The Purdue Exponent


Monday 6/11/2001	5 day quick link 6/8 \| 6/6 \| 6/4 \| 6/1 \| 5/30

Students can find comfort at center

By Jenny Jones
Summer Reporter

It is the first week of classes and more than 30,000 students are on campus. Many students come from other cities, others come from different states and several come from different countries. For most of them, this is their first time away from home, friends and family.

Every year, a large number of students experience anxiety and depression about being away from home. One way to help cope with these symptoms is to visit a counselor at Purdue's Counseling and Psychology Services, or CAPS.

Don Werden, coordinator of outreach and consultation for the counseling center, said it is not unusual for people to experience transitional stress. "A lot of times when we are away, there is a period of adjustment that is normal," he said.

Transitional adjustment is not the only reason one may make an appointment at the center; students can also talk with a counselor about topics such as boyfriend/girlfriend relationships, problems with classes, depression about grades and anxiety about exams. Werden said students may talk about almost anything.

Students may make an intake or one-on-one appointment to meet with a therapist, by stopping in at the Purdue University Student Health center or the Psychological Sciences building.

Once a student meets with a counselor, he will have the opportunity to set up a schedule to meet with his counselor on a regular basis. However, if a student, for any reason, does not feel comfortable with the counselor they have been assigned, they may choose to meet with a different counselor, Werden said.

Werden said, "The advantage for the students is that full time students get eight free sessions." He said not only are students eligible for free sessions, but group therapy is also available free of charge.

Group therapy consists of seven to nine students, who may have different issues, and one or two trained therapists. "What generally happens is that as the group becomes more and more cohesive, they can deal with issues," Werden said. Usually there are six or seven different groups that meet 1 1/2 hours per week.

Werden said that although there seems to be a stigma that people only go to a counselor if they are crazy, students ordinarily stop in because they hurt and they want the pain to go away. "Students generally are very bright and very motivated. Once in awhile something will throw them off track and our job is to help them get back on track," Werden said.

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