Is It More Than the Economy That Is Depressed These Days?

Learn more at Broome Community College’s Depression Screening Day event on March 2^nd.

 
 

With layoffs and unemployment rates making headlines almost everyday, it is common and understandable to feel anxious about your economic future.  In fact, research indicates that more people are seeking mental health services as a result of the recession.

 

According to a survey of 3,307 adults, demand for psychiatric and mental health services nearly doubled in the first quarter of this year—from 4 percent in January to 7 percent in April.

 

Negative feelings are normal, appropriate, and even necessary during life’s difficult moments, but when worry, anger, or stress prevent you from performing your daily activities or interacting with friends and loved ones, it might be time to seek help.

 

If you can’t remember the last time you felt optimistic or hopeful, take advantage of Broome Community College’s Counseling Services Depression Screening Day Event on March 2^nd 2010. As part of the program you will have the opportunity to complete a brief, confidential written questionnaire; learn about the symptoms of depression, and how to help a friend or family member who may be at risk. You will also have the option of talking to a health care professional about any concerns you may have. Screenings will be offered from 10 – 1:30 at the Baldwin Gym.

 

 

Some facts about depression:

• Depressive disorders affect approximately 18.8 million American adults or about 9.5% of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year.
  
• Trauma, loss of a loved one, a difficult relationship, or any stressful situation may trigger a depressive episode. Subsequent depressive episodes may occur with or without an obvious trigger.
  
• Depressive disorders cost employers more than $51 billion per year in absenteeism and lost productivity, not including high medical and pharmaceutical bills.
  
• More than 80 percent of people with clinical depression can be successfully treated. With early recognition, intervention, and support, most individuals can lead productive lives.
  

 
 

 

Free, Confidential Depression Screening March 2nd 10:00-1:30 @ Baldwin Gym

You don’t love feeling stressed? Don’t stress over St. Valentine’s Day!

OK, we all know Valentine’s Day is kinda stupid – we know we shouldn’t have just one day a year when we express our fondness for the person we’re involved with – but, we are suckers for a day when we can go to the mall and buy something with a “good” excuse.  And, who can be unaffected by all the messages we are bombarded with around this time of year.  If you don’t go to Jarrads, or you don’t make a reservation at a restaurant you can’t afford, you suck! For many people this is a very stressful day…but why stress?   Since there’s a serious recession going on and money is tight and not everybody has a romantic partner in their life why not go crazy and 1) not buy anything 2) celebrate all the people you care about in a non materialistic way?

First some St.Valentine’s Day trivia

There are a number of legends about Saint Valentine, for whom the day is named but my personal favorite is: he was a priest in  3^rd century Rome who married couples in opposition to the Emperor who commanded that only single men could be  soldiers and outlawed marriage.

The elementary school tradition of exchanging St. Valentine ’s Day cards has its roots in a Middle Ages tradition when young men and women would draw a name from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would then pin the name on their sleeves for one week. This was done so that it becomes easy for other people to know your true feelings. This was known as “to wear your heart on your sleeve”.

Mid February has many traditions related to fertility and love most of which have given way to Valentine’s Day – be glad.  Be very glad most have disappeared – one would have you marry the first person of the opposite sex you saw the morning of St. Valentine’s Day.

For couples who want to express their feelings about one another:

First, there seem to be a lot of people who think St. Valentine’s Day is only for men to profess or demonstrate their love/caring/infatuation to the women they like.  Wrong.  Men like to be appreciated just as much as women (my brothers both agree on this one).  Also, what to do if both people in the couple  are of same gender?

For some St. Valentine’s Day has been one during which couples try to outdo each other in showing their “love”.

Suggestion: Do what most couples, married or not, don’t do and look at your partner in the eyes for more than 18 seconds every day.

Florists love YOU on St. Valentine’s Day.

Suggestion: If you want the heavy symbolism of the rose but not the expense consider planting a seed of an equally symbolic flower the Forget Me Not – easy to plant inside in a pot before you put them in the garden after the first frost and they require little after they are  in the ground.

Hallmark makes a mint!

Suggestion: Take 2 minutes and write down something about the person you care for – text, note on the kitchen counter, message written in the condensation on the bathroom mirror – all just as, if not more than, meaningful.

Chocolatiers make a ton o’ money!

Suggestion:  If you must celebrate this holiday don’t mess with this one! But remember, men like chocolate too!

Restaurants clean up on this day.

