Imagine a girl who is a freshman in college, over 2,000 miles away from home, not fully comfortable with who she is, and she does not know if she picked the right major. When this girl started at school she was excited and ready to start a new chapter of her life. However, during syllabus week she starts stressing out. She does not know how to stay ahead with everything, how much was too much to call home in a week, or how often she can be alone. She ends up becoming very homesick, tired, and overwhelmed. So when her RA does a check in with her what happens?
Now imagine a girl who is in a seven month long relationship and comes back to school for sophomore year. Suddenly after the first day of classes, she is single again. She feels very displaced by the breakup and is looking for a way to find her footing again. She decides to sign up for a bunch of clubs and take on a whole lot of new responsibilities. She starts to become homesick, tired and overwhelmed. So when her friend notices what does she do?
Both situations involve the same girl and that girl is me. I know for some people that may come as a shock but its true. So what did I do to stop me from coming home or spontaneously combusting? I did the walk to O’Boyle every week and sat with a counselor for fifty minutes. I talked about everything, from how to stay organized to how to move on with my life now that I am single. I received tips like using a planner and breathing exercises. I learned how to calm myself down and how to stop thinking that I am doing college wrong. It helped me find my solid ground.
The CUA Counseling Center offers a number of different things. Each student gets 45 free sessions over four years, unlimited group therapy sessions, and two Let’s Talk sessions per semester. They offer referrals off campus and they make sure that you are not just thrown aside if you can’t come in for more sessions. There is no requirement to go there. Anyone can request for sessions. If you just need someone to talk to once a week, they’re available. If you need to work through something more intense, they are there. They are around for the good, bad, and ugly.
Some people may think that going to the counseling center is a sign of weakness. They might think that they must have something seriously wrong with them to make them pick that outlet. Well it is safe to say that those people are wrong. I could give you more situations to show the different struggles of being in college. I mean nursing majors start clinicals junior year and seniors are trying to figure out their lives after college. Some students wake up with anxiety every morning, others are scared to show who they really are. No matter what may be going through someone’s head, people can always benefit from talking to someone in a counseling setting. You are not weak, crazy, or any other negative connotation if you go to counseling. In fact, it makes you smart. You are recognizing what you mental health needs and that requires a lot from a person to see. If it was up to me, I would say that everyone should try and talk to someone once a week because it is really what people need in college.