By Emma Laughlin
As we head to the end of the spring semester, it is important to look back on everything that Western New England University has accomplished in the past year. Despite the global pandemic, many new student-focused practices have been implemented across campus, especially in WNE’s Office of Counseling Services.
The feedback from our community shows that many students are struggling with feelings of isolation, high levels of stress and depression, decreased motivation, and fatigue. To combat these negative feelings that have been exacerbated by the pandemic, Counseling Services has made some significant changes.
About a year and a half ago, there was a long waitlist of students who wanted to be seen and only four professional staff members who met with students on a bi-weekly basis. The old Counseling Services had limited outreach and an overworked crew. However, organizational changes have ensured that outreach could expand this semester.
“We have four professional staff members and four graduate interns that work every day now,” said Director of Counseling Services, Wayne Carpenter. This has expanded student outreach tremendously. Students now have a greater opportunity to be seen when stress arises weekly or bi-weekly, thanks to the many new arrivals to the department.
One of the new faces that can be found in Counseling Services is Clinical Counselor, Naarah Macklin. Macklin was hired to replace a retiree and the intentional hiring has proven to be beneficial for students.
Macklin specializes in combining art and counseling together in a practice known as Art Therapy. Macklin noted that Art Therapy can be quite useful amid the pandemic as “people are by themselves more and learning skills they never even had.” Artistic coping mechanisms such as Mandala coloring pages and Paint and Sip Tea nights have been widely used across campus, proving that this new form of counseling has helped many students cope.
Macklin also noted that Counseling Services’ major goal is to become more transparent and accessible on campus. The counselors and graduate interns alike have been advertising various new programs beyond the traditional counseling sessions. This programming includes teaming up with other offices, such as Spiritual Life’s “Thinking of You” kits that are sent to students in isolation and Student Involvement’s “Donut Stress” Fridays where students are able to relish in the joy of free donuts on Deliso Lawn.
Counseling Services has also been promoting Mindfulness Meditation and Weekly Support Groups held on Zoom and brief 30-minute counseling sessions. The office has also expanded its webpage to include activities that students can utilize on their own time, including drug and alcohol assessments, wellness wheels and charts, coping cards, and mental health screenings.
According to Meaghan Decker, Drug and Alcohol Education Coordinator, “These sessions and resources offer students informal, convenient, and confidential ways to get insight and information without setting up a traditional mental health counseling session.”
Though these sessions and resources are not replacements for mental health or crisis counseling, they certainly provide students with unique alternatives. “When it comes to treating and managing our mental health, there is no one-size-fits-all,” continued Decker. “The hope is that with the addition of these alternative treatment modalities and the increased diversity and accessibility in the office, students will engage and find what works best for them.”
To learn more about what Counseling Services has to offer, please review its revamped webpage at https://www1.wne.edu/counseling-services/index.cfm or call 413-782-1221.
Do not be afraid to send any of our counselors an email with more questions.
Stay safe and take care of yourselves.