Suggestion: Cook a meal together.  Mac and Cheese, although hardly fancy is a universally loved meal and you can jazz it up –

Big Batch of Mary Whittaker’s Extra-Special Macaroni and Cheese

(she says it reheats really well!)

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. package of Penne pasta
• 1 stick of butter (you can add more)
• 3-4 heaping tablespoons flour
• 2   12 oz cans of evaporated milk
• 1-2 Tablespoons of onion powder
• 4    8 oz packages of Macadam “Wicked Sharp” Cheddar Cheese (2lbs of cheese – you could mix Extra sharp and Wicked sharp cheese)
• 1 cup soft bread crumbs  with melted butter (optional – Mary says most people like to eat it without baking)

Preparation:

If you think you have the patience to bake it : Grease a big baking dish. Heat oven to 350°.  Otherwise serve it out of the pot.

Cook penne following package directions; drain, rinse, and set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Turn off the heat to add the flour—it burns easily, and should be the consistency of of loose paste.  Slowly add evaporated milk, whisking constantly, cook until thick–the consistency of  very heavy cream—add more milk if necessary (regular is fine).  Salt and pepper to taste.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Add the penne, heat through and eat – unless you want to wait until you bake it ….

If you bake it combine bread crumbs with melted butter and  sprinkle over the casserole. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly and nicely browned.

For non-couple- related gestures to one another

Remember those candy hearts from grade school?  Or the valentine’s cards you spent time scribbling your name on?  Everybody (ok, most people) likes to be acknowledged. A few suggestions about how to let those in your life know you care about them:

TELL THEM!!!! TELL THEM!!! TELL THEM!

The Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2013

Every year since 1988 Beloit College has been publishing their Mindset List to help everyone understand cultural reference points are not the same for everyone.  Every year brings many changes – some things disappear and others appear.  Although the class of 2013 refers to graduation from a four year college  those students at BCC who were born in 1991, whether they graduate with a four year or two year degree have different reference points than even those students born in 1989.

If you’re an older student  attending BCC or a faculty or staff person you might be surprised, for instance to consider the fact that students born in 1991 have always known China to have a McDonalds and  employers have always been able to do a credit check on empoyees.  Some of the Mindset lists are more interesting than others – if you’d like to look at any of the Mindset lists from the class of 2002 and on, go to : http://beloit.edu/mindset

Many students entering college for the first time this fall were born in 1991.

