SHAC? Never Heard of Her?
Kamala shares her experiences with group and individual counseling and discusses services for students of color!
Kamala shares her experiences with group and individual counseling and discusses services for students of color!
Student Health and Counseling (SHAC)
In college, we are required to balance our academics, social life, and mental and physical health. It’s hard work! At SHAC (Student Health and Counseling) there are countless services and people who are willing to help. Last term, I had more than a few problems with my physical health and I visited SHAC almost every week for things as little as cough drops and as big as crutches.
When it came to my mental health, however, I was a little worried about what to do. I had never been to therapy or counseling before and didn’t know how any of it worked. Thankfully, during one of my many visits to SHAC I asked about the counseling services and learned about all of the various ways to get help.
Group Counseling
My first term at Carleton, I joined an Expressive Art Group that focused on helping those struggling with anxiety, perfectionism, insecurities, and fear of failure and risk taking. During group, however, we focused on many other topics pertaining to our lives and also had the chance to doodle and work through some of our thoughts through art. It was nice to be able to come to the same place every week with the same people and be encouraged to reflect and check in on ourselves.
This term I joined a discussion group open to all Carleton students that identify as students of color, called Let’s Talk About It Wednesdays. The cool thing about this group is that its led by two counselors of color who help guide conversations and provide support and advice along the way. I think the idea behind this group is amazing and I certainly wish I had an opportunity like this in high school.
I went to a predominantly white high school and was constantly tackling issues of race, religion and identity at my school. I was subjected to hateful and intolerant comments about my ethnicity and religion, and was treated as the spokesperson for all Mexicans, Middle Easterners, and Muslims. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my experiences with professionals and other students of color and can’t wait to go to my first meeting next week!
Individual Counseling
This term, I am also going to Individual Counseling. While I believe group counseling can be very helpful and effective I also think it is important to focus on your own mental health outside of a group setting. SHAC offers individual counseling every term with counselors you can meet with once a week.
Each term, you can call SHAC or go to their office to schedule an appointment with a counselor. You can research what counselor you would like to meet with and sit down with them to see if it’s the right fit. From there, if you decide you want to keep seeing that counselor, you can set up a session time that works for both of you. Each session is 50 minutes long and occurs weekly. For more information you can check out SHAC’s website!
Skills-based workshops
Skills-based workshops are also available! At a workshop you can develop understanding and learn skills to manage stress, enhance resilience and battle perfectionism and procrastination. No registration is necessary, unlike group and individual counseling.
Kamala is a first year student from the land of Aminé (Portland, OR). She enjoys going to concerts with her friends and singing along to every song on the radio. Kamala is also a Sagittarius with a Capricorn moon, even though she still doesn’t know what that means. She is passionate about social justice, politics and stress knitting. You can always find her with a glass of milk at the LDC (Language and Dining Center) or impulse cleaning her room past 11 pm.