Finding what works for you is key in bettering one’s mental health, and the Personal Counseling Center (PCC) is offering various groups for students to try different methods of self-care.
In an attempt to offer students more options, the PCC has been holding group sessions and workshops every week such as Conquering Anxiety through Life Management (CALM), Mental Health 101, Coping Skills 101 and So This is My Life Now.
“By participating in workshops or group with a counselor, students will learn strategies alongside their peers to help them with a variety of concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression and loneliness,” Ferris Director of Health Service Lindsay Barber said. “This is also an opportunity for students who are struggling with their mental health to realize that they are not alone and connect with others for support.”
Barber and the PCC believe it is critical to provide students with these options to help them reach their mental health goals.
“It is important for our counseling staff to meet students where they are in their mental health journey and provide the most appropriate form of care,” Barber said. “These groups and workshops are also a way for students to get their feet wet and see how counseling can help improve their well-being.”
Aside from these events, students have many other resources available to them. The PCC also offers individual therapy for students, crisis intervention and referrals to external resources. The PCC is also beginning to introduce Therapy Assistance Online (TAO), which is a collection of online and mobile tools to help students conquer day-to-day struggles around anxiety, depression and relationships. TAO is expected to be ready and available to students in the beginning of November.
According to Barber, 25.8% of young adults between the ages of 18-25, as well as nearly one in five adults live with a mental illness.
Ferris construction management junior AJ Wojtowicz thinks it’s very important for students to be conscious of their mental health.
“I think keeping your mental health in check can help you stay focused in school, and from there, you’ll see better results, like on your grades and everything you do,” Wojtowicz said.
Ferris television and digital media production sophomore Linsey Holverson raised the point that many students might not have previously had the opportunity to seek help before they came to college, and that having these resources can make a world of a difference.
“I think it’s important to know about the resources just because there are a lot of people who never had the option to go and seek help for mental health,” Holverson said. “It’s especially important here at Ferris to give people the opportunities to seek out that help when they might not have had it before.”
CALM, Mental Health 101, Coping Skills 101 and So This is My Life Now are open to all students. Students can review the descriptions, dates and times the sessions are offered on the PCC website to see which one best fits their needs and availability.
Another workshop, Building Solutions: Moving Beyond Stress, requires a formal referral by a counselor to join. To join this group, a student will need to schedule an intake appointment by stopping by the PCC, located on the second floor of the Birkam Health Center building or by calling (231) 591-5968.
The PCC is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Appointments can be made by contacting them by phone at (231) 591-5968. Students can also contact the after-hours listening ear at (989) 772-2918.