DePaul University Counseling Services made its first full-time hire of the school year.

Two more full-time counselors will begin work in May 2022, according to UCS director Tow Yau.

UCS plans to have a total of nine full-time board positions by June and will begin seeing students in fall 2022, according to Yau.

These are the first formal full-time hires made by UCS since outsourcing all counseling to My Student Support Program (SSP) in July 2021. Four temporary part-time counselors were hired in January and provided 15 hours of clinical services in Lincoln Park. and five to the loop, according to Yau.

“We have other applicants and hope to fill all remaining positions by June, although hiring in this area continues to be a challenge nationwide,” Yau said in a statement to The DePaulia.

Yau also confirmed that he continues to work with the Student Government Association (SGA) to create a mental health task force.

Riley Reed, SGA Senator for LGBTQ+ Students, said she heard student concerns about My SSP and the services available from the university. The working group is still in its planning phase.

“We as students want to make sure people have access to proper mental health care on college campuses because frankly, as we’ve seen since the pandemic, it’s been poor,” said Reed.

Students may encounter insurance issues if they choose to outsource counseling. During the fall term, UCS would make custom referrals based on insurance plans, according to Yau.

“Students are so frustrated because if you don’t like having certain insurance, it’s really hard to get covered,” Reed said.

DePaul students will have access to My SSP until the end of the academic year, according to Yau, and it is undetermined whether this will be renewed. Yau said students’ use of My SSP wavered throughout the term.

“The number of students accessing My SSP has decreased slightly but remains stable,” he said. “In our experience, the number of students accessing the app fluctuates throughout the term.”

Sophomore Evelyn Hernandez said she was referred to My SSP but was confused as to how it worked.

“It wasn’t clear how to set up an appointment; there wasn’t much explanation about it and it was difficult to navigate the website to figure out how to get an appointment in the first place,” Hernandez noted.

She attended three sessions with two different counsellors.

“I’ve had two sessions with my current counselor, and it’s been fine, but I also feel weird talking to a robot, but it’s been helpful,” Hernandez said.

My SSP says it is a phone, app and web based telehealth service, according to its home page. This term, DePaul students had the opportunity to meet their advisors in person.

“My SSP counselors in Chicago also hosted 30 in-person sessions with DePaul students,” Yau said.

The Division of Student Affairs hosted a Mental Health Fair this past term, where Courtney James, Director of Student Engagement, shared how different departments are trying to help students during UCS’s restructuring.

“We all know what’s going on with UCS,” James said in a previous DePaulia post. “It’s not the only solution. This is part of what students are asking for and what we need to do.

Senior management has not issued a statement regarding UCS. During the fall term, Vice President of Student Affairs Gene Zdziarski sent a college-wide email about My SSP, but didn’t explain why they added the resource. President A. Gabriel Esteban did not address the lack of counselors in his 2021 State of the University presentation.

Provost Salma Ghanem said at the joint university town hall between staff, faculty council and SGA in January that they “will assess the situation as it unfolds”, according to previous reports from The DePaulia. She also said that they have no plans to invest more funds in UCS.

“Once the positions at UCS are filled, the university will assess whether the needs for mental health services have been met,” Ghanem told the meeting.

There have been no updates since then from the administration about UCS.

“The upper administration must be held accountable for the lack of support they gave to their students,” Reed said. “They didn’t address it because they think [My SSP is] working. They need to be held accountable by the students as a whole because it doesn’t work.

UCS was also present at the mental health fair. Yau said it was a way to be more in tune with students’ mental health requirements.

“These events have reinforced how important it is for us to be attuned to the diverse mental health needs of our students,” Yau said. “It will be helpful to listen to students and learn about gaps in support as well as the types of services that would support student success. »

Reed said she trusts Yau to lead UCS and implement new programs for students. This includes hiring various advisors.

“[Yau] said he really wanted a fairer approach to [counseling] and getting therapists who really represent the student body, whether it’s gay therapists or therapists of color, those who can communicate a little better with students,” Reed said.

UCS plans to implement group treatment programs for alcohol and drug use, trauma-informed care, and survivors of sexual violence in the fall of 2022.

