National Suicide Prevention Week

This week is National Suicide Prevention Week. It’s an important week to talk about suicide and mental health, especially on a college campus. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the state of Iowa for individuals between 15 and 34 years old. Many have experienced the sadness, loss, and confusion of losing a loved one to suicide.

As a mental health treatment provider, I have to admit “national prevention weeks” about mental health-related topics can sometimes feel a bit underwhelming. The conversation about suicide prevention must go beyond statistics and awareness, and it must last longer than one week! Suicide prevention is really about a way of being: being kind, being mindful of others’ experiences, being compassionate, being connected in meaningful ways, being present, and being willing to ask “Are you okay?”

We spend a lot of time presenting ourselves to the world as “being okay”, though we may be suffering on the inside. Everyone else is doing that too. It seems we spend a lot of time in our own heads, physically wandering around the world, but without much awareness of the people around us. Occasionally we bump into each other in a space in which we are mutually present. Suicide prevention is about what we do in that space. Do we run or do we tolerate the discomfort that comes with being vulnerable? Do we share our struggles or continue to “be okay”? Do we ask “are you okay?” and really desire an honest answer?

Instagram post by Charlie Mackesy • May 21, 2019 at 6:23pm UTC
PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.instagram.com/p/BxvAfL2H_cs/?igshid=ao52ie2xhsrr

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, depressive thoughts, anxious thoughts, feelings of loneliness, or any other thoughts or feelings that don’t feel normal for you, ask for help. If someone in your life seems distant or is just not acting how they normally do, ask them if they are okay.

Resources for asking for help:

The St. Ambrose University Counseling Center, 2nd Floor Rogalski Center                    Phone: (563)333-6423  Email: CounselingCenter@sau.edu

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TAO Connect is an online resource that SAU students can access and complete online screenings and mental health treatment modules. You can use this resource confidentially by signing up for online self-help. Use your SAU email address and leave the enrollment key blank. Follow this link to sign up: https://thepath.taoconnect.org/local/login/index.php

If you or someone you know needs help immediately, please call 911, text START to 741-741 or call 1-800-273 TALK (8255).

You can also contact The Trevor Project, specializing in supporting the LGBTQ community: call 866.488.7386 or text “Trevor” to 1-202-304-1200.

Visit http://www.ulifeline.org/ for more resources.

Resources for helping a friend:

Visit http://www.seizetheawkward.org to learn more!

Visit http://www.halfofus.com/.

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Take care of one another!

Amber Dopler, MSW, LISW

SAU Student Counseling Center

Getting Ahead of Procrastination

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If you are like most students, you may have started out the semester with some great academic goals. Hopefully, those are going well so far! But, have you ever noticed that your goals often get hijacked. Research shows that very few people actually follow through with “new year’s resolutions” or other such plans.

One process that can increase our stress dramatically is procrastination, a pattern of avoidance that many college students struggle with. When everything is going great, it seems our goals are easy. But, when stress, uncertainty, or self-doubt show up, we can find ourselves debilitated and avoidant.

Want to learn more about procrastination?

Procrastination is the quintessential example of a psychological process called “experiential avoidance”. We avoid moving in our valued direction because we are unable to tolerate the negative feelings that the act conjures up. Over time, our neural circuitry organizes in response to experiential avoidance. Avoidance becomes our default setting, and we are mindlessly driven away from the things that we value the most. In a strange paradox, we mindlessly begin to become the very person we are working so hard to avoid becoming.

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The good news…neuroplasticity! Just as our brains can be wired around experiential avoidance, we can learn strategies to develop “psychological flexibility”. Through connecting with our values and engaging in mindful exploration of our thoughts, feelings, and behavior, we can, like salmon swimming upstream, commit to moving in the direction we most value, whether that’s pressing send on that email, starting that research paper, or scheduling that meeting with an instructor.

Throughout the semester, you will have multiple opportunities to take a look at how experiential avoidance might be affecting your life by attending a “Selfing Workshop”. The main goals of these workshops are to help students reduce experiential avoidance, practice mindfulness and self-compassion, and pursue their passions. Stay tuned to learn more about Selfing Workshops! Email Amber Dopler at dopleramberm@sau.edu if you have questions.

Amber Dopler, MSW, LISW

SAU Counseling Center

 

NAMI Family to Family Seminar

St. Ambrose is hosting a NAMI Family to Family Seminar at St. Ambrose on Wednesday, August 14 from 6:00-7:30 in McCarthy 103. This free seminar is led by trained people with lived experience of supporting a family member with a mental health condition. We will cover these topics: Understanding diagnoses, treatment and recovery Effective communication strategies The importance of self-care Crisis preparation strategies NAMI and community resources.

