Inside the Counseling Center
A student walks in for their first counseling appointment. They are anxious, picking at their nails, bouncing their leg. The counselor hands them a textured sticker and says, "Here, run your thumb across this while we talk." The student sticks it on their phone case. Over the next few weeks, they rub it during lectures, before exams, on the bus home. It becomes part of their coping toolkit — a tangible piece of the support they got in that office. When they come back for their next appointment, they mention it without being asked. "That sticker thing actually helps."