Maintaining grades, attending classes and dealing with personal issues outside the world of Ohio State is a difficult juggling act for any student, but OSU’s Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic offers help.

“Our therapists work with a wide variety of presenting problems, including parenting issues, relationship conflicts, difficulties with family members and pre-marital therapy,” said Julianne Serovich, faculty supervisor at the clinic and professor of human development and family science.

The clinic assists students, faculty and staff of OSU, as well as Columbus residents outside of the university, she said.

The MFT, accredited by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy in 2001, promotes the collective counseling of all members associated with a particular conflict.

“We tend to look at every issue and everyone involved as a whole. If one part of that whole changes, then it inevitably changes the whole system, making it easier for everybody involved,” said Aaron Glade, clinical intern at MFT.

The theory behind treating patients is that the family is the foundation from which we build our lives, he said.

“Everyone’s family system affects them in a number of ways. Our family affects dating relationships and marriage. Our loyalty to our families and our experiences with them will affect us even later than that,” Glade said.

Many people do not realize how much their family has molded their behavior until they themselves have children and start their own families, he said.

The clinic provides support for a broad array of topics, ranging from incest and sexual abuse to mild family stress and relationship concerns.

“Everybody has problems with relationships at some point. University students are typically looking for and negotiating various changing relationships simultaneously. Our presence gives them a place to sort out these problems,” Serovich said.

who are dating, those who are seriously committed to one another and those who are married. Straight and gay partners are assisted through their rough patches, Glade said.

The clinic also provides the option of individual therapy to students who are away from their families or are unable to get their families to attend a session.

“It is a big transition for a student coming from where everything is planned for them to being independent and in a place all their own. I know people who have difficulty and call home to talk about everything from dropping a class to relationships,” said Jenna Zins, a resident adviser in the Baker West residence hall.

“Some people have issues that never get resolved. It’s really nice that OSU provides the opportunity for students to explore their relationships with other people,” Zins said.

MFT is located in 012 Mount Hall on west campus.

“Our building being removed from the main campus area provides a little more confidentiality for our patients,” Glade said.

The clinic issues a sliding fee ranging from $7 to $65 per session, depending on income and the number of people involved.