Get to Know TFC’s Student Wellness Center

Toccoa Falls College’s (TFC) Student Wellness Center is a safe space on campus for students to seek support, help and guidance as they navigate the stressors and obstacles of school and life. The Wellness Center offers Student Counseling Services that aim to support the emotional needs of students in a secure and confidential environment. The counselors are capable of handling various forms of psychological distress, grief and trauma, and adjustment to college life. TFC and the Student Wellness Center are dedicated to providing students with the means to effectively manage and process mental health struggles. 

The Wellness Center is located in the basement of Fant Hall, which has a separate entrance underneath the dorm. There is a sidewalk from the street that winds up to the Wellness Center door. Students can schedule an appointment Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Wellness Center welcomes students for walk-ins on Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. if they have not made an appointment and need help. In addition to two full-time counselors, the Wellness Center has several interns that are available several days a week to work with students. These counselors and interns work diligently to help students and the TFC community. 

Whether you’re starting or continuing your mental health journey, it can be difficult to find a counselor suited to your needs. We talked with the counselors and interns in the Wellness Center to help you get to know who they are and how they can help you. 

Amy L. Marshall 

Amy Marshall is an Independent Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Director of the Student Wellness Center. She specializes in clinical social work.

“Clinical social work is a specialty practice area which focuses on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness, emotional and other behavioral disturbances,” she says. 

Marshall’s common forms of treatment include individual, group, and family therapy. Her focus is on both the individual and their environment. She says it is important to not only address how a person feels, but also what they can do about their situation. 

“When you deal with the external factors that impact a person's situation and outlook, you create opportunities for assessment and intervention,” Marshall says.

Jessica Middlebrooks 

Jessica Middlebrooks, TFC’s other full-time counselor, is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and  Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor (CADC).  She specializes in addictions, anxiety disorders, depression, and ADHD management. Middlebrooks, who also has a degree in Music Ministry, says she knew God had more in store for her. 

“I truly believe that God called me to this field. Because of this, I want to help people find healing, peace, and strength.” Middlebrooks says. “It was in my pastoral counseling class that I started to consider counseling ministry. It is cool to see what God has done to get me to this point.”

Middlebrooks says her experience with the counseling team at TFC has been positive so far. In her free time, Middlebrooks enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and traveling. She also loves baseball, particularly the Braves.

Rebecca Smith

Rebecca Smith is one of TFC’s counseling interns. After graduating with a degree in Elementary Education in 2001 from Gardner Webb University and teaching for six years, Smith served for 17 years as Administrative Director for Strong Rock Camp and Retreat in Cleveland, Ga., where she lives with her husband. 

Though she has yet to choose her area of specialization, Smith enjoys working with college students to help them adjust to the transition from childhood to adulthood. 

“I enjoy helping students adjust to their newfound independence and walking with them through their anxiety, depression, and grief,” she says.

Smith decided to pursue an education in Counseling to be better equipped to provide support to both her counselors and campers at Strong Rock Camp and Retreat. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Truett McConnell University.

Her faith has played a vital role in her decision to become a counselor, and she says that God has opened every door along the way that she thought would have been locked. 

“I believe He planned and directed each step I have taken toward counseling,” Smith says. “I truly don't know how being a counselor is possible without surrendering to the Holy Spirit and allowing him to work through you.” 

Outside of the office, she loves animals and enjoys spending time with her dogs, cats, and backyard chickens. 

Jimmy Hoobler

Jimmy Hoobler graduated from TFC in 2017 with a degree in Counseling/Psychology. He is an intern completing his final year of a Master of Social Work (MSW) program at Valdosta State University. He has primarily worked with families and children for the past five years but is interested in specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and trauma-focused CBT.

Hoobler says he felt God calling him at 15 years old to serve underprivileged people. Though he came to TFC with the intention to earn a degree in Education, he ultimately changed his mind. 

 “I changed my major to Counseling/Psychology at TFC because it matched my talents, passions, and aligned with the calling God put on my life,” Hoobler says.

Hoobler has been married for five years and enjoys playing disc golf, reading books, rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers, watching Star Wars, and hanging out with friends and family outside of work. 

So far, Hoobler  has had a great experience at the Wellness Center. 

“I have enjoyed being involved with the TFC community, seeing students, and getting to work in such a beautiful environment,” he says. 

Corey Hawkins

Corey Hawkins is another TFC alumnus and current intern in the Wellness Center. She graduated from TFC in December 2020 with a degree in Counseling/Psychology and is currently finishing her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Liberty University. Hawkins enjoys working with anxiety and adjustment disorders and would like to earn a certification to work with trauma in the future. After she graduates, she intends to become an LPC and continue working with young adults. 

“I am becoming a counselor because I love being able to sit with people in their experiences. My goal with every client is to make sure that they have a safe space to process their experiences without fear of judgment,” she says.

Hawkins says God has been informing her decision to practice counseling since beginning school at TFC.

“God led me to continue my education after having conversations with professors and supervisors in my undergraduate internship.  The Lord has pushed me outside of my comfort zone in ways I never imagined possible,” Hawkins says. 

Over the past year, she has enjoyed her time as an intern at the Wellness Center. 

“The students are wonderful, the staff is amazing, and I could not be more thankful to be finishing my Master’s degree in this environment,” Hawkins says.

She lives in Northeast Georgia with her family, and she enjoys spending time with her three-year-old Labradoodle, Sailor, and being outside in the sunshine in her free time.

Michael Kowalski

Michael Kowalski, a TFC alumnus, plays a double role on campus as an intern in the Wellness Center and Resident Director for the Terraces. . His preferred specialization for therapy is CBT. 

“I am a big fan of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, with the versatility and functionality that make  it a fantastic foundation to help people and [more easily] branch off into other therapy types,” Kowalski says.

Kowalski says he wanted to be a counselor to be the person for others that he needed growing up but never had. His goal is to continue helping others and hopefully teach counseling skills in the future. 

“I wanted to know why people do what they do. It expanded into wanting to be someone I didn't have growing up. Working to ‘be that someone,’ although coming from a place of care, had to be reworked over the years to stave off burnout and focus on others instead of only filling a ‘need,’” Kowalski says.

Throughout the course of his experience as an intern, Kowalski says God has taught him much about listening as a skill, as well as navigating difficult life experiences. 

“It has given me some wisdom and understanding, translating into gaining more empathy for those around me and whom I work with in counseling,” he says. 

Kowalski has been married to his wife, Breanna, for 10 years. They have two children, seven-year-old Anora – who many students may have seen around campus and at events – and almost one-year-old Rhys, who the family recently adopted.

“We went through the entire adoption process while working at TFC, and the community has been an incredible support,” Kowalski says.

In his free time, Kowalski enjoys reading, collecting books, creative writing, Dungeons ‘n’ Dragons, ultimate frisbee, and football.

If you or someone you know is struggling, we encourage you to reach out to one of TFC’s Counselors or Student Interns. The Wellness Center is overflowing with people who are here to help and provide a safe and nonjudgmental place for support and encouragement!