Interview Questions

For my documentary on the UK Counseling Center, we found that some people we could interview were people who work there, such as psychologists, and possibly students who go visit there.

Questions I/we came up with to ask the professional are:

1. What are the most common issues students come share with you?
2. What in particualr made you want to work with college students?
3. Is there a reason why you chose to work at UK?
4. How frequent do students come visit that have mental health issues?
5. How do you help the students that come in with depression, anxiety or any stress related issues.

Questions I/we came up with to ask the students are:

1. Is the counseling center easy to access?
2. How often are they usually available for you to go see?
3. What makes them want you to keep coming back?
4. Would you ever advise someone with a mental health issue to visit this center?
5. Do you think they are helpful with the problems you seek them about?

I think interviewing these two types of people could help reach out to students by having them see real life people and how they react to this center. For some students admitting themselves can be the hardest part, but if they get the chance to see that there are people here to help them, it can create a safe gateway for these students. 

UK Counseling Center

In my previous blogs I have discussed how stress affects students performances and social behavior. I have also found articles providing tips to reduce stress to lead to a healthier life. Students deal with many things when coming to college which eventually can lead to mental instability. My documentary is primarily focused how the UK Counseling Center. 

The UK Counseling Center services for students provides a place where students can freely express certain issues that are bothering them. Where it is school related or family related, students are always welcomed to come by for guidance. There are many different types of counseling such as individual, couple, groups and workshops, major or career counseling, outreach programming or even alcoholic/drug treatment.

This topic makes for a good documentary because for freshman especially, not many people know about it and their services. Out of everyone I think freshman at first get the most overwhelmed while coming to college for the first time. With this documentary, we hope that it will bring more awareness to students on campus, and that there are people and services at UK that can help make their time here easier. One step to creating a healthier lifestyle is reaching out and talking about your problems.

The Counseling Center is located on the second and third floor of Frazee Hall, on Administration Drive, right next to the student center.

For most of the information collected in this blog came from the UK Counseling Center website. 

http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Counseling/students.html

Ways to Manage Stress

In my previous blog post I shared an article that discussed the effects of stress on college students and their performance in social life and in school. Stress can be brought on by not only school related topics, but with interpersonal subjects as well. Stress for some people can lead to some very unfortunate events. Ways to prevent one from getting too caught up with school, drama or any stressful issue can be as simple as talking to someone. I found an article one UK Library online database, "10 Simple Ways to Manage Stress"written by David B. Posen. This article gives 10 different tips for managing ones stress levels.

1. Decrease or Discontinue Caffeine-"The best way to observe the effect of caffeine is to get it out of your system long enough to see if there is a difference in how you feel. Three weeks is adequate. I estimate 75-80 percent of those who try it notice a benefit. They feel more relaxed, less jittery or nervous, sleep better and have more energy (a paradox, since you are removing a stimulant). There have less heartburn and fewer muscle aches. You, too, may feel dramatically better."

2. Regular Exercise-"In other words, stress is the state of increased arousal necessary for an organism to defend itself at a time of danger. Exercise is the most logical way to dissipate this excess energy. It is Mint our bodies are trying to do when we pace around or tap our legs and fingers. It is much better to channel it into a more complete from of exercise like a brisk walk, a run, a bike ride, or a game of squash."

3. Relaxation Meditation-"On days when exercise is not possible, relaxation techniques are an excellent way to bring down the body's stress level. Whereas exercise dissipates stress energy, relaxation techniques neutralize it, producing a calming effect. As little as 20 minutes once or twice per day confers significant benefit."

4.Sleep-"These dynamics can create a vicious cycle. When you get more sleep, you feel better and are more resilient and adaptable in dealing with day-to-day events. Most people know what their usual sleep requirement is (the range is five to 10 hours per night; the average being seven to eight), but a surprisingly large percentage of the population is chronically sleep deprived."

5.Time outs and leisure-"A mid-morning break, lunch, a midafternoon break and supper divide the day into roughly two-hour segments. These time-outs can include power naps, meditation, daydreaming, a social interlude, a short walk, a refreshment break, a change to low-concentration tasks or listening to music. Despite all our labor-saving devices, leisure is still an elusive commodity for most people. Statistics show that the average American works an extra four hours per week compared with 20 years ago. That translates into an extra month of work each year."

6. Realistic Expectations-"When expectations are realistic, life feels more predictable and more manageable. There is an increased feeling of control, because you can prepare yourself (physically and psychologically)."

7.Reframing-"This is one of the most powerful and creative stress reducers I know of. Reframing is a technique used to change the way you look at things in order to feel better about them. The key is to recognize that there are many ways to interpret the same situation. Is the glass half empty or half full? There are many ways of seeing the sane thing, so you might as well pick the one you like."

8. Belief Systems-"Beliefs cause stress in two ways. The first is the behavior that results from them. For example, if you believe that work should come before pleasure, you are likely to work harder and have less leisure time than you would otherwise. If you believe that people should meet the needs of others before they meet their own, you are likely to neglect yourself to some extent. These beliefs are expressions of people's philosophy or value system, but all lead to increased effort and decreased relaxation--a formula for stress"

9. Ventilation and Support Systems-"People who keep things to themselves carry a considerable and unnecessary burden. We can do much for ourselves by developing a support system (a few trusted relatives, colleagues or friends to talk to when we are upset or worried)."

10. Humor-"Laughter relieves tension. In fact, we often laugh hardest when we have been feeling most tense. Humor is an individual thing--what is funny to one person may be hurtful to another."

For my documentary project I am researching the UK Counseling Center- Consultation and Psychology. This facility provides safe, confidential psychology counseling to any student enrolled at UK. In my next blog couple blog post I will be discussing more in depth about this facility and what is has to offer.

The Link to this article

http://web.a.ebscohost.com/sas/detail?sid=7f563d37-d527-4e2e-86b9-0500d6503376%40sessionmgr4005&vid=0&hid=4106&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=3503253

Stress with Students

Everyone knows college is a time to branch out, meet new people and do things outside of your comfort zone. Most people don't really put into consideration the amount of stress it puts on college students health. Students can start to develop certain types of stress disorders when they arrive to college due to the change in atmosphere. The expectations to get an A on every test, in every class makes students feel like they are underachieving.

An article I found at UK's library called The Impact of Stress on Academic Success in College Students explains how stress can impact the way students go through school and can even impact their mental health. A study provided by Lazarus and Foldman in 1984 says, "in that they state stress is more than a response to environmental demands, bul is also related to personal perception. If an individual perceives a situation as stressful, then it is indeed stressful. Also, if an individual is susceptible or vulnerable to the negative effects produced by stressors, the situation may pose a threat or may be harmful to the individual." I believe there is a direct link between students mental stress level and the way they perform in school or even in the real world.

Some health care professionals try to identify stress through a psychological way. Another piece of evidence from this article I found was that "The researchers found that if there is an increase in the severity and intensity of the stressors, or hassles and uplifts, a person's well-being is significantly affected. In other words, there is often physiological or psychological disequilibrium when the stressors are severe and intense. " It is a very important to manage stress levels, especially during school  for students who are still continually developing.


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Source of Article:http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uky.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=e1e326e4-81a4-40ca-9b0f-2a1fcbcb654c%40sessionmgr110&vid=1&hid=112