Mental health issues among COVID-19 patients have apparently increased, particularly due to worry about infecting co-workers and loved ones and how others will view them.

Helpline operators say they have been inundated with calls from COVID-19 patients and uninfected people during the latest wave of infections and as the pandemic drags on.

A 45-year-old woman in Sapporo said her mental problems started while she was self-isolating at home after testing positive in January.

“The loneliness and anxiety broke me down mentally,” she said.

Although she resumed her work as a life counselor for a nursing facility in Hokkaido’s capital, she said a void still existed in her life.

She lives in a two-story house with her 55-year-old husband, 16-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son.

The woman also has a 19-year-old daughter who lives in a nearby town. After this girl visited the family home, she tested positive for the virus on January 11.

The mother’s infection was confirmed on January 16 and she self-isolated in her upstairs bedroom. None of the other family members tested positive.

She was in tears when she told her boss over the phone that she had been infected. She said she felt guilty for inconveniencing her understaffed workplace, which has fewer than 10 employees, and also feared she had transmitted the virus among the nearly 20 elderly citizens who use the facility. .

Her symptoms were mild, including a runny nose and mild fever.

But his gloom increased in isolation. She feared infecting her family members and worried about how she would return to her workplace.

The woman returned to work after about two weeks.

“I have to work harder to make up for the time off I took,” she says, she thinks today. “It takes time to return to your previous state of mind and reintegrate into society. That’s what’s so troubling about COVID-19.

HURT POSTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

A 27-year-old company employee who lives in the Adachi district of Tokyo said she had been depressed reading social media posts while recovering from COVID-19.

After testing positive in January, she wanted to recover in a hotel to avoid household transmission. But there was no free place so she had to stay home.

She feared that she had infected her colleagues and transmitted the virus to her husband at home. The constant fears sometimes made her cry.

The woman took a casual look on social media in hopes of easing the feeling of helplessness. Some of the messages she read made things worse.

“If you get COVID now, you’ll probably only have mild symptoms,” she quoted a poster.

“COVID is no longer just a common cold,” said another.

She said such bold comments about people like her not only angered her, but added to her physical and mental exhaustion.

She returned to work on January 26 but is still afraid of the stares of her colleagues every time she coughs, a symptom that persists. She is also increasingly concerned about possible lingering sequelae.

“You are so mentally tired during your recovery and even afterwards,” the woman said. “COVID should simply not be taken lightly, as if it were a cold.”

FLOODED HELP LINES

A mental health COVID-19 hotline run by the Japan Society of Board Certified Clinical Psychologists based in Tokyo’s Bunkyo district received 135 requests for counseling in January, and staff could not handle all of the calls.

Some callers said they feared the infection would elicit cold looks from acquaintances, company officials said. Others feared causing problems at their workplace if they were infected.

“(Watching) the unfounded online criticism of infected people only amplifies your unease,” a helpline official said. “More attention should be paid to discussions with people you can trust, such as your family members and family doctors.

The Minato Public Health Center in Tokyo’s Minato Ward also operates a mental health hotline dedicated to COVID-19 issues.

In January, he received more than three times the number of advice requests he had received in December.

Center officials said they have visited corporate offices, senior living facilities and other establishments to instruct on infection control measures.

They said they found that some of these establishments do not allow infected employees to return to work immediately after completing their recovery periods set by doctors and local authorities.

“Companies and other establishments have a responsibility to eliminate lingering biases and foster an environment that allows infected employees to return to work without being nervous once they have recovered,” said Hirofumi Ninomiya, head of the division. of health promotion at the public health centre.

“It is essential that these establishments organize training sessions and use other means to repeatedly share accurate knowledge among their workers,” he said.

Residents and families of Victoria will soon have better access to day-to-day primary health care services with the opening of the new Luther Court Community Health Center (CHC).

Services will begin on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, prior to the completion of the CHC expansion and renovation.

Work is underway to create 260 square meters (2,800 square feet) of purpose-built clinical space at Luther Court’s current location at 1525 Cedar Hill Cross Rd. The center is expected to open in June 2022 and operate at full capacity. by 2024-25.

