What Can Loved Ones Do to Help?
- Check in with them regularly by calling, texting, talking online, and/or sending them mail.
- Have open conversations about their concerns.
- Normalize their experience with difficulties adjusting.
- Listen actively and show empathy.
- Encourage them to outreach to campus activities and support.
- Guide them to resources on campus, especially the Counseling Center.
Encouraging Someone You Love to Seek Help
As a concerned family member or friend, it can be difficult to see someone you love go through tough times. You play an integral role in your loved one’s health and wellness. At the same time, it may seem like their needs are beyond what you can help them with. Choosing to seek counseling is a personal decision, but there are ways that you can help a loved one get help for themselves. You can encourage a student to seek help by providing them with the Counseling Center’s contact information, letting them know where the Counseling Center is located, reminding them that seeking help is an act of courage and strength, or sharing your own experience with how counseling helped you.
Confidentiality
If a student is 18 years or older, written permission or a release of information needs to be completed in order for the Counseling Center to release any information to parents or other family members. If a student is under 18 years old, we would need to obtain parental consent before your child is able to receive services at the Counseling Center. If you would like to obtain information about your family member from the Counseling Center, encourage them to sign a release. Please understand that clients at our center are often seeking help for the first time and feel comfortable opening up because this is a confidential space. Please think about your reasons for wanting to know information about your loved one. By law, the Counseling Center cannot disclose any information about the student unless in limited circumstances, such as if there are safety issues that present a risk of harm to self or others.
Family members are welcome to provide any information about the student that they are concerned about and may consult with our Counseling Center by phone or email on whether or not their loved one could benefit from services. The Counseling Center cannot share any information with you without a written release from the client.
Student Stress Calendar
August/September
- Homesickness
- Possible roommate issues (adjusting to living away from home with different people) and social adjustments with establishing friend groups, dating, and where they fit in
- Difficulties adjusting academically (schedule, time management, academic load)
- Learning the campus and local culture and familiarizing yourself with places on and off campus
October
- Academic stress builds with studying and preparing for midterms
- Continued roommate challenges and social adjustments
- Increased feelings of loneliness with being away from home
November
- Increased pressure academically
- Procrastination and difficulties maintaining their academic load
- Possible anxiety about finances with the holidays approaching
- Health issues usually begin to arise with increased stress levels
- Academic planning for Spring semester occurs
December
- Increased academic pressure with finals approaching
- Difficulties with staying motivated with the holidays approaching
- Financial strain continues with holiday gifts and traveling
January
- Post-holiday homesickness and depression occurs
- Anxiousness begins about starting the next semester
- Contemplation of changing major or transferring schools begins
- Social adjustments are difficult with losing touch with peers over the holidays
February
- Some social supports strengthen or weaken
- Planning for Fall semester occurs with living arrangements
- Students continue to decide on majors and whether to transfer
March
- Academic pressure increases with midterms
- Peer pressure to engage in alcohol and drugs with the end of the semester approachingcmay occur
- Procrastination with school work begins to occur
- Planning for spring break occurs
April
- Financial stress increases with the end of school approaching
- Academic pressures continue to increase with the end of the semester approaching
- School work begins piling up
- Registration for Fall begins
- Preparation for summer begins with finding jobs or going to summer school
May
- Anxious symptoms increase with the end of school nearing and having to move back with their parents for the summer
- Pressures of finals occurs
- Worries about their academic standing at the end of the year
- Sadness and anxiety occurs with having to say goodbye to their friends
