Therapy is no longer just about dream analysis sessions on a psychiatrist’s couch.
Northwestern is following the trend of many universities by offering students specialized stress management services. Counseling and Psychological Services expanded its clinic this quarter to include more accessible group meetings, meditation and biofeedback training in technological relaxation methods.
“The idea behind the expansion of the clinic is to be user-friendly,” said Henry Perkins, coordinator of CAPS’ Stress Management Clinic. “You don’t have to be on your last leg to come in.”
Stress, one of the top three issues CAPS addresses, is fueled by academic concerns, family or relationship issues, and underlying conditions of anxiety or depression, Perkins said. As stress becomes a growing problem for college students because of competition and technological demands, new research has revealed more effective strategies of mind and body wellness that can be incorporated in the clinic.
Biofeedback machines, the most advanced of the additions, measure physiological signs of stress to help reduce anxiety, Perkins said. Heart and respiration rates both increase when the brain senses a threat and releases two stress hormones. Skin conductance, one type of biofeedback, attaches sensors to fingers to gauge the amount of sweat that accumulates with stress. The machine indicates stress levels through sounds or images, and the person tries to lessen the anxiety using techniques like deep breathing, Perkins said.
But not all colleges can afford to offer biofeedback training. Instead, schools like the University of Southern California gear group sessions toward addressing specific stressors, such as writing a dissertation or making the transition to college life. USC’S Living Zen and Wellness group also teaches meditation, breathing and yoga for managing stress, said USC crisis counselor Beth Kebschull.
At Cornell University, counselors use certain approaches to help a person develop new skills for long-term solutions, said Greg Eells, director of the school’s counseling and psychological services. In particular, acceptance and commitment therapy shows students how to work with their problems instead of fighting them, he said.
“The metaphor is that someone is in this tug-of-war with a big, ugly monster,” Eells said. “The harder they pull, the harder the monster pulls back, and they feel sucked into this abyss. They come in wanting to know how to win, but we teach them to drop the rope.”
Cornell also has two well-known programs to make their counseling services more accessible to students, he said. “Let’s Talk” posts therapists at key locations around campus for students to drop in for quick consultations and support. The intent is more to “bounce ideas off them” than to use the counselors for actual sessions, Eells said.
The other program, Community Consultation and Intervention, involves two psychiatrists who reach out to students who have been referred to counseling services but didn’t come into the center, he said. It responds to situations such as the one that triggered last year’s shooting at Virginia Tech by responding to concerns expressed about individual students, Eells said.
“Therapy is someone who’s right there, who’s in a relationship with you when you’re feeling stuck trying to do things on your own,” he said.
But not everyone sees a counselor when under stress. A survey conducted for The Associated Press and mtvU earlier this year indicated that only 15 percent of the more than 2,200 college students interviewed had looked to a counselor for help. School counselors ranked eighth on a list of people students would turn to for help, the survey found. Students first seek friends, family, boyfriends or girlfriends, and professors.
“Social support tends to be one of the most significant buffers between stress and strain,” said Perkins, noting that students tend to only come into CAPS when exhibiting several symptoms of stress. “Being well-connected, having good self-care, that will help to offset some of the strain associated with stress.”
Although both Eells and Kebschull said cultural differences between their schools may contribute to different levels or types of stress students encounter, they both agreed that stress is one of the most common problems all students face.
“It’s part of being human,” Eells said. “Stress can be something that, at an optimal level, motivates us to do things that we value. If it gets to be too much, it can be pretty overwhelming.”
STRESS… by the numbers (out of 2,253 four-year college students)- 31 percent of students said they are very happy with their lives in general- 39 percent of students frequently experienced stress in their everyday life in the past three months19 percent of students have seriously considered dropping out of college in the past three months46 percent of students are familiar with counseling resources available on campus 26 percent of students have considered talking to a counselor to deal with stress and other emotional issues63 percent of students have felt so stressed that they couldn’t get their schoolwork done in the past three months
SOURCE: 2008 Edison Media Research Survey for The Associated Press and mtvU
