Student Counseling Resources Video

Hi.WelcometotheStudentCounselingCenter.

MynameisJacquelineValdesandI'mtheclinicalcasemanager.

TodayI'dliketosharewithyouanoverviewof

ourservicesthatweprovidetoourstudents.

Weareafreeandconfidentialresourceforall

currentlyenrolledA&MSanAntoniostudents.

WearelocatedinModularCintherearentranceinroom166,

andourphonenumber,ifyou'dliketoscheduleanappointment,is(210)784-1331.

AllenrolledA&Mstudentsareeligible

toreceiveanintakeappointmenttoassesstheirneeds.

Theintakeisusedtomaketreatmentrecommendationsbasedonyoursymptoms,

severity,appropriatenessofservices,

andavailabilityofresources.

Again,thisisafreeservicetoourstudentstofacilitate

yourgoalsbothacademicallyandin

yourpersonallifeandenhancepersonalgrowthandwell-being.

OurclientfileswiththeSCCisnotpartof

astudent'sacademicoruniversityrecordandtosetupanappointment,

allyouhavetodoiseitherwalkintoourofficeorcallourphonenumber.

Atthistime,weareprovidingbothamixtureofin-personandvirtualoptions.

Andourstaffcurrentlyisateamoffiveclinicians.

Wehaveanadministrativeassociate

withthreegraduate-levelinternsandastudentworker.

There'sahighdiversityinourlicensurestatuses,

includingalicensedpsychologist,

alicensedsocialworker,

twolicensedLPCsorlicensedprofessionalcounselors,

andtwolicensedchemicaldependencycounselors.

Ifyoulookatthemaphere,

wherethestaris,

thisiswhereourofficeislocated.

YouwillenterthroughtheparkinglotinLot2andwalkallthewaybehindModularC,

andwhenyou'restandinginfrontofthesoftballfield,

you'llseetherampthatwillleadtoourentrydoor.

Weofferbriefindividualtherapytoourstudents,

whichisdefinedasmeetingwithourstudentsforindividualtherapyonabiweeklybasis,

approximatelyeverytwoweeks,

andit'soverthecourseofonefullacademicsemester.

Dependingontheclient'streatmentplan,

thenthismayfluctuate.

Wealsoprovidecasemanagementservicestoourstudents,

whichallowsthestudentsopportunitiestoobtainreferralsand

serviceconnectiontodifferentprovidersin

thecommunityandoncampustomeetyourvariousneeds.

Andthiscouldbefinancial,

housing,mentalhealth-related,physicalhealth-related,andsoon.

Wealsoprovidecrisissupportservicestoourstudents,

includingwalk-inservicesMondaythroughFriday,

8-5ora24/7availabilityoverthephone.

Criteriathatisconsideredforcrisesarethoughtsofsuicideorhomicide,

recentphysicalandorsexualassault,

recentlossofalovedone,orpsychoticsymptoms.

Thisiswherethecounselingservicesareconfidentialasthelawallowsapplies.

Therearemanyreasonswhysomeonemightreachoutforcounseling.

Thisincludesarecentlossofalovedoneor

ofastabilityoflikealossofjob,lossofrelationship.

Thereareotherreasonsthataremostcommonwithourstudents,

includelifechangesandstressandanxiety,

relationshipdistress,supportfordisabilities,

thoughtsofsuicide,alcoholordrug-relatedconcerns,

feelingdownordepressed,

orimpactedbydiscrimination,also,

violenceandabuseconcerns,

spiritualityandpurpose,oridentitydevelopment.

Wedooffergrouptherapyoptions,

andit'sagreatopportunitytopracticeskillsthatyou'relearningin

individualtherapyinasafeandstructuredgroupenvironment.

It'snotunusualtofeeluneasyorembarrassedwhenfirstjoiningagroup.

Mostclientsfindthatgrouptherapyprovides

agreatdealofreliefbecauseitallowsthemachancetotalkto

otherstudentswhoareexperiencing

similarproblemsinaprivateandconfidentialsetting.

Manypeoplewhohaveexperiencedgrouptherapybelievethatworkingtogetherwith

othersishelpfulandtheyfeelbetterbyparticipatinginthisformoftherapy.

Researchindicatesgrouptherapyisaneffectivetreatmentmodalitytohelp

individualsimprovetheirsymptomologyaswellasdevelopeffectivecoping,

andcommunication,andinterpersonalskills.

ThecurrentthemeforthisfallsemesteristheI'mdoingmecopingskillsgrouptherapy.

Thisissubjecttochangebasedondifferentsemesters.

Andotherthingsthatwe'vehostedoverthelastfewyears

includethecultivatingcalmgrouptherapyforanxietymanagement,

depressionmanagement,andtheotherconcerns.

WedohaveaVirtualZenDen.

Thiswebsiteincludesrelaxationexercises,

copingskills,self-carestrategies,

groundingtechniques,breathingexercise,andmuchmore.

I'mgoingtobringustothewebsitenow.