 

Register online: https://bit.ly/2qsSl0U or call 563-386-7477 ext 266 (10-2 M-F)

Selfing Workshop: DEFUSION

Selfing Workshop #2: DEFUSION

When: Monday, April 8th, 7pm-8pm

Where: Rogalski Center, Gottlieb

Have you ever noticed how certain thoughts, feelings, and memories just keep popping up? Some of these “pop-ups” are funny, comforting, or inspiring. But, some of these pop-ups are scary, demeaning, and hurtful. We develop a lot of different strategies to block these painful pop-ups without even realizing that most of these strategies are only creating more pain for us.

In Workshop #1, we talked about ACCEPTANCE and focused on how these pop-ups function in our brain and increase our stress responses. In Workshop #2, we will focus on DEFUSION. We will learn strategies for noticing and naming our pop-ups and learn strategies for “making space” for them and unhooking from them. I hope that you will set aside an hour next week and join us!

Would you like to learn more?

Ride Safety with Uber

After the murder of University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson, the topic of rider safety with services such as Uber and Lyft have been called into question.

Uber, the ride service Josephson used, has announced its plans to implement more safety features and campaigns, like push notifications to remind passengers during pickup to make sure the vehicle they’re getting into matches the one in the app. Additionally, there are precautions that riders can take to ensure that they are getting into the correct vehicle safely.

  1. Check the License Plate
    A quick double check that the license plate of the vehicle you are approaching matches your driver’s information in the app can help you avoid approaching the wrong vehicle.
  2. Match the Car Make and Model
    When you ride is on its way, the Uber app will display this information. Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with car make and models, Uber also displays a photo of the vehicle so you will know what to look for.
  3. Check the Driver’s Photo
    Be sure to check that your driver’s photo matches the driver you are about to get into a vehicle with. If something doesn’t seem right, trust your intuition.Screen Shot 2019-04-05 at 9.18.42 AM.png
  4. #WhatsMyName Campaign
    Students at the University of South Carolina are embracing the #WhatsMyName campaign, which urges riders to ask drivers “What’s my name?” to make sure they’re getting in the right car. USC President Harris Pastides said in a letter to students, “Asking ‘WHAT’S MY NAME?’ must become as automatic for you as putting on a seatbelt in your own vehicle,”.

 

Want Answers For What You Are Experiencing?

Half of Us is a website devoted to helping people identify their feelings and offer resources to support them. 

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Resources on the site provide insight into what you are dealing with, facts on what you are feeling, how to take action to better yourself, how to help a friend, or getting help now. 

“Mental health issues are a reality for millions of people across the country. Young people are especially at risk, with half of college students reporting that they have been stressed to a point where they couldn’t function during the past year. The impact of mental illness is so devastating that suicide is the third leading cause of death among all people ages 15-24.”

“The good news is that nearly all mental health issues can be improved with proper treatment. When we decrease the stigma around mental health and encourage help-seeking, we can change and save lives. Through Half of Us, mtvU and The Jed Foundation aim to initiate a public dialogue to raise awareness about the prevalence of mental health issues and connect students to the appropriate resources to get help.”

Visit the website now with the link: Half of Us

Need help now? Text START to 741-741 or call (800) 273-TALK (8255) 

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month!!!
Join SAAT in the month of April to help raise awareness for this important cause!
Did you know that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will be sexually assaulted while in college?
St. Ambrose should be a place for all students to live safely and thrive!
SAAT’s mission is to help support survivors in any way possible.
Please join us and show your support and solidarity with survivors of violence.
 
If you have been sexually assaulted, know that we believe you and we are here for you in any way you need. If you would like to speak to a confidential student advocate, send an email or call the local SafePath crisis line at 866-921-3354 and ask for a St. Ambrose Advocate.Screen Shot 2019-04-03 at 2.20.40 PM

Tips for Managing Stress As a College Student

While it’s true for most that college is an amazing time in our lives, that doesn’t mean that we aren’t vulnerable to moments of feeling down or stressed out.

“When you get to college, it’s usually a fairly sizable life change,” says J. David Forbes, MD, a Nashville, Tenn., physician specializing in stress management. “It’s the first time you’re off on your own. You’re out from any kind of adult jurisdiction. That can bring an overwhelming number of choices.”

We hear it all the time: in the residence halls, the cafeteria, and of course the classroom, “I’m just so stressed out”.

