The fall semester is winding down, leaving many students with the inevitable stress of finals. That’s when Salt Lake Community College’s health resources step in to help relieve the stress and make the transition a little bit easier.
Health educators at SLCC will be holding a De-Stress Fest the week before finals to help students with their demanding schedules. The free event will be 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus.
De-Stress Fest will provide students with activities such as therapy dogs, mini messages, coloring and techniques to lower stress levels.
Whitney Ockey, the health promotion manager at the Center for Health and Counseling, explains some of the center’s various services that students can use to improve their well-being.
Counseling services
The Center for Health and Counseling employs several mental health professionals to help students deal with issues like anxiety, depression, and stress.
“There is a standard fee of $15. We do have a fee waiver program that if a student meets a certain demographic, it can waive that fee and will be free of cost,” Ockey says. “We have seven counselors, males and females of different ethnicities, giving students more of an option of who they can relate to.”
The easiest way to make an appointment is to call one of the counseling centers available at the Jordan, South City or Taylorsville Redwood campuses.
Massage therapy
“Massage is more than just a luxury. It has been proven to help reduce stress physically and mentally,” Ockey says.
Students and faculty members have access to massage therapy services at SLCC. Performed by experienced massage therapists, the sessions last one hour each and cost $30 for students. This service is only available at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus.
“We do get booked out before and during finals. We recommend students to give us a call ahead of time to get them scheduled. It is a great way to utilize our services that we have,” Ockey says.
Group therapy
In order to provide students with another safe space for validation and support, the Center for Health and Counseling created The Art of Emotional Wellbeing, a weekly support group run by counselors.
“If a student is more comfortable coming to a group therapy session rather than a one-on-one session, [group therapy] can be very beneficial and they are free,” Ockey says.
The Art of Emotional Wellbeing is held every Tuesday in the Student Center at Taylorsville Redwood Campus. The last session of the fall 2019 semester will be Dec. 10 from 2-3 p.m.
