Student Counseling Center

The following articles are designed to give students helpful information about dealing with some of the common problems experienced during the college years.

Assertiveness
Do you find yourself saying "yes" to others’ requests of you when you really feel like saying "no?" If you answered "yes" to any of these questions you may have a problem being assertive.  

Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder is a mood disorder involving swings in mood, usually between overly "high" or irritable, and extreme sadness and hopeless. It accounts for 20-25% of all the major mood disorders seen in the U.S. population.

Body Image
How do you feel about your body? Chances are you probably don't think it's good enough. Many people in our culture worry obsessively about how to change the shape of their bodies.

Building Better Relationships
People who successfully build intimate relationships know the five skills that can foster closeness with others.

Computer Addiction
Some people develop bad habits in their computer use that cause them significant problems in their lives. The types of behavior and negative consequences are similar to those of known addictive disorders.

Coping with a Breakup
Ending a relationship is one the most avoided and feared human experiences.

Dealing with Depression
Everyone has or will experience feeling depressed in their lifetime. It is expected that at one time or another, you may feel sad or overwhelmed due to challenges in your life or, seemingly for no apparent reason at all.

Difficult Emotions
Most people have had the experience of feeling overwhelmed by a strong emotion. At those times, the strength of the anger, sadness, nervousness or discouragement may have made you feel like the emotion was in control of you.

Is My Eating Normal?
People today often feel pressure to meet our society’s latest preference for looks.  It can become hard to imagine that one can succeed in life and love unless you fit a certain image. In the last few decades, the desired look is significant thinness. It is important to be aware that habits you develop to achieve/maintain a low weight can become excessive and make you vulnerable to potential serious illnesses-the eating disorders.

Handling Grief
Grief occurs in response to the loss of someone or something. The loss may involve a loved one, a job, or possibly a role (a student graduating and entering the workplace or an employee entering retirement).It can be sudden or expected.

Helping a Suicidal Friend
Seventy-five percent of people who commit suicide tell someone about it in advance.

Insomnia
It is not unusual to have sleep troubles from time to time. But, if you feel that you do not get enough sleep or satisfying sleep, you may have insomnia.

Life Goals
Finding your life goals can be daunting; however, if you examine six areas of investigation you will be well on your way to recognizing those goals.

Overcoming Pornography Addiction
Pornography is a special class of sex addiction. For some sexually addicted people, pornography has little appeal.

Overcoming Social Anxiety
The college years can be a crucial time for practicing and improving social skills to be used in one's personal and professional life.

Procrastination Prevention
Procrastination seems to be a chronic condition of many college students. Why is it so prevalent and what can be done to prevent or manage it?

Raising Your Parents
It is a little known fact that properly raising a parent requires attention and thought. Developing parents can be tough enough when you are with them on a day-to-day basis.

Self Care
Some people may think self care or nurturing is just for the fragile;-the “weak willed” or “wimps”. It certainly couldn't be for strong, ambitious college men and women. Actually, it is a vital part of maintaining good health and a vibrant life.

Sexual Orientation and Identity
Human sexuality is complex. Sexual identity is the degree to which we identify with the social and biological aspects of being a man or a woman.

Solutions for Loneliness
We humans, like most of our relatives in the animal kingdom, seem to need to be with others of our kind; however, the amount of time we spend with others can vary dramatically.

Stress Management
Stress is pressure from external circumstances that can cause internal tensions. This corresponds to our addiction to speed and our obsession with activity.

Test Anxiety
The term "test anxiety" refers to the emotional reactions that some students have to exams. The fear of exams is not an irrational fear - after all, how you perform on college exams can shape the course of an academic career; however, the excessive fear of exams interferes with your ability to be successful in college.

Time Management
Help accomplish your goals by trying these practical tips for using your time effectively.

War and its Aftermath
Some links to helpful resources for dealing with war and its aftermath.

If you would like more information about the topics or to make an appointment with a counselor, please call or come by.

Student Counseling Center
Student Union 1.608
(972) 883-2575