The Luther Court CHC team will initially expand to include a doctor and three nurses who will begin tethering patients and offering virtual appointments next week. Patients requiring in-person care will be able to receive services in a temporary off-site space. The expansion will also add more registered nurses and other allied health care providers to the team.

“We are delighted that the Luther Court Society is already beginning the work of connecting the people of Victoria to the health care services they need in preparation for the completion of the Community Health Center refurbishment,” said Adrian Dix, health Minister. “As the company adds a community health center to its existing services, residents will have one more place to go to get the daily health care they need closer to home.

Once the center opens at its main location, approximately nine additional full-time equivalent clinical health care providers will be recruited to join existing staff at Luther Court to provide comprehensive primary care services with an emphasis on older people and people living with mental health issues. and substance use conditions. The team will include family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, a licensed practical nurse, a mental health and addictions worker, a community health outreach worker, a dietitian and an occupational therapist.

In addition, approximately six full-time equivalent support staff, including a primary health care director, will assist the clinical care team in delivering health promotion and wellness services and increasing access to housing. intergenerational.

The center will begin by opening Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The Government of British Columbia will provide more than $2.2 million in operating budget once the center reaches full capacity. The province also provided one-time funding of more than $2.1 million for renovation costs.

“We know that in Victoria it is often difficult for people to get the health care they need when they need it most,” said Rob Fleming, MPP for Victoria-Swan Lake. “To meet this challenge, the new Community Health Center is a crucial part of the government’s commitment to provide better and faster access to health care across the province.

“The people of Greater Victoria deserve high-quality, accessible health care and that’s why our government is working hard to create solutions that meet their needs,” said Murray Rankin, MPP for Oak Bay-Gordon Head. . “BC’s primary care strategy builds on the good work that community organizations like Luther Court are already doing and will help our families and seniors.

Community health centers are not-for-profit or cooperative health care organizations that provide integrated, people-centered services and programs that reflect the needs of the communities they serve.

Since 1979, the Luther Court Society has provided an innovative model of care to improve the quality of life for older adults by providing housing options, care services and community interaction. The company is known for helping seniors live and age in place, and offers a variety of programs such as long-term care and independent and assisted living services. An affordable intergenerational housing project is also planned.

The Luther Court Society has a long history of collaborating with local community groups and organizations, with post-secondary apprenticeship partners and is a member of several collectives such as the BC Association of Community Health Centres. Recognized as a local health centre, the expansion of Luther Court into a community health center will help increase access to primary care, health promotion and wellness services, further meeting the needs from the community.

The Luther Court CHC is a collaboration between the Department of Health, Island Health, the Victoria Division of Family Practice and the Luther Court Society and will provide comprehensive primary care services to the local community. It will be part of the Victoria Primary Care Network and will be governed, owned and operated by the Luther Court Society.

Fast facts:

• There are approximately 100 community health centers run by health authorities and 30 community health centers run by the community in British Columbia.
• These centers focus on the integration of services and programs in primary care, health promotion and community wellness, and the social determinants of health.

Learn more:

To learn more about the province’s primary care strategy, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018PREM0034-001010

To learn more about the Luther Court Society, visit: https://luthercourt.org/

A backgrounder follows.

The Sevastopol school board frequently gets inside information about state funding and problems from one of its longtime members.

Sue Todey, a retired educator, has just completed her term as president of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) and is now its past president. She also continues to serve as Chair of the Board of CESA 7, an association of 30 schools in northeastern Wisconsin.

Sevastopol Superintendent Kyle Luedtke said Todey’s service on state and regional councils helps him and the district stay informed of issues and in touch with state and local lawmakers. He said she also provides an independent voice to the WASB on issues affecting Wisconsin students, drawing on her years of experience as a counselor and administrator in Wisconsin schools.

“She has always been a huge advocate for children and children’s programs, and helping children get what they need,” Luedtke said.