1. For these students, Martha Graham, Pan American Airways, Michael Landon, Dr. Seuss, Miles Davis, The Dallas Times Herald, Gene Roddenberry, and Freddie Mercury have always been dead.
2. Dan Rostenkowski, Jack Kevorkian, and Mike Tyson have always been felons.
3. The Green Giant has always been Shrek, not the big guy picking vegetables.
4. They have never used a card catalog to find a book.
5. Margaret Thatcher has always been a former prime minister.
6. Salsa has always outsold ketchup.
7. Earvin “Magic” Johnson has always been HIV-positive.
8. Tattoos have always been very chic and highly visible.
9. They have been preparing for the arrival of HDTV all their lives.
10. Rap music has always been main stream.
11. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream has always been a flavor choice.
12. Someone has always been building something taller than the Willis (née Sears) Tower in Chicago.
13. The KGB has never officially existed.
14. Text has always been hyper.
15. They never saw the “Scud Stud” (but there have always been electromagnetic stud finders.)
16. Babies have always had a Social Security Number.
17. They have never had to “shake down” an oral thermometer.
18. Bungee jumping has always been socially acceptable.
19. They have never understood the meaning of R.S.V.P.
20. American students have always lived anxiously with high-stakes educational testing.
21. Except for the present incumbent, the President has never inhaled.
22. State abbreviations in addresses have never had periods.
23. The European Union has always existed.
24. McDonald’s has always been serving Happy Meals in China.
25. Condoms have always been advertised on television.
26. Cable television systems have always offered telephone service and vice versa.
27. Christopher Columbus has always been getting a bad rap.
28. The American health care system has always been in critical condition.
29. Bobby Cox has always managed the Atlanta Braves.
30. Desperate smokers have always been able to turn to Nicoderm skin patches.
31. There has always been a Cartoon Network.
32. The nation’s key economic indicator has always been the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
33. Their folks could always reach for a Zoloft.
34. They have always been able to read books on an electronic screen.
35. Women have always outnumbered men in college.
36. We have always watched wars, coups, and police arrests unfold on television in real time.
37. Amateur radio operators have never needed to know Morse code.
38. Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Latvia, Georgia, Lithuania, and Estonia have always been independent nations.
39. It’s always been official: President Zachary Taylor did not die of arsenic poisoning.
40. Madonna’s perspective on Sex has always been well documented.
41. Phil Jackson has always been coaching championship basketball.
42. Ozzy Osbourne has always been coming back.
43. Kevin Costner has always been Dancing with Wolves, especially on cable.
44. There have always been flat screen televisions.
45. They have always eaten Berry Berry Kix.
46. Disney’s Fantasia has always been available on video, and It’s a Wonderful Life has always been on Moscow television.
47. Smokers have never been promoted as an economic force that deserves respect.
48. Elite American colleges have never been able to fix the price of tuition.
49. Nobody has been able to make a deposit in the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI).
50. Everyone has always known what the evening news was before the Evening News came on.
51. Britney Spears has always been heard on classic rock stations.
52. They have never been Saved by the Bell
53. Someone has always been asking: “Was Iraq worth a war?”
54. Most communities have always had a mega-church.
55. Natalie Cole has always been singing with her father.
56. The status of gays in the military has always been a topic of political debate.
57. Elizabeth Taylor has always reeked of White Diamonds.
58. There has always been a Planet Hollywood.
59. For one reason or another, California’s future has always been in doubt.
60. Agent Starling has always feared the Silence of the Lambs.
61. “Womyn” and “waitperson” have always been in the dictionary.
62. Members of Congress have always had to keep their checkbooks balanced since the closing of the House Bank.
63. There has always been a computer in the Oval Office.
64. CDs have never been sold in cardboard packaging.
65. Avon has always been “calling” in a catalog.
66. NATO has always been looking for a role.
67. Two Koreas have always been members of the UN.
68. Official racial classifications in South Africa have always been outlawed.
69. The NBC Today Show has always been seen on weekends.
70. Vice presidents of the United States have always had real power.
71. Conflict in Northern Ireland has always been slowly winding down.
72. Migration of once independent media like radio, TV, videos and compact discs to the computer has never amazed them.
73. Nobody has ever responded to “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”
74. Congress could never give itself a mid-term raise.
75. There has always been blue Jell-O.

Neurodiversity.

Photo by PSSCHUBERT

You’re sitting in English 111 and three seats in front of you is another student whom everyone in the class  calls “Data” after the Star Trek character. “Data” is a walking encyclopedia of information that most students in the class find irrelevant.  The student’s name is John but no one, including the instructor ever calls him by name because he is always talking in class – monopolizing whatever discussion arises.  When John gets excited about an idea or something that is said he clears his throat very loudly and everyone in class braces for what is always a long and boring recitation of factoids about the topic at hand.  Today John is rattling on about lottery tickets and the instructor  said  “Thank you once again for your shrewd analysis”.  John continued to talk and when the instructor said “OK. Enough” John started talking very loudly and became belligerent  – surprising everyone.  John wears the same clothes everyday, minus socks, talks at you and looks at your chin when he talks to you.  Everyone rolls their eyes when he comes in to class.  In short, you think he is weird and annoying.

If you are a student or faculty or staff at BCC or anywhere in the world you have had interactions with someone who has aspergers.  If you don’t know much about this neurobiological disorder that is a type of autism, you have probably been annoyed or befuddled by those interactions with a person with aspergers.   Below is some basic information on AS to help you understand some of the immense challenges a student with aspergers faces in an academic setting as well as some of the great strengths they typically have.

What it isn’t:

It isn’t a collection of habits that are intentionally gained to  annoy you.   It isn’t gender specific though it seems to affect more males than females.  It isn’t a disorder for which there is a test.  It doesn’t affect everyone the same way though there are many basic shared observables.

What it is:

It is sometimes not diagnosed.  It is sometimes over diagnosed.  It is a lifelong diagnosis.  Because of the disruption it causes in a person’s ability to understand subtle non-verbal communications, their difficulty in sustaining eye contact with others and the favoring of concrete interpretations people with AS are often described by others as not getting it, weird, odd, clumsy.  They are generally aware they are different and are through their school years often bullied by their peers adding to their sense they are different and not OK.  People with AS are sometimes depressed and operate in the world without a lot of friendship support.   They are also sometimes exceedingly anxious because their processing is so different. They have difficultly filtering out unimportant sounds, smells, and other stimuli  which makes classrooms sometimes very difficult places to be.

