{"152731":{"#nid":"152731","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Counseling Center Provides Weekly Discussions, Resources for Campus","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s no secret that the college years can be a challenging time. Students take on academics, internships, activities, co-ops and jobs all while trying to adjust to living on their own, with strangers, away from family and friends. Sometimes, these factors can take a toll on mental health.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis age, during college, is the prime age for emotional or mental health concerns to emerge,\u201d said Ruperto Perez, director of the Georgia Tech Counseling Center. \u201cWe see students who may have had a predisposition for certain issues, maybe in their family, but they are coming in for the first time because they notice signs in themselves or someone notices it in them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Counseling Center begins its semesterly Stress Management Series this Thursday, offering weekly casual discussions open to students, faculty and staff to talk about various stress factors and coping methods. This is one way the Center provides opportunities to help the Tech community manage stress.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn comparing Tech students who have visited the Counseling Center to those at universities around the country, Tech students report more academic distress than their peers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt points to the academic rigor here, but often the rigor is what brings them in and then reveals other underlying issues,\u201d said Perez. Tech students also tend to internalize stress, trying to push through without help, which can lead to distress and more serious issues such as depression and anxiety, the top two consistently present concerns observed by Counseling Center staff.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe try to emphasize that now is a good time to start to develop a plan for how to manage and cope with stress. Whether it\u2019s going to the CRC on a regular basis, or getting involved socially and developing a support system, it\u2019s important to try to be proactive in making those plans to avert and cope with stress.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf students notice something in a friend, or faculty and staff notice something in a student, Perez encourages them to first address it with the person: Express your concern and explain what you\u2019re seeing, and ask if there is anything you can do to help. The Counseling Center is available for consultation for those who are concerned about someone and may want tips on how to deal with the situation. Students with issues that warrant involvement beyond their existing community should visit the Counseling Center or Office of the Dean of Students.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome signs that might indicate that intervention may be warranted in a student\u2019s life include: social withdrawal from friends and family, detachment or not wanting to talk for an extended period, and gradual or dramatic changes in sleeping and eating habits. Irritability and sudden angry outbursts for seemingly no apparent reason can also be signs of distress. Perez encourages \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/counseling.gatech.edu\/plugins\/content\/index.php?id=30\u0022\u003Efaculty, staff\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/counseling.gatech.edu\/plugins\/content\/index.php?id=51\u0022\u003Estudents\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;to further familiarize themselves with possible signs through videos on the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/counseling.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ECenter\u2019s website\u003C\/a\u003E. The Center is open for appointments and consultations Monday\u2013Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a counselor on call 24\/7 at 404-894-2575. The weekly Stress Management Series continues throughout the semester.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStudents can learn to cope with stress; faculty and staff can learn how to help.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Students can learn to cope with stress; faculty and staff can learn how to help."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2012-09-10 10:17:57","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:47","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-09-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-09-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/counseling.gatech.edu\/","title":"Counseling Center"},{"url":"http:\/\/deanofstudents.gatech.edu\/","title":"Dean of Students"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1020","name":"counseling center"},{"id":"7027","name":"dean of students"},{"id":"1216","name":"Division of Student Affairs"},{"id":"10343","name":"mental health"},{"id":"167263","name":"stress management"},{"id":"167069","name":"student affairs"},{"id":"167141","name":"Student Life"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ruperto.perez@vpss.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EToti Perez\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECounseling Center\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}