Todey returned to her parents’ farm and the 120-acre farm after she and her husband retired in the early 2000s. She has been involved in various phases of education for over 50 years. She began teaching at age 21 and worked as a school counselor and administrator in the Green Bay School District. While semi-retired, she taught at the university level and worked as a consultant for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction on anti-bullying measures and drug prevention education.

Todey has also served on the Sevastopol school board since 2006.

“I didn’t retire well,” she says. “I needed to have something to do, and I thought I had experiences and skills that would benefit the school district.”

Over the past two years, WASB has diverted much of its attention to helping school board members deal with the issues they face: complicated health protocols for students and rocky relationships with district residents and school board members. parents.

“It was a tough time in education,” Todey said. “Certainly people have taken a great interest on all sides in educational matters – masking and vaccinations and critical race theory.”

The association has offered school board members numerous webinars and training sessions on community engagement, and has provided counseling to individual school board members who have been threatened.

“When we released the vaccine as a country, I think we thought we were on the right track to get back to normal, but it didn’t work out that way when we got the Delta variant and the variant Omicron,” Todey said. “Personally, I thought more people would rush to get vaccinated. Not everyone felt that. »

At the Sevastopol meetings, Todey voted for both tighter and looser health protocols, and she supported decisions that don’t make all parents happy.

“It was difficult,” she said. “I think there’s a lot of division – not just in our state, but in our country – and that’s something we just have to get over.”

At the state convention this winter, Todey spoke about what some students are doing to fight divisiveness through anti-hate groups that post signs and work with younger kids — “all to help them to understand that this hatred is not good,” she said.

People learn to hate each other, Todey said, and schools play a role in teaching students to love one another.

“I think that’s really the challenge we face now as educators: to help our children so that we can create a kinder and gentler society than the one we live in now,” she said. .

Also in the wake of the pandemic, school boards and educators must address the learning gaps that have arisen when young people had online or hybrid learning models or missed parts of the curriculum. Then the next big task for Todey and CESA 7 representatives will be to hold sessions in April to brief new school board members on laws such as the Open Meetings Act, as well as other related issues. the responsibilities of the board.

She said she continues to reach out to lawmakers to help area schools receive more state and federal funding and more support for student mental health needs.

“Here in Sevastopol, we don’t get a lot of general financial support from the state; we get categorical [program] help,” Todey said. “Because we are wealthy in property and poor in income, we are not eligible – any more than Gibraltar or Washington Island.”

She is part of the Fair Aid Coalition, a group including school districts such as Sevastopol that do not receive this general aid, and has been successful in getting more funding for transportation.

“We’re getting federal funds, but those will end,” she said. “We need to ensure that we have the necessary funding at all times. »

She also advocates for competitive salaries for teachers to continue to attract high quality educators. Todey said high-demand positions compete with places like Green Bay and Appleton, but Door County also has high housing costs and fewer social events for young educators.

By Express press service

CHENNAI: We see teachers as problem solvers and who better than them to teach us to spot the good side of adversity? Speaking at the ThinkEdu Conclave panel event titled “Smart Learning: The Digital Edge,” Minoo Aggarwal, DAV Public School Principal, remarked on the positive outcome of the pandemic for those in education, “The how we have all adapted to technology and new tools has given a big boost to the education system. The gains in the last two years are equivalent to what we would have needed for 10 years,” she said.

Think Edu 2022 | Karnataka hijab row is a plot: Governor of Kerala

Other educators on the panel shared how teachers learned to become learners, with technology-enabled digital learning becoming the norm after the March 2020 lockdown. Shoba Raman, Principal of Vidya Mandir, said: “It It was encouraging to see teachers sitting down with their students asking for help in using digital tools, dispelling doubts and becoming students themselves. »

Prabha Dixit, Principal, Akshar Arbol International School, Shoba Raman, Principal, Vidya Mandir, Sheela Rajendra, Dean, Principal and Correspondent, PSBB Group of Schools and Minoo Aggarwal, Principal, DAV Public School join the author and journalist @kavereeb at #ThinkEdu2022. pic.twitter.com/x7QmlT0WVt

— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) March 9, 2022

Educators discussed at length the mental health consequences that the new way of learning has imposed on teachers in addition to being home and balancing more than they could. Prabha Dixit, Principal of Akshar Arbol International School, said: “Teachers tell me that they are now in school from 7 to 4 and that they have to integrate the needs of the house, the parents, the beautiful -family and their own children’s schedules.” She also pointed out that to prevent teachers from changing careers, they needed to be given more understanding. Minoo shared that management holds weekly tea parties for teachers to relax and ease stress because they were, she said, the real heroes, not the administrators. School counselors had their hands full with all mental health needs, Prabha said. “We facilitated sessions with parents, teachers and counselors to allow everyone to have a space to listen to each other and share their frustrations. We also held counseling sessions for parents of children of different age groups where we shared observed behavioral changes. »

ThinkEdu 2022: 12 years of study in a three-hour test? Minister TN Ponmudi’s NEET setter

Teachers talked about gaps in learning and highlighted cognitive skills that needed retraining. Shoba shared that the program may need to be scaled back to help students get back to where they were at the start of the pandemic. Minoo shared, “Writing skills took a hit. Children have not been able to construct sentences, so we give additional writing exercises. Time management skills became poor and increased nervousness set in. She said they tell students they are being given exams now not to assess them but to help teachers understand what each student needs special help with. They agreed that while school-based learning was not going as well as they had hoped, schoolchildren learned empathy by watching events around the world, from deaths to vaccines and loss of means. of subsistence.

It wasn’t just academics, enough time was also given for play, school administrators revealed. Sheela Rajendra, Dean, Principal and Correspondent, PSBB Group of Schools, explained that they made sure to squeeze in extra-curricular activities within the limits of 40-minute online lessons, “Our schools celebrated every festival in all classes. Also during our virtual sessions, we gave them a few minutes to chat, connect emotionally with other students and calm down.

Explaining how a digital advantage will help educators facing the current situation of old versus new, as each student is now at a different level, Prabha said, “Technology is a good enabler of teaching practice. We have tablets and phones — it’s hardware. The focus is on how we can integrate technology and not make the mistake of putting the horse before the cart. »

Sharing their collective happiness over classrooms filled with the sounds of learning and laughter after the break, educators said that despite the challenges, everyone was happy to be back in school. “We thought the children would express reservations and reluctance, but they have settled in so well. It was definitely a wonderful surprise,” she exclaimed. Panelists said their main goal was to get the kids back to a routine. “We give them staggered schedules to help them relax and get back into a routine. When there are situations where they tell us “I have a cold, I want to go home”, now that they are used to staying home longer, we make sure to learn to find a balance “, she signed.

ThinkEdu 2022 is the grand tenth edition of what has been India’s biggest educational conclave for a decade now. On March 8 and 9, some pillars of India’s academic, economic and political ecosystems will bring ideas, ideologies and reflections on the past, present and future of the Indian education system. The sessions will be viewed by a live audience, in addition to the 2,750 users registered on the Conclave’s digital space. Over the past nine years, the Conclave has seen true stalwart thinkers such as former Presidents Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and Dr. Pranab Mukherjee, MPs Jairam Ramesh, Smriti Irani, former CM of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah, CEO of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant and Spiritual Guide Sadhguru.

Complete coverage of ThinkEdu 2022

This story is about suicide. If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, please call the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for resources additional.

When the news broke that 22-year-old Stanford football star and senior Katie Meyer died by suicide last week, it was a heartbreak to parents who understood what Katie’s mother, Gina, meant. , when she said she was having “a parent’s worst nightmare” in her interview with NBC News’ Stephanie Gosk on TODAY.

Especially terrifying for parents: Meyer told Gosk that she and Katie’s father had no red flags leading to his death and that she had been in good spirits on FaceTime with them hours before.

Katie’s death leaves questions about what parents need to know about mental health support on campus and how they can support their children in college, especially now that students seem to be struggling more than ever.

Related: Katie Meyer’s parents speak out after her death

According to the latest Healthy Minds Institute data report from Winter 2021, 41% of students surveyed reported moderate or major depression, and 13% said they had had suicidal thoughts in the past year.