There are a lot of theories about what causes aspergers but most point to a combination of genetics and environmental factors.  Abnormal migration of brain cells during embryonic development means significant differences in brain cell connectivity and structure. The structural differences in turn change how the person operates in the environment.  Whether this tendency for abnormal migration is genetic or because of environmental factors or a combination is under debate.  The fact that there are more and more people being diagnosed with aspergers may point to an increase in awareness and understanding the diagnosis better  or it may be due to an increased prevalence because people who are similarly

Common characteristics of Aspergers:

The person may have difficulty reading facial expressions, gestures or social cues.

The person may have difficulty acting like everyone else in social situations especially when the rules are implicit.

The person does not have many friends.

The person has difficulty expressing themselves and communicate through posture and tone

The person may have a narrow range of interests and may be pursued obsessively.

The person may have extraordinary memorization skills.

The person may have abnormalities of speech including impairments in their tone and may “talk funny”.

The person may have low visual-motor coordination making them appear clumsy.

The person may have difficulty with change and have a preference for keeping things the same.

The person may have very low self-esteem and depressive symptoms because they are aware they are different but have difficulty in acting like everyone else.

The person may because of previous experiences beleive nothing can ever help them and as a result they stop trying and may resist an offer of assistance.

The person with aspergers may be able to tell you the name of every senator in the history of New York State but may have difficulty in understanding the significance of political differences between democrats and republicans.

The person may cope with anxiety or feeling overwhelmed by noise, smells, etc., by engaging in repetitive behaviors like rocking, or clicking their tongue.

The person may have difficulty “seeing the forest for the trees”.

The person may have difficulty with understanding information that is presented verbally that is abstract or laced with metaphors because they tend to use concrete or literate thinking.

The person may learn best if presented with visual information as well as verbal information.

The person may have a narrow interest that may lead to a cure for a disease, a new gadget we will all want or some other far reaching consequence.

The person may be extremely articulate verbally and can add value to a class discussion by their unique processing.

The person may be very creative and imaginative.

The person will do better in college if others are more tolerant of the differences they observe.

You come to class and are alarmed at the amount of noise in the room.  It is hard to pick out what sounds are important because initially they’re all at the same level – at least to your ears. You can hear the music coming out of the ipod connected to the head of the guy sitting behind you and the “boom, boom” of the bass is all you can hear.  You don’t notice the girl saying “excuse me” three times in a row as she tried to get by you to her seat and you don’t notice the students sitting around your part of the room rolling their eyes though you have noticed many other things. The lecture seems to have started and you are pleased the instructor has mentioned  the story “The Lottery” and you tell the instructor that you have collected games,  several of them very rare, but have never gotten into lottology, the collecting of lottery tickets.  The professor thanks you for your comments but then says “Enough” after you add another piece of information.  You hear a lot of people in the class  laughing and feel you’ve done something wrong, or funny, but you don’t know which.  You start clicking your tongue which always helps you to focus and filter out the other noises.  You hear more people start to laugh and get angry.

What can you do to foster neurodiversity tolerance?

Avoid sarcasm (it’s a good idea anyway) because they might not get it and it just confuses.

Understand the role of “stimming” – the repetitive actions of a person with aspergers who has become anxious – rocking, tongue clicking, other movements and be compassionate.

Speak in an even tone, avoid open -ended questions or metaphors or colloquialisms.

If you see someone making fun of another student who has aspergers (or anyone else) be an ally to the AS student and get involved.

If you see an AS student getting aggressive or agitated consider that it may because they are experiencing sensory overload or they feel bullied by someone – perhaps because of past experiences combined with a current misunderstanding of another student or the professor.

If  an AS student does not acknowledge you outside the classroom consider this is not rudeness but may be a significant disruption in facial recognition skills.

If an AS student lays their head on the desk during a class lecture don’t assume they are being rude – they may be trying to filter out noise.

Try to imagine if you had trouble separating background noise form other noises in a classroom – the professor’s voice and the pencil tapping 2 rows away and the noises in the hall are all experienced at the same intensity.

When an AS student talks in class in an abnormal sounding voice or if they talk like an encyclopedia accept the differences as part of the diversity of people you know.  Not better, not worse…just different.

If an AS student is talking in class and fails to recognize that everyone else is annoyed or bored with what might sound like a lecture say the student’s name  – “John, an interesting fact/comment. OK,anybody else?”

