participating in this event, and our lack of control over whether or not information is shared between students outside of this space. The Counseling Center staff will not share your attendance, nor your personal information, with any third parties. We ask that you sign into the session by providing your name and your Chaminade ID to ensure that services are being provided to Chaminade students, although your attendance at these sessions will not be shared outside of our electronic database.

The Counseling Center staff will keep a “non-clinical attendance note” of your participation in our database, to provide a place for further note-keeping in the case that an emergency occurs during a session. You will not be documented as a client if you are not enrolled in our counseling program as an active client. You will not have a set folder in our database as a non-client.