We asked experts in the fields of mental health and higher education for their thoughts on what parents can do.

1. Start working on self-defense skills early

Think about the skills people need in college before your kids get into college, Myrna Hernández, vice president of student affairs at the College of Wooster in Ohio, told TODAY Parents. “While they’re still in high school, figure out what your child is dealing with, whether it’s academics, mental health, or anxiety,” she suggested.

“Then start building their self-advocacy skills,” she said. “Ask them, ‘What do you want to do about it and how are you going to achieve it? to be able to speak for themselves.

Read more: TODAY’s guide to young adults and mental health

2. Learn about mental health resources

When visiting college campuses, parents and students should ask about mental health services the same way they would ask about meal plans or internship opportunities, experts said — even if their students have never needed mental health support in the past.

Know who to contact in case of a problem. Know where the student health center is. Know how to find mental health help and make sure your college kids know too. At Wooster, for example, Hernández said the school has an “early warning system” in the form of a university “care team” made up of students, faculty and staff. staff who can follow up if someone alerts them with concerns about a student. .

Wooster offers counseling services through its Student Wellness Center, but Hernández noted that those services might have a wait time. She said Wooster and most colleges and universities also have emergency mental health support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week — which is important for students to know.

Other questions to ask colleges: How long do students typically wait to see a counselor? How many sessions are they given before they have to seek help outside of the university? What kind of support does the university provide if they need to find a private mental health provider?

3. Consider legal release forms

What many parents don’t realize is that once kids are over 18, privacy laws limit colleges in what they can tell parents about mental health. of their students.

In some cases, parents may want to submit documents signed by their students, which will give the college more freedom to tell them if their children are suffering from a medical condition on campus, whether mental or physical. These forms may include a medical and/or financial power of attorney as well as HIPAA authorizations.

“If a student welcomes this, it’s not a crazy thing to have, just in case,” said Dr. Sarah Cain Spannagel, licensed clinical psychologist and faculty member at Case Western Reserve University.

“My mom sent me off to college with a Tupperware with things like a little sewing kit in it,” Spannagel noted. “Did I use any of these things? No. They sat in a storage block in the corner of my dorm. But I had them if I needed them; and it’s really no different, if it makes sense to everyone involved.

4. Talk about mental health and have a plan

When a child goes off to college, the dynamic between them and their parents changes, Hernández said — and communication is important.

Once a student has been on campus for a few weeks, “Ask them, ‘Who besides your friends supports you?'” she said. “Make sure they can point to someone. Even a single connection, like a coach or a professor or someone from the academic resource center is enough, but they have to be connected to someone.”

For students who received mental health support in their hometown, a “direct continuity of care plan” is also essential, Spannagel said, and not just in terms of counseling or medication.

“Whatever personal care your child takes at home, it has to accompany them in some way through college,” she said. “If they have a gym membership at home and working out helps relieve their stress, make sure they know where they can do it on campus. nails every week, so they should.”

5. Work on noticing instead of judging

Spannagel advised parents to stay in regular contact with their kids in college and insist, sometimes, on hearing their voices or FaceTiming so they can see what they look like. However, she warned that parents should be “observers” when watching their children and not judge them.

If they are grumpy from lack of sleep or not eating enough, instead of criticizing them, be aware and notice if a child seems to be eating, exercising or sleeping more or less than usual, has she declared. Significant changes can be an early warning signal that something is wrong. A big say a student might need help with, Spnagel said: any mention of desperation.

Spnagel also said that while students need their independence, it’s okay for parents to decide to take something off their child’s plate.

“If you have to pick up their medicine from the pharmacy and mail it to them at school, who cares? ” she says. “There are a million other opportunities in college to be independent. If they need you to do that one thing to keep them on track, that’s OK.”

6. Tell your kids they’re not alone if they’re struggling

Samantha Arsenault Livingstone is an Olympic swimming gold medalist who battled depression and now works as an educator and mental health advocate. She knows all too well the perfectionism and pressure that Katie Meyer’s parents mentioned in their TODAY interview, for both top athletes and the average person.