Asyouseehere,you'llseeourmainpageforourStudentCounselingCenterwebsite.

AndtoaccesstheVirtualZenDen,

youwouldscrolltothebottomwhereyouwouldseetheoption,supportingyou.

Thenyou'llclickthedrop-downbuttonortheVirtualZenDen.

Onceyouaccessthislink,

you'llseeavarietyofexercises

andimportantinformationtoknowaboutdifferentcycleeducationalmaterials,

like,whyrelaxationissoimportant,

differentrelaxationexercisesyoucanpractice,

copingskillsthatyoucanutilizewhileyou'rein-betweensessions,

andotherself-carestrategiestoimproveyouroverallwell-being.

Thewebsiteisdesignedtomakeanylocationor

environmentthatyouarearelaxfulandstress-freeenvironment.

Oneofourmostproudestfeaturesofourservicesisthat

weareavailable24/7formentalhealthemergencies.

Allyouhavetodoiscallourline

atanytimeoryoucanwalkinduringourofficehours.

Ifyouweretocallafterofficehoursontheweekendsorintheevenings,

allyouhavetodoisdialourmainline,

(210)784-1331anddialoption2.

Wealsohavedifferentsocialmedia,

includinganInstagrampage,

andaYouTubechannelthatfeaturesvariousvideoslikeourNourishtoFlourishvideos,

andcoffeechatswithCatherine.

OurInstagramalsoholdsalotofinformationaboutself-careand

differenttopicstoshareinformationandbuildawareness

ondifferentmentalhealthtopicslikesuicideprevention,

self-care,anxietymanagement,grief,

healthyrelationships,anddomesticviolence,andmuchmore.

Wealsocoverandsharedifferentresourcesandevents

goingoninthecommunitythatarefreeorlow-costforourstudents.

Wealsosharewhenwe'rehostingaraffleforoursemestergiveaways.

Ifyouarewantingtohelpparticipateorattend

aneventthatwearehostingwithourcenter,

allyouhavetodoisRSVPonJagSync.

I'mnowgoingtogooverafewcommonquestionsand

somecommonmythsthatourofficedoesgetsregularly.

Thefirstquestionthatwegetis,

isthereasessionlimits?

Well,everypersonandtheirsituationsareunique,

somestudentsmayrequireaslittleastwosessions,

whileothersmayrequireareferralintothecommunityfor

morecomplexissuesandsoourofficemaynotbeabletoaddressaseffectively.

Thesetypesofissuesthatwouldrequire

longer-termtherapyincludesubstancedependencies,

eatingdisorders,oractivesuicidality.

Wefunctionunderashort-termcaremodel

toensurethatwecanprovidecaretoallourstudents,

sincethatneedsservicesandhelpthemeffectivelyandappropriatelymeettheirgoals.

Anothercommonquestionthatwegetis,

howdoIknowifIneedcounseling?

Weofferanonlinescreeningonourwebsitethatis100%anonymous,

andI'mgoingtobringyoutoourwebsiteagain.

Goingtoourmainpage,

ifyouscrollallthewaybacktothebottomandfindthatsameboxsupportingyou,

allyou'dhavetodoistoaccess

thefreeavailablesurveyistoclickthestudent'soption,

andyou'llbetakenthrougha

optiontothescreenwhereitasksyouhowdoyouknowifyoushouldtalktoacounselor?

Here'ssomelistedtopicsandconcernsthatweencourageyoutoreadover.

IfyouclickonHowAreYouFeeling,

it'llbringyoudirectlytothesurvey.

Thissurveyis100%anonymous,

andsoyoucancompletethisanditwillgiveyouresultsattheend,

andsoyoucananswerthemasauthenticallyasyou'dlike.

I'mgoingtobringusbacktothePowerPointnow.

Anothercommonquestionthatwegetaskedis,

whatifIneedsomethingafterhoursorontheweekend?

OurofficedoesnotofferservicesoutsideofMondaythroughFriday,8-5.

However,ourcasemanagermyself,

canhelpyouidentifyandlocate

communityreferralsthatoffereveningorweekendavailabilities.

ThenextthingthatI'mgoingtosharewithyouaresomeofthecommonmythsand

factsthatpeopletendtohavearoundcounseling.

Thefirstmythisthatmanypeoplefeelthatcounseling

isonlyforpeoplewithseriousemotionalproblems.

However,thefactisthatseeingacounselordoesnotmean

thatyouarementallyillorcrazyorunstable,

andinadditiontoaddressingmoreseriousemotionalproblems,

counselingcanhelpwithlifetransitions,

adjustingtonewsurroundings,

difficultyjugglingschool,work,

family,andotherresponsibilities.

Academicproblems,difficultytest-takingortestanxiety,

strugglingwithself-esteem,communication,orassertiveness,

andavarietyofrelationshipproblems.

Anothercommonmyththatwehearwhen

itcomestocounselingisthatseekingcounselingisasignofweakness.

