by Sebastian Gordon

Recently, a new mental health counselor joined PSC’s Wellness Services. Her name is Rachel Presley. She will be offering Mental Health Counseling on PSC’s Warrington Campus on Thursdays. 

“Students should expect a calm, understanding environment. People are often nervous when starting therapy. When my clients stick through it and leave therapy, they often have a better understanding of who they are and what they want. They leave with a toolbox of coping skills, healthier thought processes, and hope for the future. That’s very important to me, helping instill hope in my clients,” states Presley. 

Presley has many goals when stepping into this position. These objectives involve helping students improve their mental health through therapy, promoting information around suicide prevention month, and cultivating a campus geared towards student wellness.

Presley received her Bachelors’s and Masters in psychology from UWF. Her M.A. three-year program focused on mental health counseling. Presley is also an alumna of PSC and earned her A.A. in psychology here.

Before joining PSC’s Wellness Services, Presley worked as a Mental Health Counselor at Escambia County Jail. She said, “It helped me really realize how important empathy and compassion are in therapy.”

In her free time, Presley loves reading, spending time with her daughter and family, going to the movies, and loving the outdoor life (chickens and gardening included!). Her favorite movie series is How to Train Your Dragon. 

Presley enjoys How to Train Your Dragon because of the story about an underdog going against societal norms in the name of a greater good. She believes the whole series is wonderful because you can see the growth of not only the characters but of the community. She also says it highlights that letting go is really, really hard but sometimes necessary for us to live our best lives.

During the upcoming semester, Presley will be assisting Brittney Clark with running Psychoeducational Group Therapy. There will be several sessions throughout the semester covering various topics. 

The subjects of conversations will include; time management, anxiety, depression, self-care, substance use, relationships, and grief. The groups will meet on Fridays at 10 AM on Pensacola Campus; more information surrounding them will be released soon. 

On a final note, Presley states, “It always hurts my heart when clients come to sessions with a very real and understandable problem/concern and mention that they haven’t sought help before because they felt like their situation wasn’t unbearable. Society often sees therapy as a last option, but I wish students could see it as more of a normalized option to improve their mental health before they’re completely struggling. So basically, what I’m saying is, come to therapy!” 
If you would like to schedule a Counseling Session or have questions, please email the Wellness Department directly at wellnessservices@pensacolastate.edu or call (850)-484-1750. To sign up for the upcoming group therapies, kindly scan the QR code on the flyer around campus.