If  an AS student stands too close to you or is speaking too loudly for your comfort it’s OK to say something but obviously how you say it makes all the difference between shaming someone or giving them some useful feedback.

Albert Einstein didn’t wear socks to his Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies – one can imagine the scratchiness of socks was just not worth it to him…he didn’t speak fluently until he was nine leaving his parents concerned their son was retarded. Most experts believe he had aspergers.

Like the PC you are very likely reading this blog on?  Thank Bill Gates who is thought to have aspergers.  But for his perseverance, intense focus and interest we might still be using the typewriter and carbon paper.

Dan Aykroyd, Elvis Presley, Leanardo Da Vinci – all thought to have aspergers.

VIVE LA DIFFERENCE!

A New Year’s Poem for Your Consideration

A Problem Solved

My dears, perhaps you never knew

That mice have mental problems too.

A certain Mouse I used to know

Quite candidly informed me so.

In fact, he made a full confession–

How he had struggled with depression,

Arising from a tail obsession.

“Alas,” he squeaked, “woe, woe is me,

No fur upon our tails have we.

Naked our bottoms, bare our rears!”

And then he shed despondent tears.

For years, pursuing remedies,

He’d fixed his hopes on therapies;

Yoga, he thought, might do him good,

And surely acupuncture would.

Holistic hormones could not fail

To solve the issues of his tail.

And, lo, indeed, fur grew apace!

But only on poor Mouse’s face.

(Mouse pattern-baldness, you should know, Means nothing on their tails can grow.

There’s neither remedy nor cure

For rodent tails deprived of fur.)

So when Mouse asked his doctor why

He got this negative reply:

“There’s nothing any mouse can do,

Indeed I suffer from it too.”

“If doctors are of no avail,

How can I ever fur my tail?”

He wondered, focusing his mind

On beasts with elegant behinds.

He pondered rabbit, squirrel and fox,

The magpie, turkey and peacocks.

And, thus inspired, he saw a way

That he could make a tail-toupee!

With glue applied to make it stick,

A bit of fur would do the trick.

Perhaps some pelt from squirrel or rabbit, If he could find a way to grab it.

But better far would Tabby be,

For gray and nicely fluffed was she,

And just outside his mouse hole sat,

That plump and drowsy pussy cat.

“She’s sound asleep (I hear no purr),

Now is the time to pluck my fur,”

He thought, and tip-toed near,

Past whiskers first and then her ear.

There, on her belly, grew a patch

Of mouse-gray fur, the perfect match!

And this he tugged. . . .

The outcome, you no doubt surmise,

Can hardly stir the least surprise.

The Moral

What can’t be cured, try not to mind,

And never look at your behind.

Anon

“You say you want a resolution well, you know, we all wanna change the world”

New Year’s – Resolutions…
most people who make them fail to keep them or to reach their goals. On the other hand, those that make them are 10 times more likely to reach their goals or change behaviors then those that don’t make a formal New Year’s Resolution. Among those people who make formal New Year’s Resolutions 46% of them have kept up with their goals six months later. So, if only for six months you improve some aspect of your life – this sounds like a win/win. If you think about a change you want to make but don’t actually make a New Year’s Resolution you are in good company but only 4% of you will reach that goal (a study led by Dr. Norcross published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology in 2002).

• So what does work? – write down every day what you’ve done. Make a specific plan – the more detail the better. “Study more” won’t cut it but making a daily schedule and carving out specific times you’ll study and where you’ll study will give you a better shot at success.

• Break it down – “I’ll get a 3.0 at the end of this next semester” although an admirable goal won’t help you do better unless you break it down…Does this mean you could get a 2.0 in English as long as you got that 4.0 in bio? Or does it mean try and get at least a B in all your subjects?

• When you’re listing your resolutions why not jot down a few thoughts about why this is a resolution and why it just isn’t happening on its own. For me back in college I might have written as a resolution: “I will Pass bio with a B or better”. Next to this resolution I would’ve had to write, if I were being honest, “This is a resolution because last semester when I took Bio I got a D because I didn’t go to all my classes and didn’t study enough”

• What are you actually going to change to ensure success? Are you going to continue to try to study in your apartment after work when your housemates are partying? Maybe you could use the break between your morning classes and afternoon math class to study since all you do is hang out in the cafeteria talking to your friends and playing with your Nintendo DS. And finally, really think about the positives of reaching this goal and think about them a lot to reinforce your new behaviors.

• You might also want to include who could help you with this like the Writing Center, my brother, and how you might know it’s time to ask for help. So, so far a first resolution might look like this:

Resolution # 1: Pass Biology with a B or better.

