10 years have passed since the establishment of the University Counselling Centre (UNIPOC) of the Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (UPJŠ). On the occasion of this anniversary, a conference of university counsellors was held on 28 June 2023 at the premises of the UPJŠ Rector’s Office at Šrobárová 2 in Košice.
The programme started with the official opening of the conference by the UPJŠ Rector, Pavol Sovák, and the audience was also addressed by Ladislav Ostroha, Euroguidance Coordinator, and Veronika Zibrinyiová, Director of UNIPOC. Then there were presentations from UNIPOC, Euroguidance and the Barrier-Free Centre of the Technical University of Košice on the topic of current trends in counselling for university students. In the afternoon, a panel discussion on the future of university counselling was held, hosted by Renáta Hall, Advisor to the State Secretary for Science, Research and Higher Education at the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic (MŠVaŠ SR), Marcel Vysocký, Director General of the Higher Education Section of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Slovak Republic, Mária Motyková, Manager of the National Project Preparation from the Research Institute of Child Psychology and Patopsychology, Tina Gažovičová from the Office of the State Secretary, and Zuzana Hozlárová, President of the Student Council of Universities. The beautiful day was concluded with a closing networking. If you are interested in the event, check out the telKE report.
UNIPOC was established on 16 May 2013 with the aim of providing advice, professional and comprehensive support to students of UPJŠ in various areas of their university life. By establishing a counselling centre for students of the university, UPJŠ has moved closer to the world standards of institutions providing higher education. “Our counsellors help students on a daily basis with problems that could pose a threat to successful completion of their studies, support their mental well-being, manage stressful situations, teach them how to improve the learning process, develop key skills and how to find a job on the job market after graduation. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all my colleagues whose professional approach helps to make all students feel comfortable at our university,” said UNIPOC Director, Veronika Zibrinyiova.
UNIPOC currently provides free psychological, legal, social, career and effective learning counselling to all UPJŠ students, while also being responsible for the support and care of students with specific needs.
