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Health and Wellness Center helps ease college life
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Key health issues that have the greatest potential to impede academic success include: transition issues of isolation and loneliness, dysfunctional stress, anxiety and mood disorders including depression, sleep disorders, high risk drinking and other drug use, disordered eating, body image, self esteem and others.
The Boise State Health Wellness and Counseling Services work to provide students with solutions to these problems.
According to their website, boisestate.edu/healthservices, “HWC is an academic support service, seamlessly integrating medical, counseling and wellness services to optimize the health of students and the campus community. Healthier students and campus communities facilitate learning, enhance academic achievement and improve retention rates.”
“When they’ve done surveys and listed the top 15 health issues that impede academic success only three of those were traditional issues, like treatment of minor illness or injury. The number one for students is always stress and other mental health issues,” Executive Director of Wellness Services Ferdinand Shlapper said.
Every two years the Health and Wellness Center brings people from the American Collegiate Health Assessment to come on campus and poll students as to what their mental health is. In 2005, 28% of students polled at Boise State suffer from depression (13% is the national average) 12% of students polled considered committing suicide and 2% actually attempted killing themselves.
“There is probably never a more stressful time for us than college years, particularly that most students are juggling work with school and family responsibilities. ‘What do I want to do with a career?’ ‘What do I want to major in?’ Developing healthy sexual relationships, self-esteem and body image, what the mass media tells us and what that does for our body image; isolation, loneliness, how do we get connected with other people,” Shalapper said.
The services the HWC offer will help students navigate their way through the above mentioned potential roadblocks in their college career, as well as guide.
According to their website, “Medical Services provides a full-range of primary care, referral, and educational services, focusing on your specific health needs as a BSU student.
Services are student-focused, accessible and affordable, emphasizing early screening and prevention, empowering students with self-care knowledge and skills. A team approach is utilized for referrals and continuity of care (both internal and community networks).
“Whether it is an acute illness, concern about personal issues, or questions about staying fit, we can help you get the care you need.”
Using evidence-based best practices, a holistic approach to health promotion and prevention, the Wellness portion of the Health and Wellness Center delivers a wide variety of services to students.
“Having an integrated health service is so important for students because of how those issues manifest themselves for students in different ways. It may be you just need someone to unload on for an hour. Often it [depression/stress] manifests itself in some physical ailments. Because of all these pressures, I’m not sleeping well, I’m run down, I get sick easier; I may feel like I need to come in and see a provider for a medical appointment. The clinical encounter is the time to get the underlying issues of what’s really going on rather than just treat the surface symptoms,” Shlapper said.
“A lot of it is just sorting through the things you’re dealing with from day to day. It’s not that you necessarily have to have a mental illness … sitting on a coach with your psychiatrist saying ‘Tell me about your mother.’ Although, we can do that too but it’s so much more than that.”
If you start feeling isolated, depressed or overwhelmed from the pressures of school or your personal life, don’t be afraid to stop by Counseling Services and chat with one of the people there. They would be happy to lend an ear. Every year hundreds of students take advantage of the confidential services offered there.
Stop in and take a load off, get a massage, release your frustrations in a safe environment with a councilor for an hour, get a flu shot or get help organizing a healthy diet and exercise routine.
The Health and Wellness Center has everything you need to be to assist you in being the best you can be and it’s right here on campus.
Shannon Morgan is the Chief of Staff of the Executive Branch of the Associated Students of Boise State University. The opinions expressed in this article are her own and are not a statement made on behalf of ASBSU.
Shannon Morgan
