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Counseling

Allan Hancock College Board Policy 5050

The Counseling department at Allan Hancock College is committed to helping each student develop his/her/their full educational, career and/or social potential.

Counseling services are an essential part of the total educational process of the college. The purpose of counseling services is to assist students in achieving their educational goals, including academic, career, and personal development.

The college’s comprehensive Counseling program is designed to:

1. Assess the academic skill level of students and assist them in the selection of educational goals and the development of an individual Student Educational Plan (SEP) to achieve those goals.
2. Assist students to assess their own aptitudes, abilities, and interests; obtain current and future employment trend information; and develop career and vocational decision-making skills.
3. Assist students who are experiencing personal problems that are interfering with their adjustment to college and provide information on other appropriate services in the school and community.
4. Assist students to identify barriers to academic success and to develop strategies to overcome those barriers.
5. Assist students who have been placed on academic and/or progress probation to develop individual plans for improvement in their academic journey.
6. Assist students to prepare for transfer to four-year colleges/universities and develop procedures to facilitate their transfer.
7. Outreach to potential students in high schools and the community and organize visits to the college.
8. Coordinate and complement the counseling functions of other student support services including services to students with special needs, skill testing, financial aid assistance, job placement, job referrals, and referral to resources in the community.

Counseling services are available to all Hancock students on an appointment or walk-in basis at the Santa Maria campus and at the Lompoc Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Vandenberg SFB centers. For more information, call 805-922-6966 ext 3293.

Educational Planning

Hancock counseling faculty provide a variety of services to assist new and continuing students with their educational planning. These include visiting high schools in the district and facilitating the New Student Orientation. Counselors also conduct placement and preregistration counseling prior to each semester in order to assist students in selecting appropriate courses in accordance with their stated educational and vocational objectives. (Allan Hancock College Board Policy 5050) 

In addition, counselors assist students planning to transfer to a four-year college or university by helping them select appropriate courses for their chosen majors and by counseling them in making the transition from Hancock to the four-year school. Students, however, must accept full responsibility for their educational objectives and transfer choice. Each student, in entering into an education plan, will do all of the following:

• Complete orientation;
• Determine appropriate course placement;
• Identify a course of study and career goal;
• Complete an abbreviated student educational plan no later than the term after which the student completes 15 semester units of degree applicable credit coursework;
• Complete a comprehensive student educational plan no later than the second term;
• Diligently attend class and complete assigned coursework;
• Complete courses and maintain progress toward an educational goal.

For more ways, contact the Counseling department at 805-922-6966 ext 3293.

Personal Development Courses

The personal development courses offered by the Counseling department are designed to assist new and returning students alike to develop themselves in an environment that is both engaging and  supportive. The courses enable the student to learn skills that are applicable not only in the educational setting but for life in general. It is the intent of the program to encourage and enable students to integrate their academic goals, personal values, interests, skills, and personality in order to meet their personal, academic, and career goals. 

Leadership Courses

Hancock's Leadership 111 & 112 courses prepare students for leadership roles at the college, in the classroom, at the workplace, and beyond. Students discover their personality types using the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Using this knowledge, students are exposed to a variety of leadership styles, finding the style that best suits them. Students are exposed to best practices in event planning, shared governance at the college, and other aspects of the Associated Student Body Government (ASBG) while enrolled in the course. 

Puente

The Puente Project is a national program that helps increase the number of educationally underserved students who enroll in four-year colleges and universities, earn degrees, and return to the community as leaders and mentors for succeeding generations. The Puente Project is open to all students. Puente eligibility: eligible for English 101 with English 112; plan to transfer to a university; make a one-year commitment to all Puente Project components; minimum 2.00 GPA. For more information, please contact Ricardo Navarette, counselor, at ricardo.navarette@hancockcollege.edu or 805-922-6966 ext 3634.

Early Alert Program

Hancock's Early Alert Program is designed to help all students succeed academically. Instructional faculty refer students to support services across campus with the goal of increasing their knowledge of campus services. Referred students are contacted by trained professionals and counselors, with the hope of offering intrusive counseling to assist students in any way possible. For more information, contact Early Alert Counselor Ben Britten in bldg. A, or benjamin.britten@hancockcollege.edu or call 805-922-6966 ext 3293.

Men's Support Group

The group is facilitated by AHC Male Faculty Counselors who are trained to assist in exploring men’s issues such as:

• College Success Skills
• Careers and Job Relocation
• Parenting & Relationships
• Self-Motivation
• Culture & Identity
• Stress Management

Goals
The goal of this group is to help our Male Students increase their completion rate at Allan Hancock College. We know it’s not easy to do this alone. So, sign up and receive support during this semester. Participants will benefit from the following:

• book vouchers
• field trips
• school supplies
• gas cards
• community & camaraderie
• mentoring
  
  For more information, please visit: https://www.hancockcollege.edu/men/

Student Athlete Retention Program

In keeping with Hancock's conviction that academics come first, the college operates a Student Athlete Retention Program designed to enhance athlete success in the classroom. The program offers a designated academic counselor and a dedicated computer lab for student-athletes.

Student-athletes are required to participate in the student-athlete success program. The academic counselor works closely with the coaches and athletic director in order to monitor academic progress through grade checks and ensure academic eligibility standards are met. One-on-one meetings with student success instructors and/or study hall is required of all student-athletes.

Additional services include tutoring, assistance with financial aid and a dedicated counselor to assist with personal, academic and career needs. For more information, contact Athletics Counselor Lainey Campos in bldg. N, or lainey.campos@hancockcollege.edu or call 805-922-6966 ext 3449.

Veteran Success Center

The Veteran Success Center serves as a gathering place for student veterans to connect, socialize, and to receive information about veteran benefits, financial aid, and admissions and registration. The center provides information for on-campus services and referrals to off-campus veteran services. The center also provides counseling services to discuss educational and vocational goals and to develop student educational plans to achieve those goals. The Veteran Success Center is located on the Santa Maria campus in the Mechanics Bank Student Center in Room G-101. For more information, call 805-922-6966 ext 3925.