Going to college as an elite athlete, she would have benefited from knowing that “other people struggled as well,” she told TODAY Parents. “I completely believed that I was the only one. Even after all my achievement, I felt like an impostor, and that for me was the driver into the depths of depression, into this dark, dark space, because I had felt like I would be found out if I revealed some kind of struggle.

Livingstone noted, “We don’t need a diagnosis to be able to talk about anxiety. Sometimes children feel they need permission to feel what they feel.”

Hernández said the mental health crisis among students is “generational,” not just a byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We must remember that it is getting worse now, as not only are students dealing with the disruption caused by the pandemic, but they have also grown up in schools with the anxiety and stress of active shooting drills and thinking to their personal safety every day just at school in general,” she said.

Related:

With the spring semester in full swing, the Taylor University Counseling Center has set up therapy groups and workshops for students and faculty.

Three therapy groups will meet on a weekly basis for three or four weeks. Each will address a variety of topics, including healthy relationships, managing anxiety and stress, and trauma and resilience.

Registration closed on February 14 for the Healthy Relationships and Trauma and Resilience groups, but registration for a second Anxiety and Stress Management section is open until this Friday, March 11.

There are approximately 25 people currently registered to participate in therapy groups.

Kathy Chamberlain, Director of the Counseling Center, started in July 2020. She has over 30 years of social work experience and specializes in anxiety, trauma work, couples work and mental disorders. ‘mood.

“I hope that one, people recognize that they are not alone and two, that they get the resources they need to make the changes they need,” Chamberlain said.

Like the therapy sessions, the counseling center will host three workshops this semester that students and faculty can attend without registering. The topics of the workshops are communication and conflict resolution, eating disorders and cognitive resetting.

Chamberlain said the counseling center tries to provide workshop opportunities once a month so the Taylor community can learn more about mental health.

The first of three, Communication and Conflict Resolution, met Feb. 15 from 4-5 p.m. in the Cornwall Auditorium to discuss practical communication skills and conflict resolution techniques needed in various relationship situations.

The Disordered Eating Workshop will take place on March 15 from 4-5 p.m. in Cornwall for faculty and staff and 6-7 p.m. in Alspaugh East for students. Members of Shelah House, an eating disorder treatment center in Anderson, Ind., will share their knowledge about early signs of the disorder, body image, and treatment options. Students participating in the second session are encouraged to bring their lunch to the space.

For the final Cognitive Reset workshop, there will be a session on April 12 from 4-5pm in Cornwall. This is specifically aimed at students, providing ways to identify negative thought patterns regarding self-esteem and ways to rewrite those beliefs in a positive light.

Freshman Jonathan Berry said he has been attending individual therapy sessions since the end of J-term and also attended the conflict resolution workshop.

“Even if you don’t get all of your problems resolved right now, it really helps to talk to someone like a professional,” Berry said. “It’s useful even if you’re just organizing your thoughts.”

As an added incentive for students, many professors offer extra credit for attending workshops due to their built-in educational component.

For example, Mike Guebert, professor of geology and environmental science, offered his students additional credit opportunities if they use the advice center and hand in a brief account of their experience.

The counseling center usually receives a quarter of the student population, whether it is a one-time appointment or ongoing appointments. However, Chamberlain said that by the end of 2021 their numbers had increased by 33%, approaching 60% usage of Taylor’s student body.

“The need for mental health care is greater than it has ever been,” Chamberlain said.

One of Chamberlain’s passions in mental health treatment is preventative care. Realizing the need for an outward-looking approach, Chamberlain said it is only now with the COVID-19 pandemic that mental health professionals have begun to intentionally practice preventive care.

Most topics for therapy groups and workshops came directly from student feedback in light of promoting preventive care. According to Chamberlain, communication and conflict resolution was the number one ask of Taylor students who completed a survey sent out through announcements late last fall.

“Our hope is that we reach people who aren’t already in our clinic,” Chamberlain said.

QR codes and counseling center fact sheets are available across campus for easy access. Additionally, grounding boxes—kits containing supplies designed to reduce stress and anxiety—can be found in each dorm as well as at the Academic Enrichment Center. Specifically, they include toys, coloring tools, and therapy lights that mimic sunlight.

