Counseling Office Online

a newsletter for faculty and staff of Northeastern Illinois University

Spring/Summer 2007

Topics in this issue:

 

Relaxation and Stress Reduction

Stress and anxiety are common reactions to the demands of modern life. Stress is often triggered by trying to balance the many tasks and demands of college, work, and home. Mindfulness-based stress reduction can help you keep stress in check, reduce your anxiety and increase your ability to focus. A simple breathing exercise adapted from the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD can be a good start:

  1. Assume a comfortable posture lying on your back or sitting. If you are sitting, keep the spine straight and let your shoulders drop.
  2. Close your eyes if it feels comfortable.
  3. Bring your attention to your belly, feeling it rise or expand gently on the in-breath and fall or recede on the out-breath.
  4. Keep the focus on your breathing, "being with" each in-breath for its full duration and with each out-breath for its full duration, as if you were riding the waves of your own breathing.
  5. Every time you notice that your mind has wandered off the breath, notice what it was that took you away and then gently bring your attention back to your belly and the feeling of the breath coming in and out.
  6. If your mind wanders away from the breath a thousand times, then your "job" is simply to bring it back to the breath every time, no matter what it becomes preoccupied with .
  7. Practice this exercise for 15 minutes at a convenient time every day, whether you feel like it or not, for one week and see how it feels to incorporate a disciplined meditation practice into your life. Be aware of how it feels to spend some time each day just being with your breath without having to do anything.

 

While you can learn some of these techniques on your own, the Counseling Office offers workshops in Mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques. To view the current schedule of Stress Reduction workshops offered by the Counseling Office, click here.

 

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Eating Disorders on campus

 

Eating disorders are on the rise among college students. When entering college, people experience many different feelings and emotions: While some are excited about starting school, hopeful about their futures and looking forward to more freedom, independence, and the chance at new friendships, others are not so ready to enter into such an environment. The thought of being independent can be frightening, with uncertainty about the future, fear of taking on the extra responsibilities, and anxiety about meeting new people. Many fear they will not be accepted or fit in. Although college can be a wonderful experience for people, for some, it can be one of the worst.

 

When the pressures of school and other areas of life become too much, some students turn to anorexia as a way to block out what is happening. Spending all one's time focusing on calories and weight means not having time to think about anything else. Some students believe that the only way they will be accepted is if they are thin. A deeper issue that goes along with eating disorders is that of perfection. For example, if someone is having trouble in class and not getting the grades they wanted or expected, they might develop an eating disorder, such as anorexia. As they watch their weight on the scale goes down, they start to believe that losing weight is the one thing they can succeed at and it makes them feel like they are accomplishing something.

 

Others may turn to bulimia or compulsive eating as a way to deal with the pressures and all the emotions they are experiencing. Feeling lonely, sad, tired, overwhelmed, depressed, scared, or confused, food can bring a false sense of security and can also comfort. When they binge, all the negative feelings they are experiencing disappear. When the bulimics purge, whether that be by vomiting, using laxatives or compulsively exercising, it may help them to feel like they are releasing all those feelings. Since food can only temporarily help deal with the negative feelings, the binge/purge cycle will continue.

 

Those who do realize they have an eating disorder can have a difficult time seeking help. Many people with eating disorders tend to feel like they are "crazy" and that they are only person who does the things they do. They avoid telling anyone for fear that they will be thrown out of college or placed in a mental institution. Here at NEIU, students can go to the Health Service and the Counseling Office for help, where they can receive information to help educate them, and psychological, medical, and nutritional counseling. In addition, the students can use stress management skills to help cope with the high demands they experience.

 

For more information on eating disorders and healthy eating habits, click on the following links: Anorexia and Related Eating Disorders and the USDA's revised food pyramid.

 

 

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Who comes in for counseling and what problems do they bring?

 

You might wonder, what kind of student seeks counseling here at Northeastern? And what are their problems? It may surprise you to learn that students who seek counseling look remarkably similar to other NEIU students. Over the past 6-7 years, it turns out that the ethnic backgrounds of students seen in the Counseling Office mirror the ethnic backgrounds of the NEIU student population almost exactly. During 2005-06 for instance, 11% of counseling clients were African-American, 10% Asian, 51% Caucasian, and 28% Hispanic (these percentages closely parallel the corresponding NEIU population parameters, usually within a point or two). The average age of a student seeking counseling was 29.4 years (compared to 28.6 yrs in the NEIU population). The only significant variation from NEIU population demographics is gender, with 73% of our clients being female, whereas 62% of NEIU's students were female. This higher proportion of females availing themselves of counseling services matches national trends.

 

When asked what issues bring them in for counseling, our students report Anxiety, Depression, Anger and Relationship troubles as their top concerns. And when asked which of these issues is paramount, Relationship difficulties top the list, often acting as the trigger for the other issues.

 

 

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Warning signs of serious depression or suicidal thoughts

 

Thoughts about death or suicide are common in depression and it is important to take them seriously. Although it's not possible to predict suicide with absolute precision, there are signs to look for. Some of these include:

 

What warning signs might you notice in a student in your class?

 

While these signs do not guarantee that a student is seriously depressed or experiencing suicidal thinking, they do indicate that something is changing. And they do warrant increased notice. For more information about suicide, its warning signs and how you can find help, click here.

 

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Career counseling to help focus students who already have a major

In your department, you may have noticed students who have already declared their majors but remain unclear about a specific job or career goal. This is not unusual--many students develop a real passion for a particular discipline of study and yet remain unsure as to what job or career to pursue. In a sense, they do not yet know how to translate their passion for the field into a specific job target. Career counseling can help in these situations, not to assist students to select a major, but to help them focus their goals within the major.

A career decision is like any other decision in that it's only as good as the information it is based on. The key elements that make a sound job/career decision are self-awareness and career awareness. There are a number of key resources that students can use to develop a more focused job or career goal. The following university websites identify jobs related to certain majors:

University of Missouri Career Center "What can I do with my major?"

Northern Illinois University "Major weblinks"

University of Illinois at Chicago "What can I do with my major?"

 

To begin focusing their interest toward specific job titles, students can schedule an appointment with a career counselor. There are a variety of additional resources that can help them clarify a job/career goal. To find out about any of these services or to arrange an appointment with a career counselor, suggest students contact the Counseling Office in Room D-024 or call (773) 442-4650. Students can also visit Northeastern's own Career Counseling web site for career reference materials and Internet-based career resources.

 

 

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How can you reach us?

You can contact the Counseling Office by:

 

Read previous Newsletters here: Fall 2006 Newsletter

 

Feedback? We are always interested in your feedback. If you would like us to write about something of particular interest to you, or you have an idea of how this can be more helpful, drop us an email and let us know.

 

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Published 3.2007

Counseling Office
Psychological and Career Counseling

Northeastern Illinois University
Office of Student Affairs