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news:
Solutions to coping
with finals stress
By Jeanne Hoffa
On-line Forty-Niner
For students who
find themselves enundated with projects as finals quickly
approach, there is an alternative to chewing fingernails to
the quick or drowning sorrows in alcohol.
There are compassionate,
trained people on campus, available virtually on a moment's
notice, whose job is to help you deal with the stress and
overwhelming feelings that inevitably accompany going to college.
Dr. Clyde Crego,
who runs the Counseling and Psychological Services Center,
said anticipation and worry can cripple students during midterms
and finals. They often feel it is too late, or they wait too
long to take care of business and then panic.
Adding school stress
to relationship conflicts or financial struggles or family
troubles will compound a student's burdens.
"Often, when
a student comes in here, they've been trying to solve a problem,
and what they've been trying doesn't work," Crego said.
"They get
so internal, that they can't hear anything. They feel no one
is understanding them," Crego said.
So some people
bottle problems up, which often compounds them. Getting students
talking about their problems is the first step towards feeling
better.
The center is staffed
with 10 permanent Ph.D.s and fifth-year doctoral training
Ph.D. candidates who meet with students on emergency or ongoing
regularly scheduled meetings. Services are prepaid with student
fees, so there is no charge, something that could cost up
to $150 off-campus.
The center, located
in room 226 of Brotman Hall is painted in warm earthtones
and features the sounds of running water from a miniature
fountain. Students can walk-in, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m.
They offer a variety
of special-interest group therapy meetings, such as a shyness
group and one that focus's on women's body image and self-concept.
Workshops in assertiveness training, time-management and relationships
are conducted.
Staff psychologist
Dr. Pamela Ashe said people do not give themselves permission
to ask for help and want to fix things themselves. She has
advice for students too shy to come in.
"It's hard
to do it on your own," she said. "So often students
wait, and then they destroy their whole semester."
Ashe says there
are people who do not feel good about themselves; there are
some that are so low that they are not getting up in the morning
and doing what they need to do.
Students are welcome
to simply walk into the Women's Resource Center in a moment
of crisis. They are staffed with 3 full time employees,
and have trained volunteer peer counselors, who are trained
to listen, assess needs and make referrals.
The center, located
in building LA3, room 105 is open Monday through Friday from
9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Monday, Thursday and Friday until
6:30 p.m.
One of the sessions
she joins is called "Sister Friends", where student
gather and talk about social, political and personal issues
faced by black women.
The Women's Resource
Center can be reached at 562-985-8576. Counseling and
Psychological Services can be reached at 562-985-4001. Students
in need are also urged to call the Student Health Center at
562-985-477.
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