Midterms, finals, term papers. Simply the words are enough to stress out some students.
Many may not be aware, but for those who are struggling, who feel like they’re being crushed under their workload, help is available at the University Counseling and Testing Center.
The counseling center offers assessments and individual and group therapy to all University students, free of charge.
Ron Miyaguchi, a psychologist who has been working at the counseling center since 1999, said the most common issue he sees from students is stress from academics, which often presents itself as depression and/or anxiety.
According the UCTC annual report, academic concerns were the most addressed issue last year. The next two were alcohol abuse and thoughts of suicide.
According to the report, there were 1,575 drop-in students in the 07-08 school year.
Contrary to popular belief about the depressing effect of Eugene’s rainy winters, there was not a significant increase in drop-ins during winter term. In fact, fall term saw the greatest number of drop-ins last year.
It’s common for students to get stressed during the course of the school year. The difference, Miyaguchi said, is whether they have someone to fall back on.
“Most students have some form of natural support, such as friends and family,” he said. “But if you feel your support system isn’t working or isn’t there, it’s a good idea to stop by.”
Even if students feel they have things under control, there are other benefits to counseling.
“The thing that separates therapy from a book or talking to a friend is being able to explore your vulnerabilities and also push and challenge them,” Miyaguchi said.
Students seeking help at the center first go through a 30- to 45-minute intake session, where a counselor gathers basic information.
After the intake session, Miyaguchi said the counselors have a team meeting where they decide the best service for the student, whether that be individual sessions, group sessions or referring the student to a specialist.
The center offers a variety of group workshops on such topics as anxiety, body image, anger and stress management.
For individual sessions, especially for stress-related issues, Miyaguchi said he helps students “figure out what things they can control and what they can’t.” It’s part of what he calls “cognitive restructuring” — changing the way one thinks and deals with a particular problem.
The counseling and testing center is located on the second floor of the University health center and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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