Why a resolution? I took it last semester and got a D. I missed a lot of classes and didn’t study unless there was a test and then I crammed.

Who could help me? I could go to the LAC and see what services they have for me. I could ask my roommate to turn his music down at 9pm when I’m trying to study. Or, if I live at home I could ask my parents for a pass on the house chores the week I have a test so I can study more. I could let my best friend know that I’m really trying to change something and ask them to not make jokes about me being a grind when I say I can’t go out for beer pong.

What will I change? I will study in between classes in the library. I won’t take my Nintendo DS with me to school.

Why do I want to do this again? I will get a better grade and my GPA will increase giving me more options for a four year school. I would like to know if I can do this so I’ll have more confidence about my goal of getting a bachelors. Whatever habits I develop in pursuit of this B will pay off in other courses.

GOOD LUCK! Here’s a cool idea…

Make the Holidaze Holihappy! Figure out your limits and have fun!

Sorry I didn’t find this sooner to help with some of the less pleasant aspects of the Holidaze that are upon us. A little help a little late might be just the thing for some of the more serious procrastinators!

Holiday Job Lists

Thanks to Maria Adele Paredes, MS, LPC, ACS
Counselor at University Counseling Center at Wake Forest University for sharing!

Merry Christmas!

For those of you who celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas! An old video about some of the more silly and fun excesses people have gone to…

The Eight Irresistable Principles of Fun

Laughing Yoga health and other benefits no laughing matter!

Photo by taylorschlades

Imagine laughing until your stomach muscles hurt. Now imagine the last time you had a real belly laugh and how refreshed you felt afterward. There is a lot of research showing that laughter really is good medicine. in the 1960s Norman Cousins the journalist wrote a book about coming back from near death in his “Anatomy of an Illness” and credits laughter with having helped save his life. Laughter feeds every cell in your body with more oxygen, lowers your blood sugar, can help you feel less pain, increases your blood flow to organs, and when two people laugh together it creates a feeling of connection that texting will never equal!

Started in the 1990s by an Indian physician, Laughing Yoga now boasts a million practitioners in India alone who meet in laughter clubs every morning and….laugh. There are about 400 laughter clubs in the US and some 8,000 worldwide. Participation does not require a sense of humor or even an appreciation of humor though these are obviously good things to have in general. Whether you are laughing because something seems funny or you are simply laughing mechanically, the benefits of laughing are the same. Laughter is not a solution though it definitely has preventive qualities. It is however going to get many people 50% of the way towards a solution.

Laughing Yoga is not silly. It is playful. It is not childish. It is childlike in its simplicity. It is not funny. It is fun. It operates from the idea that where your body goes your mind will follow.

One woman offers a yoga laughing club experience via skype and you can sign up and laugh once a week with other people for 10 minutes and see them via their web cam and they you. Watch the video below – give it some time before you conclude it’s stupid.

Broome Community College will have its own Laughter Yoga club for students and staff sometime in the next 4 months. We need laughers. We’d like to have 10 or so and so far have 5 people. Interested? Email me hibbard_d@sunybroome.edu or call 778-5210 and let me know times that are best for you and I’ll give you more information.

Want more? Check out this mp3 laughing babies!

Holiday season is gearing up but you don’t have to. Holiday stress busters.

HOLIDAY STRESS: WHAT IS STRESSING YOU OUT THIS HOLIDAY?

Holiday Stress is predictable. With overspending, lack of time, overcrowded shops and malls; trying to have fun can actually cause stress. Easing up on yourself is important because the connection between stress and illness is real.

Reduce the wear and tear that holiday stress can inflict.  When your Holiday to do list stretches longer than Santa Claus’s beard, eliminate whatever is unnecessary.

TIPS AND STRESS BUSTERS:

• Make connections– good relationships with friends and family are important. Accept help and support.

• Take Care of Yourself– pay attention to your own needs and feelings.

• Plan Ahead: make specific times for shopping, visiting. and baking

• Learn to say NO

• Get enough sleep

• Laugh More, no kidding. Laughter is our natural antidote to stress

• Exercise

• Prioritize, schedule breaks

• Watch expectations

• Learn to Relax

• Get Support, Ask for help.  The staff at the counseling center are available to listen, whether you have an on-going problem or are fed up with holiday stress.

