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Group helps students cope with 9-11
By Ann Osterberg
Is anyone having trouble adapting to Sept. 11? SCSU's Counseling, Career, and Academic Support Center is spreading the word.
"College offers time pressures, outside influences, freedoms and responsibilities that few students see in high school," said Chuck Smith, director of the center.
"Students from other cultures and those who are returning to school after several years in the work force also may find campus life very different from what they've known before," Smith said.
After Sept. 11, many international students have felt unsafe and unaware of how to cope with changes. This program is aimed in dealing with uncertain feelings and emotions for International Students.
"Last year the center gave extra attention to international students who felt anxious because of Sept. 11, as well as immigration law changes," Smith said. "But this year could be an even more difficult year for international students. If we go to war that will provoke a good deal of anxiety for students concerned about their families and their futures."
Julie Condenne, a professor who works with international students said, "This program is a good way to have one-on-one counseling especially during this time; many students feel they need friendships while adjusting to new cultures, and it is good to have someone always there by your side."
The career counseling center's focus is to make SCSU students feel safe on and off campus. It is important step to deal with these issues, to express concerns, sadness, stress, anxiety and relationship issues in an appropriate manner.
Support groups for international students are staffed by two psychologists, Jayne Lokken, and Rose Stark, both who worked on developing the groups.
Stark said, "One of the main focuses is to make all international students feel safe. We want to make all cultural students feel welcomed into expressing their feeling about cultural differences, fitting in, and their adjustments to a totally different culture."
Cultural transitions group is aimed at introducing international students closer together, to unite each individual into one happy, comfortable family.
Lokken said, "One of the benefits students receive from counseling support groups is developing new support network for them, simply because many have no access to friends and family. We want to make this a safe place to be. This program helps students know that they are not alone, we are all students who are on the same boat in life.
"If every student on campus is aware of it than we can impact every students lives in a positive way."
The support group begins Sept. 26, and will meet Thursdays at noon. at the Counseling Center in Stewart Hall.
Stark said, "The whole purpose of a supportive group, is to make one feel safe, getting reassurances, feedback making SCSU a great place to be."
The new support group for international students coping and adapting to Sept. 11-related issues. This program is a support therapy group for international students who may feel anxious and uncertain of last year's terrorist attacks.
The support group is aimed to bring international students together with a counselor every week, to share concerns, developing friendships, feeling safe, adapting to a new culture changes, homesick, frustration, differences in isolation, and confusion.
Contact the Counseling Center at 255-3171 or on the Internet at http://stcloudstate.edu/~counsel.com.
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