No one really expects a tragedy to happen and most are not prepared to cope when it does. Here at Buffalo State College, students have access to professionally trained psychiatrists who will guide them.
The Buffalo State College Counseling Center realizes that when students are faced with a difficult time in life, they need guidance in making the next step and going through tough decisions.
The counseling center director, Dr. Joan McCool, said there has been an increase of students using their services. These services are free and funded through the mandatory health fee that all students pay with their tuition
“I did not know that we had a counseling center here,” senior Jennifer Stauffer said. “It is good to know that there is some place students can go.”
According to the center’s website, http://www/buffalostate.edu/counselingcenter, counselors and other staff members focus on a short-term model based on support and education.
Students need to know there is somewhere they can go for help. Although the center does not offer over-the-phone counseling, it does give same day assistance if a student walks in to the offices on the second floor of the Weigel Health Center. A student can make an appointment and he or she will be seen within a week’s time.
Individual or group counseling is offered and workshops are held throughout the semester. These workshops focus on topics such as relationship issues, stress, and eating disorders. The workshops also give out information, hand out pamphlets and answer questions.
Assistant Director of the center Modupe Aikin-Deko is actively involved with the on-campus center, along with another program called Critical Instance Support. This program assists those experiencing various levels of grief and trauma.
Deko says that depression affects the high cognitive part of the brain. That means that when students are depressed, their academics are affected. The center aids students through their depression and it is then that their grades improve.
A dozen staff members are on hand to assist those in need. But when tragedy strikes and a large number of people are impacted, the counseling center will have a team ready.
“The team is made up of members of this community, faculty, staff and students, and it is open to everybody,” Deko said. “Come and join us and you just do the training that we can be there to support, it is not counseling.”
The center’s staff trains the team and the main goal is that all members of the team are there to listen. They have the ability to recognize if a student’s grieving is normal or if they need to refer a student for a specialized session.
Hours of operation are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 am to 5 a.m. and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Students can stop in or call 878-4436 to make an appointment. .