Brigid Cooley
Editor-in-Chief
Jaguars made themselves at home in the Student Counseling and Wellness Services offices during the Modular C open house event Sept. 3.
Students were allowed to roam the offices as the counseling staff informed them about what services are available. The undergraduate academic advising center and other offices in Modular C also participated in the open house.
“We provide individual counseling and group counseling,” Catherine Love, a full-time counselor for Student Counseling and Wellness Services said. “We actually have two groups starting in a couple of weeks: one on managing anxiety and the other targeting healthy relationships.”
Both the “Managing Anxiety and Taking Back Control” and the “Healthy Relationships” group therapy series begin on Sept. 26. Students can RSVP for the groups through Jagsync or by calling the Wellness Center at 210-784-1331.
“There are a lot of benefits to group therapy that not many students aren’t aware of,” Love said. “It helps students feel like they are not alone in what they are experiencing.”
Biology junior Yopi Xayyapanya was one of the students who attended. Xayyapanya used the open house as a chance to make new friends and stay informed.
“This really makes me feel great,” Xayyapanya said. “It makes me feel like it’s not hard to find help and I can find someone who can understand me and to talk to.”
Student Counseling and Wellness Services has an on-call clinician as part of its crisis prevention services. This service is available during operating hours for students experiencing urgent mental health concerns.
“If a student were experiencing a mental health emergency, like concerns about keeping themselves safe or maybe they’ve survived a recent physical or sexual assault, that’s a more urgent concern,” Love said. “A student can walk in and notate to us on our little half-sheet; we have a checklist so that students can discreetly indicate what they’re going through and that way we know that it’s more elevated and they can see our on-call clinician that same day.”
Along with in-person services, there are online anonymous screenings for students on the webpage for Student Counseling and Wellness Services. These mental health screenings can help students determine if they should reach out for professional counseling.
“It’s not meant for diagnosing or anything like that,” Love said. “What I’ve seen is that students maybe feel like something’s off or are feeling the initial symptoms of depression or anxiety, and that online screener is almost like a safe way for students to, on their own time, just kind of check to see if they’re falling on a certain threshold where they should go ahead and seek help.”
Student Counseling and Wellness Services is helping to raise awareness for National Suicide Prevention Month throughout September with programs and displays on campus. Students and faculty can visit their webpage for more information on how to get involved.
The Student Counseling and Wellness Services is in Modular C through the back entrance of the building. It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Students can contact Student Counseling and Wellness Services by calling 210-784-1331 or by emailing StuCounseling@tamusa.edu.
tamusa.edu/studentcounseling
