To provide a safe, supportive, trusting, and confidential environment which empowers students to develop the awareness, values, and skills they will need to meet future challenges and lead vital, meaningful lives.

The Counseling Center is staffed by competent, experienced mental health professionals who, as part of the larger University community, are dedicated to the personal, social, and academic development of all JMU students. To accomplish this goal, the Center provides counseling services within a developmental, proactive, and outreach-oriented framework. The Counseling Center is fully accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS) and adheres to the highest standards of ethical conduct as outlined by the American Psychological Association (APA), the American Counseling Association (ACA), the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the internal governing policies of James Madison University.

The primary focus of the Counseling Center mission is to provide the highest quality individual and group counseling to students struggling with problems common to a college population. Additionally, we serve as an assessment and referral source for students with more serious and chronic psychological difficulties. We also engage in active outreach efforts focusing on the prevention of problems and maximizing the potential of all students to benefit from the academic environment and experience.

We are committed to collaborating and partnering with other Student Affairs units and University divisions, serving as consultants to our educational colleagues on psychological matters, and playing an integral role in the management of emergencies and crises affecting our students. The Counseling Center further enhances the educational mission of the University by integrating the training of new mental health professionals within the provision and evaluation of counseling services.

We are committed to the continued development of awareness and appreciation for individual differences within our diverse university community. We strive to promote inclusion and to affirm diversity in its broadest sense by fostering an emotionally safe and respectful environment.

The staff of the Counseling Center views diversity as including all of the various identities and characteristics that comprise unique individuals. We work to be aware of and respect cultural, individual, and role differences, including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, cognitive processing, political affiliation, military affiliation, and socioeconomic status and to consider these factors when working with members of the JMU campus community. Further, we work to support each other in the process of self-exploration around issues of identity, access, and culture, viewing this commitment as an ongoing learning journey, never assuming we have fully reached our destination. We are committed to working towards an emotionally safe and respectful environment for all students, faculty, and staff.