Thefactisthatittakescouragetoexploresensitivefeelingsandpainfulexperiences.

Individualsenteringcounselingaretaking

theveryfirststepinresolvingtheirdifficultiesandit'snotaneasythingtodo.

Thenextmythisthatgoingtocounselingmeansthatyouarehelpless,

whenthatisfarfromthetruth.

Thefactisthatgoingtocounselingisawayoftakingcontrolandhelpingyourself.

Talkingtoacounselorisagreatwaytoexamineyourthoughts,

feelings,andbehaviorsinordertomakechangestoimproveyourqualityoflife.

Ournextmythis,

manypeoplebelievethatiftheygoforcounseling,

ourfacultyoradministrativeliaisonhereoncampuswillhearaboutit.

However,thefactisisthat

thethingsyoudiscussedwithyourcounselorandthecontentsof

yourcounselingrecordsaresubjectto

strictlegalandethicalstandardsofconfidentialityandprivacy.

Thismeansthatyourcounselorswillnotrelease

anyinformationorevenreleasethefactthatthey'vemetwithyoutoanyone.

Thisincludesyourfriends,

yourparents,apartner,spouse,

professors,schooladministrationwithoutyourwrittenpermission.

Thereareafewlimitsonconfidentiality,

andthesearetypicallydescribedin

confidentialityreviewedduringyourfirstappointment.

However,ourofficeishighlyHIPAAcompliant,

andsowewillneitherconfirmnordenythefactthatyou'veevenbeeninouroffice.

ThenextmythisthatthefactthatI'vehadcounselingmayhurtmeinjob,

residency,orgraduateschoolapplications.

Thefactis,howaretheygoingtoknow?

Counselingrecordsarekeptseparatelyfromacademicrecordsandareprotectedbylaw.

Asdescribedinconfidentiality,

releaseofanyinformationispermittedonlyaftertheclient,

whichisyouprovidewrittenconsentorin

certainlegalsituationsinvolvingasubpoenaoracourtorder.

Nobodycanwalkinhereandaskforyourrecords.

Thenextmythisthatifyougotothecounselingcenter,

we'rejustgoingtogiveyouapill.

However,thefactismedicationisnotourfrontlineapproachtohelpingyou.

Ifyourcounselorthinksthatmedicationmaybehelpfulthough,

theywilltalktoyouaboutit,

andifyouwanttoexplorethatoptionfurther,

yourcounselorwillreferyoutolook

communityproviderwhocanprovidemoreassessmentsandifappropriate,medication.

Thenextmythisthatthecounselorcannotunderstandyouunlessthey

havehadasimilarexperienceorisofthesamebackgroundasyou.

However,thefactisthatindividualsreactstothesameeventorexperiencevarywidely.

Butbasichumanemotionsarethesameacrossindividualsandcultures.

Counselorsarehighlytrainedtobesensitive

toandrespectfulofindividualdifferences,

includingspecificconcernsofstudentswithregardtogender,

race,ethnicity,religion,age,

sexualorientation,socioeconomicstatus,

andmanyotherbeliefsandthingsthatmakeupwhoyouuniquelyare.

Ournextmythisthecounselorwilltellyouhowtofixyourproblems.

However,thefactiscounselingisnotaquickcureforyourproblems.

Thecounseloristheretohelpyouexploreyourfeelings,thoughts,

andconcerns,toexamineyouroptions,

andtoassistyouinachievingthegoalsyouhavesetinthewaythatyoufeelisbest.

Thenextmythisthatmanypeoplebelievethatcounselingjustdoesn'twork.

However,thereisalargebodyofresearch

thatdocumentsthebenefitsofcounselingandtherapy.

Infact,faristhatresearch

showsalotofthetimesit'snotevenabouttheskillsofthecounselor,

butreallythetherapeuticrelationshipthatpromotesmoreprogress.

Evenifyou'vehadanunsuccessfulcounselingexperienceinthepast,

itmaybeworthtryingagain.

Ourfinalmythismanypeoplebelievethatchangewillhappenquickly.

However,thefactisimportantchangeoftentakestimeandenergyinordertooccur.

Althoughmanypeoplefeelsomereliefandimproved,

movedafteronlyacoupleofsessions,

counselingwillnotprovideaquickfixtoyourproblems.

Counselingcanhelpyouworktowardsmeaningfullifechangesover

thelongterminadditiontohelpingyoumanagecurrentdifficultiesmoreeffectively.

PleasetakeamomenttoscanourQRcodeandleaveareviewofthisworkshop.

Weappreciateyourtimeinreviewingthisandlisteningtoourfirstserviceoverview,

andwewouldliketoknowwhat

yourthoughtsareandifthereareanychangesthatneedtobemade.

Again,mynameisJacquelineValdes,

I'mtheclinicalcasemanagerwiththeStudentCounselingCenter.

WearelocatedinModularCthroughtheRearEntrance.

Youcancontactusviaphoneat(210)784-1331.Thankyou.