ABOUT THE CENTER

Facing the Challenges of College

CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES

Students coming to campus often leave their familiar supports behind. For many it may be a virtual starting-over in developing a social network. For some students, this is invigorating and freeing, for others it is a powerful and difficult challenge.

The center can help students meet this challenge by giving support in the form of individual and group counseling. Perhaps more importantly, the center can assist students to identify what inhibits them from creating their own support and can teach the skills that help them to do so. In conjunction with other student affairs professionals, the center also helps to create a climate of positive social interaction on the campus.

Students coming to college are also seeing the social world they left behind through a new lens, as they move away from family and friends. This creates challenges as they strive to achieve independence from their family and establish their own sense of who they are. Many of these students can benefit from having a place to speak with a caring professional or a structured opportunity to talk with other students who are struggling with similar issues.

One of the most important things about campus life is the exposure to people who may be very different from us. Something exciting and challenging happens when we take risks to build relationships with people who are different, instead of only hanging out with people just like us. This not only makes life more interesting, it's actually an important way to learn about ourselves.

In these diverse relationships, we get to look at ourselves in a new way, gain more perspective on the world and on our place in it .... and learn about our impact on others. The Counseling Center can help students build the skills and understanding to learn from and enjoy differences.

Students face not only concerns about relationships with others, but challenges within themselves. They strive to establish a sense of who they are and to move forward with their intellectual and professional endeavors. At the same time they must figure out how to manage so many feelings and emotions. Some may be old and familiar to them, and some involve entering uncharted territory. Many college students will at some point experience anxiety, depression, and struggles with self-esteem and other challenging internal experiences.

Given the unsettled nature of the political, economic and social forces in our world, more students than ever feeling anxious. The counseling center can help students to better care for themselves in these times. It can assist students to deal with emotions that may keep them from their best academic, professional or social functioning. It can help create a climate on campus where people can talk about their feelings, rather than turn anxiety into hostility or other unhealthy behaviors.

Ultimately, the Center can help students figure out how to be fully present in their current lives, while also making progress toward their goals.