Resources for students seeking balance
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Every one of the area schools that are part of the Five Colleges Consortium offers resources for students looking to shrug off stress and find the time for studies, sleep and social life. They are:
Amherst College: The Amherst College Counseling Center provides counseling and psychotherapy to Amherst College students on a voluntary and confidential basis. For more information, visit their website at www.amherst.edu/campuslife/counseling.
University of Massachusetts Amherst: The UMass Amherst's Center for Counseling and Psychological Health is open to all students, who can have up four counseling sessions as part of their student health plan which is paid for by all students taking five or more credits per semester. After four sessions students must use their secondary private insurance. The following link, recommended by psychologist Jennifer Lexington, brings students to a variety of audio-visual resources for meditation, muscle relaxation, breath control and more: www.umass.edu/uhs/health/avresources.
Hampshire College: The Hampshire College Health and Counseling Services offers free psychological counseling visits whenever school is in session. Their "Club Tub" sounds amazing: "two clean, private bathtubs, complete with bubbles, available to students suffering from tub withdrawal. Just drop in and don't forget to BYOT (towel)." Their website also offers links for relaxation and guided meditation: www.hampshire.edu/studentlife/, and they have a peer meditation program (STRESS) every day of the week for a half hour of meditation from 4:30 to 5 p.m. Students can also take advantage of "The Backrub Club," Mondays through Fridays, where free, 15-minute backrubs are offered by student volunteers.
Mount Holyoke College: The Mount Holyoke College Counseling Service is free and confidential. Visit www.mtholyoke.edu/counseling.
Smith College: The Smith College Counseling Service is available to Smith undergraduate and graduate students during the academic year; sessions are by appointment. All sessions are free of charge and confidential, and students can meet one-on-one with an available therapist. About 25 percent of the students at Smith College use the Counseling Service each year, according to their website: www.smith.edu/health/counseling.php.
Other resources:
· Visit the Hobart and William Smith Colleges' website, where options for students include a 15-minute relaxation exercise that is downloadable for free: www.hws.edu/studentlife/counseling_relax.aspx.
· Go to helpguide.org - a good website, for someone struggling with symptoms of depression or anxiety.
· Also recommended www.halfofus.com, which, among other things, offers a section called "Feel Better" with tips on how to manage your eating, sleeping, exercise schedules and more.
· Local therapist and social worker Peter Corbett offers classes specifically for students on managing stress. Corbett's two upcoming "Student Life and Study Skills Classes" include the "College Student Class" starting Sept. 28, and the "High School Student Class" starting Oct. 1. To find out more, visit www.petercorbettlicsw.com/aboutclassforstudents.html.
- LUCY CASALE
