EDI Community Engagement

Commitment to Equity and Inclusion

At the Student Counseling Center, we are committed to creating an environment that affirms, respects, and honors the diversity of our student body. We value the opportunity to work with students in exploring their intersecting identities around sex, gender, disability, sexual identity, race, ethnicity, creed, religion, body size, age, socioeconomic status, national origin, immigration status, and more. In advocating for students’ well-being, we bring an awareness of the impact of systemic oppression on mental health and acknowledge that our multicultural learning is an ongoing and intentional process. As a team, we welcome dialogue and feedback from our community as we strive to create a more inclusive and equitable center on our campus.

We enjoy engaging with the Pacific community by providing workshops and holding space around the intersection of mental health, EDI, and social justice. We enjoy coming to student group clubs and meetings. Please fill out our Community Engagement Request form so that we can collaborate with you:

Community Engagement Request

Stop by our Forest Grove clinic to browse our Lending Library and check out a book to learn more about diverse experiences of mental health. 

View our Rising from the Margins web series which holds space to support students in drawing on the wisdom of their own experiences of living in the margins. Topics include: Anti-Asian Racism, Survival Toolkits, Re-establishing Your Identity, Racial Microaggressions, White Supremacy Work Culture, You Are Enough, Listening to Your Gut, Deconstructing the Model Minority Stereotype, Building a Social Change Ecosystem, and more. 

More resources and links listed at bottom of page.

Counselor Requests

In accessing counseling, we recognize that one’s culture and identity impact one’s worldview and perspective. At times, students may request to be paired with a therapist of a specific background, identity, or lived experience. This information can be communicated when requesting an appointment or communicated on the initial paperwork. We greatly value students’ expressed needs and will strive to accommodate requests within the capacities at the SCC and the current staffing. When we are unable to accommodate a preference, we will work to assist with an appropriate referral for care in the community when requested.

If you have experienced or witnessed a bias incident - behavior, speech or expression that reveals conscious or unconscious bias, which targets individuals or groups based on but not limited to their race, color, ethnicity, nationality, economic background, age, physical or mental health or ability, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, or religious practice - please report it to Pacific University's Bias Response Team, Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility.