Jones

by LINDSAY DIEDRICH
Intern Lifestyles Reporter

Group therapy in The Counseling Center offers students an opportunity to relate to other students on issues they may be facing.

“You can talk about it and find out you’re not the only one that feels that way,” Director of Counseling and Psychological Services Dr. Dan L. Jones said.

Tomorrow from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in the Attic Window room of Plemmons Student Union, Counseling and Psychological services will be offering a program called “The Truth About Suicide.”

The program is based off a video.

“The video was developed by students and I think most of the content involves students,” he said.

This program is designed to help students recognize suicidal tendencies.

“The research shows that a lot of students hint at being suicidal before that attempt or do commit suicide,” Jones said. “We hope that this training will help students recognize when they see signs or symptoms in their friends or classmates or roommates, so that we can somehow reach them in a way that may prevent them from committing suicide.”

The Counseling Center encourages students who feel they may have a problem to seek help.

“A lot of students seem to be afraid to come to the counseling center, because they think they are committing themselves to something,” Jones said. “It’s a good idea, if you suspect you have some issue or problem, to come in at least once. Just because you come once doesn’t mean you have to stay in counseling or therapy.”

In addition to special events, the counseling center offers many different types of group therapy to the Appalachian community.

“Our most common type of group therapy is called ‘Understanding Self and Others,’” Jones said.

Counseling and psychological services offers this group in a co-ed or mono-gender setting. Each group contains about eight or nine students.

“Groups usually have eight or nine people in them,” Jones said. “What we’ve found that if you get eight or nine college students together just about any issue that comes up in a group there’s going to be at least one or two or three people that will identify or relate to what you’re saying.”

A variety of groups offer an array of choices for students in the Appalachian community seeking a place to discuss certain issues.

“We have a group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender students,” Staff Psychologist Dr. Sheri L. Clark said. “We have a new group called ‘Painful Pasts, Promising Futures’ that addresses some really difficult issues from childhood that people may have dealt with but continue to affect their present.”

Counseling and Psychological Services also offer groups that target mind and body.

The counseling center offers weekly walk-in hours Monday through Thursday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Fridays 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The counseling center offers its services free of charge to anyone in the Appalachian community and is located behind the post office.

For more information on group therapy or other services visit their Web site at counseling.appstate.edu.

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