Broome Community College Counseling Services

Located  in Student Services SS210          607-778-5210

Used with permission by creator Marcia Winters of Fisher College

What to Expect in your First Counseling Session By James Rea © 2000 by Lifescape

photo by alvimann

[I  saw this article and thought I'd not reinvent the wheel in trying to describe a first counseling session]

 

Are you, or a loved one, about to go to a counselor for the first time? Whatever your reason for seeking help, you will be more at ease and get better results if you know what to expect.

In your first session, the therapist typically will ask certain questions about you and your life. This information helps him make an initial assessment of your situation. Questions he might ask include:

• Why you sought therapy—A particular issue probably led you to seek counseling. The therapist has to understand your surface problem(s) before he can get to the deeper issues.

• Your personal history and current situation—The therapist will ask you a series of questions about your life. For example, because family situations play an important role in who you are, he’ll ask about your family history and your current family situation.

• Your current symptoms—Other than knowing the reason you sought therapy, the therapist will attempt to find out if you’re suffering from other symptoms of your problem. For example, your problem might be causing difficulty at work.

The therapist will use this information to better understand your problem. And, while he may make a diagnosis at the end of your first visit, it’s more likely that a diagnosis will take a few more sessions.

Don’t just sit there

Therapy is a team effort. If you don’t take an active part in the session, you won’t find the counseling experience valuable. Here are some things you can do to make your first session as successful as possible.

• Be open. Therapists are trained to ask the right questions, but they’re not mind readers. The therapist can do his job more effectively if you answer the questions openly and honestly.

• Be prepared. Before you get to the session, know how to describe “what’s wrong,” and to describe your feelings about your problem. One way to prepare is to write down the reasons you’re seeking help. Make a list and then read it out loud. Hearing yourself say it a few times will help you describe things more clearly to the therapist.

• Ask questions. The more you understand the counseling experience or how counseling works, the more comfortable you’ll be. Ask questions about the therapy process, and ask the therapist to repeat anything you don’t understand.

• Be honest about your feelings. A lot will be going through your head in this first session. Listen to your own reactions and feelings, and share them with the therapist. You’ll both learn from these insights.

Be sure to go to your first session with realistic expectations. Therapy is not a quick fix for your problem, rather it is a process. With some effort on your part and a strong relationship with your therapist, it can be a successful tool toward resolving problems.

Sources:

“The Consumer’s Guide to Psychotherapy: The Authoritative Guide for Making Choices About All Types of Psychotherapy,” by J. Engler and D. Goleman, Simon and Schuster, 1992.

“Making Therapy Work: Your Guide to Choosing, Using, and Ending Therapy,” by F. Bruckner-Gordon, B. K. Gangi and G. U. Wallman, Harper and Row, 1988.

“The Process of Counseling and Therapy,” by Janet Moursund, Prentice Hall, 1985.

“The Therapy Answer Book: Getting the Most Out of Counseling,” by Kathleen J. Papatola, Fairview Press, 1997.

 

Help yourself to (and with) another free resource. Study, test and other skills.

photo by Jeltovski

I happened on this site when I was looking for materials for a student on Test Anxiety and found much, much more.   Tips on time management, taking tests, studying, how to maximize your particular learning style, reading strategie and lots more are included in this web site – the Study Guides and Strategies .  This web site has been researched, authored, maintained and supported since 1996 by Joe Landsberger as an international, learner-centric, educational public service.  Check it out!

Halloween and time to talk about scary things like… counseling. But first a word about e-Couch and Social Anxiety.

Photo by Patricia Green

Social Anxiety and how e-Couch can help

So, you don’t do a lot of things because you are uncomfortable around people you don’t know or authority figures, and situations where others might be judging you  – like oral presentations for instance or parties where there are a lot of people.   Well, for the same reasons you don’t go to parties, and you avoid places where you might feel judged, we might not ever see you in our counseling offices even though we could help.  Even people who don’t have to deal with social anxiety coming and speaking to a counselor represents a scary proposition.  So what to do?

1. You could try and push through the anxiety and call 778-5210 and make an appointment to talk to a personal counselor.  This actually our preference since we are skilled at helping people with anxiety and other problems and that’s why we’re here!

2. You could do nothing and hope things get better (however, we’ve all heard the definition of insanity as doing the same thing over again and expecting a different outcome).

3. You could check out e-Couch, a self-paced, self help interactive program that includes modules for social anxiety   and generalized anxiety as well as depression. It provides self-help interventions drawn from cognitive,
behavioral and interpersonal therapies as well as relaxation and physical activity.

