An institution is responsible for the healthy development and achievement of its student body to envelope, develop and graduate students, who are psychologically and academically sound. An institution therefore, must explore, refine and develop successful models of student development which are both cognitively and psychosocially adept. The University Counseling Center is one such facility whose primary objective is to provide a professional, confidential, nurturing atmosphere to allow students to blossom in their respective lives.

Research shows that early detection of mental health issues gives a much better prognosis for recovery and that early intervention can sometimes be critical. Students need help in a variety of issues such as in clarifying values and priorities, increasing self-confidence, coping with anxiety and stress, and overcoming loneliness and depression. Counselors are not normally the first people students turn to when they have problems. However, Students are in almost daily contact with friends, resident assistants, advisors, and faculty members who are in an excellent position to assist students in distress, and also to refer students to professional counseling.

Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU), the first in Pakistan, is one of the few academic institutes that does offer counseling services, and recommends a number of sessions for each student to attend during the term. However, students seldom avail this opportunity. We would like to examine whether students in FJWU a) Are students referred to the counseling center by the faculty members b) do the students think counseling service facilitates their learning process, and finally for those students who do not attend the required number of sessions what are the factors that prevent them from seeking this service. We are interested in examining the hindrances to student's academic achievement and performance particularly those who have dropped their grades recently by assessing their visits to the counseling centers. In this paper we share the preliminary findings.