We all feel it, but do we know exactly what it is? And even more importantly, do we know how to best combat it?

Stress occurs when your tension level exceeds your energy level, resulting in an overloaded feeling. “As long as our available energy exceeds our tension level, then we’re in an okay state,” Dr. Forbes says. “But if energy is low and tensions are higher, then that can result in a state of anxiety, depression, and feeling overwhelmed.”

The following list might seem cliche, but it’s important to take a step back and reflect on how often you are using these mechanisms to cope. If the answer is not enough, pick one or two to focus on, and make small steps to incorporate them into your daily habits.

  1. Get enough sleep. Like we said, we know this list might be cliche, but when was the last time you got a full, restful, night of sleep? Not only does insufficient sleep make us lose focus and have mood swings, but it can also put you at risk for serious illnesses like diabetes, obesity, and depression. “Winging it on not much sleep has a profound effect on how we experience the stressors of the day,” Forbes says.  Adults typically need seven to nine hours of sleep a night for best health. Forbes also recommends that you align your sleep schedule with normal resting hours by getting to bed before midnight, rather than staying up until dawn and sleeping until mid-afternoon. “The more that our internal clock is closely aligned with the clock of the sun, the better it is,” Forbes says.
  2. Eat well. A diet full of processed junk and fast food can decrease energy levels in the body, leading to a lower threshold for stress. “You end up feeling very tired and looking for the same [junk food] to kick you back up,” Forbes says. “It’s a lousy cycle of hunting for short-term comfort food or sugar highs that actually keep you feeling worse.” Follow a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
  3. Exercise. It may seem difficult to find the time or the energy, but any physical activity for as little as 20 minutes a day can help with stress. Forbes says just three or four half-hour sessions can lighten stress considerably. It’s also important to find a type of exercise that you enjoy.  So if you’re not the biggest fan of the treadmill, try the elliptical or free weights. “You’re not going to continue something you don’t like,” Forbes notes.
  4. Avoid unnatural energy boosters. No, this doesn’t mean you need to give up your morning (or even your afternoon) coffee. It’s the extra stimulants like caffeine pills or sugary energy drinks taken at unideal times that should be avoided. Putting off your body’s need to sleep will ultimately result in an energy crash, resulting again in a greater susceptibility to stress. “It’s like clipping the wires to your fire alarm while the house burns down,” Forbes says. “Just because you didn’t hear it doesn’t mean the house didn’t burn.”

 

Check out the rest of Forbes’ tips here. Which of these tips do you think will be the easiest for you to try?

 

 

Spring 2019 Selfing Workshops

The SAU Counseling Center Selfing Workshop program is designed to help students:

– Stop feeling overwhelmed
– Interrupt the neurological processes that increase stress
– Improve focus and concentration
– Discover intrinsic motivation
– Identify and work toward personal goals

These workshops are for self-exploration and skill development. Students will not be asked to share any personal information. Attendance to all four workshops is helpful but not necessary to benefit!

Contact Amber Dopler (dopleramber@sau.edu) with any questions! 

 

Below you will find the schedule for Selfing Workshops for the remaining half of the Spring 2019 semester:

Monday, 3/18/19, Introduction Selfing Workshop
– Location: The Link (Lobby of Hagen & Tiedemann)
– Hosted by Residence Life/Sarah Kovach
– 7pm-8pm

Monday, 4/1/19, Selfing Workshop #1 (Acceptance)
– Location: Rogalski Center, Ballroom
– 7pm-8pm

Friday, 4/5/19, Selfing Workshop #1 (Acceptance)
– Location: Health Sciences Building, Room #180
– 12pm-1pm

Monday, 4/8/19, Selfing Workshop #2 (Defusion)
– Location: Rogalski Center, Gottlieb
– 7pm-8pm

Friday, 4/12/19, Selfing Workshop #2 (Defusion)
– Location: Health Sciences Building, Room #180
– 12pm-1pm

Monday, 4/15/19, Selfing Workshop #3 (Observing Self/Present Moment Awareness)
– Location: Rogalski Center, Gottlieb
– 7pm-8pm

Monday, 4/22/19, Selfing Workshop #4 (Values/Committed Action)
– Location: Rogalski Center, Gottlieb
– 7pm-8pm

Friday, 4/26/19, Selfing Workshop #3 (Observing Self/Present Moment Awareness)
– Health Sciences Building, Room #180
– 12pm-1pm

Friday, 5/3/19, Selfing Workshop #4 (Values/Committed Action)
– Health Sciences Building, Room #180
– 12pm-1pm