E-Couch is created by the folks at e-Hub, the award-winning  team at The Australian National University. E-hub has developed four innovative online self-help services that can be accessed anonymously and free of charge, 24 hours a day, from anywhere. e-hub’s programs have been developed by internationally recognized experts in the field of mental health and web service delivery research, some of whom have personally experienced depression.
Thus the programs incorporate both a rigorous research perspective and a consumer focus.

Interested?  I went through the modules and used the toolkits and was very impressed!  Check it out at:  www.ecouch.anu.edu.au

Let us know if you use it and what you think.

Stay tuned for a scary visit to a personal counselor on Halloween.

Starting to notice you’ve got less energy, craving junk food, sad or irritable? 20 minutes a day could make all the difference.

There’s still time to come in and talk to a counselor about whether you might benefit from light therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder.  So far we have seven people signed up and room for many more.  20 minutes a day sitting under the table top light box pictured here, while you do your homework  in a quiet room in the Counseling Services suite could make a big difference in how you feel this winter.  If you are a Broome Community College Student call 778-5210 and make an appointment to talk to a counselor about whether this might help you get through the winter feeling better.

Time crunch? Do you know where the time goes?

So, about four times a week a student will say they don’t have enough time to do everything.  Some of you have a lot of responsibility and really are time crunched but most of us aren’t aware of just how much time we spend on things that aren’t productive.  Not convinced?  Fill out the sheet below, keeping track for one day of exactly how much time you spend on various activities.

photo by ppdigital

“WHERE DOES TIME GO?” Worksheet

---

Number of hours of sleep each night …………………. _____ x 7 = _____

Number of hours spent grooming each day ……………… _____ x 7 = _____

Number of hours for meals/snacks, including
preparation/clean-up time ………………………….. _____ x 7 = _____

Travel time to and from campus ……………………… _____ x 5 = _____

Number of hours per week for regular activities
(chapter meetings, leadership/service activities,
intramurals, church, etc.) ……………………………………. _____

Number of hours per day of errands, etc………………. _____ x 7 = _____

Number of hours of work per week ………………………………. _____

Number of hours in class per week ……………………………… _____

Number of hours per week with friends, social
parties, going out, watching tv, etc…………………………….._____

…………………………………………………….. Total = _____

168.0 hours in a week

- _______ hours of activities

= _______ hours to study

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WHERE DOES TIME GO?

Example

Number of hours of sleep each night ……………………. 8 x 7 = 56

Number of hours spent grooming each day ………………… 1 x 7 = 7

Number of hours for meals/snacks, including
preparation/clean-up time …………………………….. 3 x 7 = 21

Travel time to and from campus …………………… 30 min. x 5 = 2.5

Number of hours per week for regular activities
(chapter meetings, leadership/service activities,
intramurals, church, etc.) …………………………………… 6

Number of hours per day of errands, etc…………………. 1 x 7 = 7

Number of hours of work per week ……………………………… 15

Number of hours in class per week …………………………….. 15

Number of hours per week with friends, social
parties, going out, watching tv, etc…………………………… 10

……………………………………………………. Total = 139.5

168.0 hours in a week

- 139.5 hours of activities

= 28.5 hours to study

Looking for volunteers to make a movie!

OK, maybe not a movie like Inglorious Bastards or Resident Evil – more like those little short movies they used to show in middle school about dating and relationships or STDS  –   BUT BETTER!  If you’re interested in helping write/act/direct some short little movies about how to deal with someone who is experiencing depression, stress or someone who is feeling suicidal please email hibbard_d@sunybroome.edu and mention what you might be interested in or call Counseling Services @ 778-5210 and ask to speak to a personal counselor about THE MOVIES.

photo by taylor schlades

Famous Failures

Did you know?

Counseling Services through the generosity of college staff and faculty as well as BCC students, have  a food pantry for students who may be struggling to make ends meet.  We have a pantry of non-perishable food including pasta, soups,  canned vegetables, boxed meals like mac and cheese and rice dishes, peanut butter and jelly, toiletries including toothpaste, toilet tissue and soap and more and last semester we were able to offer assistance to about 20 students.  The people who work at Broome Community College care about students and they know that everyone gets in a tight spot occasionally and could use some help.  If you are a student at BCC and need some food to get through until the next check, etc.  come by on a friday between 3 and 4 pm and tell one of the secretaries you’d like to speak to one of the counselors and we’ll fix you up.