There are several licensed Counsellors, Psychologists, a Counselling intern, and a Social Worker at Champlain St-Lambert who are here to assist students in identifying and resolving any difficulties which could interfere in the attainment of their goals within the areas of personal, career, and educational development. This is done through understanding, identifying, exploring, and finding different alternatives to the issue(s).
Hours of Operation & Location
* For safety reasons, services are modified or adapted during COVID-19 governmental recommendations.
The counsellors are located in Student Services on the first floor of the F-block, and our offices hours are:
Monday – Wednesday – Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Tuesday from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Thursday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Meetings are by appointment, however if there is a crisis within the hours of operation, we will see the student that day. If a crisis occurs before or after those hours, a list of resource numbers is available at the bottom of this page.
Who We Are (Our Counsellors)
Mel Berish, Counsellor/Psychotherapist mberish@crcmail.net
Wanita Jones, Counsellor/Psychologist wjones@crcmail.net
Debra Polomeno, Counsellor/Psychologist and Career Counsellor dpolomeno@crcmail.net
Rebecca Cohen, Counsellor/Psychologist rcohen@crcmail.net
Bouny Te, Social Worker bte@crcmail.net
Cristina Casola, Counsellor/Psychologist Intern and Career Counsellor ccasola@crcmail.net
Scheduling an Appointment
Students can send a MIO message via Omnivox or an email, in confidentiality, to Céline Bourgeois, Student Services Administrative Assistant to schedule an appointment.
Confidentiality Policy
All sessions between student and counsellor are confidential. This means that no information can be revealed to parents, staff/faculty, friends, or anyone else without the written consent of the student. For more information on this policy, you can contact one of our counsellors (see the list above).
Short-Term Personal Counselling
Students often need assistance in dealing with emotional or interpersonal issues that may be undermining their ability to achieve personal, academic, and/or career goals.
Counsellors are here to listen and explore these issues with students in a supportive, non-judgmental way. They collaborate with students to clarify the concern(s) and to help students express their feelings. They assist them in viewing the issue from different perspectives, to explore and identify goals for change, and to determine an appropriate plan of action. The plan of action may include counselling within the College and/or referral to an outside community resource.
Some of the issues that students bring forth include: depression, anxiety, stress, wounds from abuse, transition/developmental difficulties, interpersonal relationships, familial concerns, sexuality and gender, diversity, self-esteem issues, etc.
How to file a complaint:
To file a complaint with the Ordre des psychologues du Québec (OPQ), contact the Office of the Syndic by filling out a form at www.ordrepsy.qc.ca/deposer-une-plainte, or call 514-738-1881.
To file a complaint with the Ordre des conseillers et conseillères d’orientation du Québec (OCCOQ), contact the secretary of the office of the Syndicate of the order at 514-737-4771, ext. 237 or https://www.orientation.qc.ca/informations-pour-le-public/porter-plainte
To file a complaint with the Ordre des travailleurs sociaux et des thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec (OTSTCFQ): If you feel the social worker with license number TE_B18/04/040 has not acted within her moral or ethical obligations as outlined in the Code of Ethics of the OTSTCFQ you can contact them directly at 514-731-3925 or here https://www1.otstcfq.org/public/protection-du-public/demande-d-enquete/
Career Counselling
Some students come to CEGEP with an idea of what they want to do and which career path they want to pursue; but there are many students who are unsure or who feel confused about which path to take. Counsellors are here to guide students through this process by incorporating the following strategies.
- Self-reflection: To help students get to know their strengths, weaknesses, interests, passions, work values, as well as what are other influences in making this decision.
- Standardized tests: To help students gain a more concrete view/understanding of their interests and personality and to clarify which career fields might suit them.
- Researching careers: Students will learn the strategies needed to be able to thoroughly explore a career.
- Discussion: A dialogue will occur throughout the whole process so the student is able to fully comprehend what all of this means.
Students seeking career counselling services for the first time will participate in a group workshop first. They can then meet with a counsellor/psychologist individually to continue their exploration. Students can sign up with Student Services Administrative Assistant, Céline Bourgeois, or send her a MIO message.
Students can also research information about careers on various websites. Students must go to the Omnivox homepage and click on the ‘Career Corner’ link under the ‘Student Groups’ category on the right hand side.
Finally, if students have a quick question relating to career exploration, they can send a MIO message to ‘Career Counsellor’.
Study Skills and Time Management
Sometimes students’ academic performance may be compromised because of a personal issue and/or there is something else that is going on such as time management, exam/class anxiety, procrastination, and/or motivation. Students may also have difficulty with study skills such as note-taking, preparing for exams, how to read a textbook, etc. Counsellors are also here to help you through these issues.
Emergency Contact Numbers
Police/Fire/Emergency
9-1-1
Longueuil Police (St-Lambert)
(450) 463-7011
Hôpital Charles LeMoyne (Emergency/Urgence)
(450) 466-5050
Hôpital Pierre-Boucher (Emergency/Urgence)
(450) 468-8144
Royal-Victoria Hospital (Emergency/Urgence)
(514) 934-1934
Jewish General Hospital (Emergency/Urgence)
(514) 340-8222 Loc. 5011
Herzl Teen Clinic
(514) 340-8253
CLSC-Samuel-de-Champlain (Info-Santé 24h)
(450) 445-4452 or 811
Tel-Aide (24h)
(514) 935-1101
Tel-Jeune
1-800-263-2266
Inter-ligne (LGBTQ+ Help Line)
514-866-0103
Suicide Action Montreal (24h)
1-866-277-3553 (toll-free) or (514) 723-4000
Crisis Center/ Centre de crise l’ACCÈS
(450) 679-8689
Montreal Sexual Assault Centre (24h)
(514) 934-4505
Anorexia & Bulimia Québec – ANEB
Text or call 1-800-630-0907
Online chat www.anebados.com
Kids Help Phone
Text CONNECT to 686868
Call 1-800-668-6868
Online chat www.kidshelphone.ca
Faculty & Staff Resources
- The Anxious Student
- The Depressed Student
- The Physically Aggressive Student
- The Suicidal Student
- The Verbally Aggressive Student
- The Violent Student