Individual appointments can be booked by emailing [email protected] and walk-in sessions are open Monday through Friday at 3 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis.

For times when students or faculty cannot use in-person services, Chamberlain pointed out that online resources such as breathing techniques and mindfulness videos are easily accessible anytime through the MyTaylor portal.

The counseling center has office hours Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For program updates and mental health tips, follow them on Instagram @tucounseling.

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(CBS4) – As the crisis in Ukraine continues, experts say it is likely to affect our mental health more than we even care to believe.

“It’s definitely going to have an impact on our health,” said Blake Fleet, clinical director of Chrysalis Continuing Care in Denver. “I know things like this that seem out of control, the feeling that the world is going to end, are definitely going to cause higher levels of depression.”

And this depression can be passed on to your child, because children feed on the emotions of adults. That’s why Fleet said self-care is key for parents and it’s encouraged to talk to your child about the ongoing war, especially if the child is his age.

“A child under 5, there’s really no reason to discuss this information,” Fleet said. “But as they get older, they’re probably going to be exposed to that anyway, so we’re having that conversation with them, with older kids, and kind of helping them understand and work through their feelings is hugely important. .”

Fleet told CBS4 that when parents approach conversation, they need to adapt the language and words to a level the child will understand.

“Let the child lead, ask ‘Have you heard what’s happening in Ukraine? Is this something you want to know more about? How do you feel about this? “, He said.

Fleet said there are many resources available to help with mental health issues like therapy and online services, but her big message for parents is to take care of themselves.

“We have to get help, reach out. The kids are going to feed off of us,” Fleet said. “So if they feel like we’re calm, relaxed and in control, they feel like they can do the same for themselves.”

The state of Colorado has a program called I Matter that offers three free counseling sessions for children ages 12-18.

Do you feel like your mental health is affecting the way you function in your day to day life? Are you struggling with the transition to college, or just need someone to talk to? At Daytona State College, there are plenty of resources that can help you. It is important to mention that it is not necessary to have received a diagnosis of mental illness to benefit from these services.

At the Counseling and Accessibility Services Center, which is located on each campus, you can make an appointment with a counselor or drop by and talk to someone on site. The planning process is entirely up to you, and counselors are ready to work with your daily schedule. Contrary to popular belief, all sessions are free and of short duration.

If you and your counselor discuss your need for long-term assistance, they may offer you a referral to someone who can meet your needs both mentally and financially. Advisor Micheal Abrahams said: “Sometimes if the student already has health insurance, we can find a provider within their health insurance network, or we know of community providers who offer a sliding scale.” A sliding scale depends on your ability to pay and can be reduced if you have a lower income.

Another excellent resource is the Center for Women and Men, which offers many community programs and provides support and assistance to students in a non-academic way. They analyze the type of obstacles that might stand in your way through communication, then offer resources to help you remove those obstacles. For example, if you need childcare, are homeless, food insecure, or need a book but don’t have the money, the Center for women and men offers a program for each of these problems. Erin LeBlanc, director of the center, said: “No one should ever feel alone. If you don’t have a support system or a healthy system, you can find it here. “

Many people don’t realize that the most important resource is your own support group. Having someone in your life, be it a family member or a close friend, to help you through the tough times is crucial. We are all prone to loneliness and going through a moment of poor mental health can make you feel isolated. You are never alone. There are so many people who love you and are excited for your future. Reaching out to someone can feel terrifying or embarrassing, but it’s never as bad as it seems in your head. Social connection comes more from your sense of connection than from your number of friends. If you don’t already have a support system, the resources listed above are ready to become your support system. It is equally important to help your friends in need.

Recognizing that your mental health is declining is not as easy as many people think. People can get so caught up in their daily lives that taking care of themselves can feel like an extra chore. Realizing that you may not be doing well is an even harder truth than putting in the work to get better. There’s so much stigma behind what someone with poor mental health looks like, that you think it can never be you. There is nothing wrong with getting help. So take the plunge and learn to be kinder to your mind.