By Josh Le Suer

The Counseling Center's workshops and group counseling programs for the spring semester are posted on their Web page at http://www.buffalostate.edu/depts/counsel. They are available to all Buffalo State College students.

These workshops are tentatively-scheduled to begin Jan. 20. Availability is limited and sign-up is required for all workshops. To register, go to the second floor of the Weigel Health Center. Interviews are required for the Personal Growth and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction workshops. For more information, call the Weigel Health Center at 878 – 4436.

Counseling groups usually consist of “8-10 other students and professional staff members.” “There is no fee for services at the center.”

Buffalo State can be an isolating experience, especially for commuters, says social worker Caryl Morris, who works in the Counseling Center. "Students complain that there are not enough activities, so [workshops] are often a way of enhancing connection, and it helps people feel not so alone with their problems."

The workshops and counseling programs being offered for the spring semester are:
· Personal Growth – Is held every Tuesday, from 1:30-3 p.m., in the Weigel Health Center on the second floor. “This is a process therapy group for women and men who want better to understand themselves and how they relate to others. Members will discuss issues relevant to their intrapersonal and interpersonal growth.”

· Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction - Beginning Wednesday, Feb. 12, 5:30-7 p.m. in the Margaret Grant Lounge in Caudell Hall. “In this group you will learn and practice a number of forms of mindfulness meditation, or moment-to-moment awareness, with the goal of mobilizing your own inner resources for coping, healing, and living a more joyful life.”

· Crossing Cultures - Beginning Thursday, Jan. 23, 5-6 p.m. at the Counseling Center, in the Weigel Health Center on the second floor. “A Drop-In Group for International Students: Meeting every other week throughout the semester, this group will help you to clarify American customs, deal with culture shock and homesickness, negotiate friendships, relationships, and family issues; and imagine your life to come.”

· TIPS Alcohol Education Program - Contact the Counseling Center for times and location at 878 - 4436. “This is a one-session workshop to help you make healthy choices about alcohol use and provide you with information about risk reduction and changing behaviors.”

· Anger Management Workshop - Beginning Thursday, Feb. 20 or 27, 12:15-1:30 p.m. and Friday, April 4 or 11, noon-1:30 p.m. at the Counseling Center, in the Weigel Health Center on the 2nd Floor. “This is a two-part workshop that focuses on helping the individual understand the emotion of anger, as well as developing strategies to handle and express it appropriately.”

· Good Grief Workshop - Beginning Tuesday, March 4 or 11, 12:15-1:30 p.m. at the Counseling Center, in the Weigel Health Center on the second floor. “This is a two part workshop that focuses on the process and experience of grief. Participants will identify different grief responses and interventions to aid the grieving process. The workshop is open to those who have lost a friend or family member in the last couple of years or who would like to find out how best to support a loved one.”

For more info: counselingcenter@buffalostate.edu