Students get educated on healthy coping strategies

By: Abigail Nawrot

Staff writer

Licensed mental health counselors Katie Weeks and Sara Donnelly discussed anxiety, depression and stress on Thursday, Sept. 12 at the Bulmer Telecommunications Center Auditorium. 

The event was part of Voices: A Library Lecture Series, an ongoing project sponsored by the Marvin Library Learning Commons. The 50 minute lecture consisted of Weeks and Donnelly educating attendees on available resources around campus, as well as healthy coping strategies. There was a discussion about symptoms and current student mental health trends.

According to statistics gathered from past semesters, rates of depression and anxiety have increased in students by as much as 10%. Resiliency has also decreased among college students, meaning that they are less equipped to cope with negative emotions. 

“What does depression look like?” Weeks asked the crowd. 

Attendees called out varied answers. They mentioned withdrawal, the inability to get out of bed and lethargy.

Donnelly and Weeks pointed out the various other ways depression manifests itself in college students. Prior to the start of the lecture, students were handed folders containing educational material. The material included symptoms such as skipping classes, social isolation, insomnia and weight change. 

“If you feel that you are struggling, we are here to help you succeed.” Donnelly said.

As said by Donnelly and Weeks, conditions like anxiety usually result in a pattern of avoidance which in turn leads to worsened anxiety. 

The lecturers also encouraged students to utilize healthy coping strategies like breathing exercises, as well as the self-care assessment included in their folders.

  
According to Weeks, whether the tips are applicable to each student is really dependent on each individual. She went on to explain why students in attendance were given exposure to different topics, mental health conditions and healthy coping skills within their folders. 

As said by Weeks, much of the information within the folder was not mentioned in the lecture due to time constraints.

Hudson Valley Community College provides multiple resources available to its students free of charge that students need to be made aware of and make sure to take advantage of.

According to Donnelly, Hudson Valley Community College students are entitled to on call crisis counseling by appointment or walk in, located in the Wellness Center. 

The Wellness Center is on the second floor of the Siek Campus Center. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Located there are professional counselors available to help in any way they can. 

These counselors are able to provide everything from band-aids to hospital referrals, and all of the information shared at a counseling session is confidential.

For Hudson Valley Community College Students, it can be daunting to seek help if they are struggling. However, there are a variety of small steps that they are able to use before going into a situation that will make them severely hurt.

  
Donnelly and Weeks suggest that struggling students go to a person they can trust and ask for the folder materials they distributed at the lecture before heading to the counseling center.

If you or a person you know is struggling with suicide or self-harm, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.