Newspapers / Meredith College Student Newspaper / Nov. 5, 2008, edition 1 / Page 2
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PAGE 2 I THE MEREDITH HERALD i NOVEMBER 5. 2008 wmtrnFF \ lierald@meredUi edii^ Editor : 'J|n|Mr^f,l$!nney s:.-' •n^nn4^ Ttemdilh ^ Assistant Editor ^ ' tichndtogy Editor * Julia Houtc^h^ * Sports Editor Aplff^y Gaither ^ ‘ Ad ManagiBr ‘ | ' Danwlle Staff WntMi* "V I ; »■ 4,%^* S Mo^anEnci ttrtliR (^ffjir^-^i'I ,M^Iss^§8^s 'Kyra^fig ^ , Contribuling Wntors '- ‘Madison Byrd •Enn Huber! \ ^Grap^^'^igmn-. 'I '■ApnI,RLimmage 5 Kyra Young | ^ Literature AJ/ii Suzanne Brttt •’ ■: I^.j|n Advil r-,§t|^^'(5ayj I ;ftrbgghoytthe:i v't^.^eCoU^Q^ »ie «Jttonal«: HOMELESSNESS, Continued from Page 1 many many complaints have been issued lo the state regarding the hospital’s closure, the state does not appear to be listening. Practical action steps become difficult to determine if the' government has already made its de cision, so I suggest doing your own research with the aim of finding ways to support the community. The N&O and Wake County’s 10 Year Action Plan of 2006 are two good sources with which to start with. Because the tide of homeless- ness' has the potential to dramati cally increase, think about organiz ing a small food drive among your friends, donating clothing or volun teering with agencies like the Ra leigh Rescue Mission who provides temporary shelter to the Triangle’s homeless. Although you may not see the results of these crises first hand or feel their aftereffects, these collapses are affecting real people just like us. That is something worth remembering. ■ ' PlKlo courtesy CHy of Rtleigh COUNSELING CENTER HERE TO HELP YOU! by Caitlin Griffin Staff Writer Since 1983, the Meredith College Counseling Center has provided free counseling to staff and students regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual ori entation, mental illness or disability. It is surprising, however, that many members of the Meredith communi ty do not know that this phenomenal resource exists and is available to anyone. In a recent interview, Beth Meier, the Director of the Counsel ing Center, answered some ques tions about the Counseling Center to inform more faculty and students about the services offered right here on campus. Meredith faculty and students may choose to visit the Counseling Center for a multitude of reasons, and the center welcomes diversity of clientele and personal issues. When a student visits the Counseling Cen ter for the first time, a counselor asks her to fill out a form that asks about her most pressing concerns. The counselors later compile ail of the retrieved data and update it year- to-year based on what students say Pholo courtasy R.LHampton Group they worry about the most. Accord ing to Meter and recent student re ports, the primary concern is stress and anxiety, the secondary concern is fear of failure and the tertiary concern is depression. Within the top ten student concerns are finan cial worries, weight and body im age, family conflict, adjustment to college, perfectionism and general conflict in relationships. Any faculty member or student who is currently enrolled in at least one class at Meredith can take ad vantage of the services offered by the Counseling Center. The Counsel ing Center is open Monday through Friday fi-om 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the exception of holidays. Staff and students can call the Counseling Center (919-760-8427) or email counseling@meredith.edu to make an appointment to see a counselor, and a typical appointment lasts 45-50 minutes. All services provided by the Coun seling Center are short-term and focused on emotional, psychologi cal and interpersonal development. Typically there is a 12^session limit, and many people benefit from just one or two sessions in which they can speak freely about whatever is weighing heavily on their minds. In special cases, however, the number of sessions can be extended for a person who needs more support. The Counseling Center strives to be a place where staff and students feel comfortable sharing whatever is on their minds without fear of judgment or consequence, so the counselors adhere to a strict policy of confldentiality. Anything a stu dent says to a counselor in a pri vate session remains undisclosed to anyone else without her written consent, unless the student threatens to harm herself or someone else or the counselor is required to present records regarding a client as part of legal proceedings. On occasion, counselors may ask their clients for permission to share their issues with other counselors so that they can re ceive feedback from fellow profes sionals about how best to help those clients. In this case, the client may opt to sign an authorization' form giving her counselor permission to discuss their sessions with another counselor, or she may choose not to sign the form without suffering any consequences. In 1999, Meredith College hired its first Disability Services Coor dinator and established Disability Services on campus. Disability Ser vices is part of the Counseling Cen ter. It is rare for the two centers to be combined at larger universities, but quite common at smaller schools. The goal of Disability Services is to provide resources, such as counsel ing and personal accommodations, to help students achieve their aca demic goals. The disability counsel ors understand that not all students who have disabilities want or re quire accommodations, and thus it is solely the student’s responsibility to meet with a counselw and request these accommodations in writing The Meredith College Counsel ing Center always endeavors to ynprove its services to faculty and students. Meier asserts that as part of their training, all counselors are required to attend annual workshops and conferences on professional de velopment, and she expresses her gratitude that money is specifically allotted for this cause: ‘‘We are for tunate that this is the culture of our field. Professionals [counselors] are always willing to share with each other what works...It [counseling] is a cooperative field, not a competi tive field, and keeping current about what works for clients is just one key to success.” When asked why she enjoys what she does, Meier says, “It’s so empowering to work with staff and students who can identify that they are unhappy with some aspect of their lives or themselves and really want to take action to make things better. It’s rewarding to work with individuals who are so motivated to grow.” ■
Meredith College Student Newspaper
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