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College of Veterinary Medicine

Counseling Services

We provide multiculturally-affirming mental health services to veterinary students, graduate students and house officers at the College of Veterinary Medicine. Our services come at no additional charge and can be used to explore personal, academic and professional concerns that may impact your well-being. We take a collaborative approach to explore and address your concerns in a supportive, non-judgmental and confidential environment.

Counseling Services is staffed by Laura Castro, LCSW & Matt Bishop, LCMHC

To request an appointment, please fill out this form. Feel free to email us with any questions at cvm-counselingservices@ncsu.edu.

LC
Laura Castro
Laura Castro

Director of Counseling Services

919-513-6008
MB
Matt Bishop
Matthew Bishop

Clinical Mental Health Counselor

919-513-6036

The presence of embedded counseling services at the College of Veterinary Medicine is part of the commitment to prioritize wellness within the community. Pursuing counseling, especially for the first time, is a courageous choice and a sign of investment in your personal, academic and professional wellbeing. We strive to make the counseling experience as comfortable and helpful as possible for everyone.

IN CASE OF A MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCY

  • Contact the NCSU Counseling Center at 919-515-2423. An on-call counselor is available 24/7/365.
  • Contact NCSU Campus Police at 919-515-3000. You can request an officer who is Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) trained.
  • Call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
  • Go to the nearest emergency room.

Meet Our Counseling Team

Laura Castro

Laura Castro

Laura Castro, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, is our Director of Counseling Services and has been at the College of Veterinary Medicine since summer 2019. Laura, a native of Bogota, Colombia, immigrated to the United States when she was 12. She holds a bachelor’s in psychology from Elon University and a master’s in social work from UNC-Chapel Hill. Prior to joining the college, she worked as a post-master’s fellow at the NC State University Counseling Center. She provides sessions in English and Spanish.

Laura is passionate about helping members of the community reach their full potential by providing a supportive and non-judgmental environment where folks can explore their concerns and strengths and practice coping skills. Laura uses Motivational Interviewing to help clients achieve change, and she utilizes a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy framework to increase self-awareness and identify helpful and unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. Laura enjoys helping people with relationship concerns, identity development, and diversity- and inclusion-related issues.

Laura spends her free time attending yoga, Zumba, and weightlifting classes. She enjoys caring for her 30+ plants, her chocolate labrador, JuJu, and exploring restaurants in the triangle with her partner, Sean.

Matt Bishop

Matt Bishop

Matt Bishop is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor. A lifelong member of the Wolfpack, Matt obtained his B.S. and M.Ed. degrees from NC State and completed an internship and post-graduate fellowship at the NCSU Counseling Center. He has 6 years of experience working with college students on a variety of issues, including anxiety, depression, OCD, eating concerns, addictive behaviors and identity development. In his work, Matt prioritizes a collaborative approach that is based on each person’s values and strengths to help them meet their personal and professional goals. He uses a social justice lens to apply Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) frameworks of counseling.

In his free time, Matt volunteers at the SPCA of Wake County and the J.C. Raulston Arboretum. He also enjoys learning to cook new things, reading Wikipedia in preparation for local trivia nights, and gaming on the PC, Switch or tabletop with his husband, John.

Our Commitment

The presence of in-house counseling services is part of the commitment made by the CVM to prioritize wellbeing in the community. Pursuing counseling, especially for the first time, is a courageous choice, and a sign of investment in your personal, academic, and professional well-being. Laura and Matt work to make the counseling experience for each client as comfortable and helpful as possible.

Preserving confidentiality is crucial to building community trust. Your confidentiality is taken very seriously. Unless you give written permission, the only reasons for breaking confidentiality entail situations that seem life-threatening. Even in these situations, Laura and Matt do everything they can to enlist your agreement and cooperation.

  • There is no additional charge for services beyond the academic year student fees.
  • Location: A-270 Main Administration Building or via telehealth
  • Hours: 8am – 5pm Monday through Friday with some flexibility for fourth years and house officers
  • Schedule an Appointment

Appointments may be made by emailing cvm-counselingservices@ncsu.edu with your request, your ID number, and availability over the next week.  Additionally, please include if you have a preference for working with a specific counselor. For urgent mental health needs or crises, please do not wait for an email response and refer to the mental health emergency contacts below.

IN CASE OF A MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCY

  • Contact the NC State Counseling Center at 919-515-2423
  • For emergencies after regular business hours, please contact the on-call counselor service by calling 919-515-2423
  • Contact Campus Police at 911 or 515-3000 (24 hours)
  • Consult with Holly Hill Hospital at 919-250-700
  • Report to the nearest hospital emergency department

PERSONAL COUNSELING

Students may experience a wide variety of personal concerns related to depression, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma, abuse, anger, stress and other issues. CVM Counseling Services is a safe place to explore these issues and develop ways to better cope with problems that arise from life experiences. Counseling is usually fairly short-term in nature (within the scope of a semester). If an off-campus referral is needed for longer-term or more intensive therapeutic assistance, Laura and Matt can be helpful with identifying appropriate on-campus or off-campus referrals. Group counseling and psychiatric services are available through the NCSU Counseling Center.

ACADEMIC COUNSELING

Vet school is rigorous, and academic difficulties are not uncommon. We frequently work with students to help them develop their skills in learning, test-taking, and time management. If you notice that you’re having trouble, please contact us early in the semester so that we can help you troubleshoot right away.

CONSULTATION

If you are concerned about a member of the community, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time to best determine how we can help.

WORKSHOPS

Counseling Services provides educational programming on wellness, mental health, learning, and academic topics of interest to students, faculty and staff. Workshops frequently offered include:

  • Stress Management and Resilience
  • Learning to Learn in Vet Med
  • Mindfulness in Veterinary Medicine
  • Suicide Awareness and Prevention
  • Addressing Microaggressions

Please submit workshop requests to cvm-counselingservices@ncsu.edu at least two weeks before the date of the requested program

GROUP

BIPOC Support Space. 

A meeting for CVM students, house officers, faculty, and staff of color to process, support each other, and engage in restorative conversations. This space will centralize and celebrate Blackness and welcomes all people of color. Facilitated by supportive staff of color.

Testimonials: “I love this group so much!  We all are so very supportive of one another.  Other persons who are BlPOC, I strongly suggest to attend”. – DVM Student

“In a world where everyone is busy going about their days and struggles, the BIPOC space reminds me that I am not alone in my feelings and emotions as I navigate through the CVM. I have made lifelong friends in this group and I was able to connect with people from various departments. It truly is a safe space and I look forward to that one hour where I can unapologetically be myself. I encourage every BIPOC person to attend this session!” – CVM Faculty Member

Meets Thursdays at noon (at 8am on the first Thursday of each month) in B222 and virtually via zoom

REFERRALS

If you would like to explore alternative counseling options, we recommend you explore the resources below. You may also use this to find counseling options as an alumni, or for your friends and family. If you would like further guidance during this process, please feel free to reach out to us.