Students for Stress Resilience, an organization that originated in the Center for Psychological Studies, recently added another facet to their organization— a student support group.
Felisha Garcia, third-year student in the clinical psychology doctorate program and president of the organization, said the support group is a way to reach out to their peers.
“It’s another component of helping people who may not be familiar with the psychology tips that we learn. It’s not a therapy group. It’s easygoing and about sharing,” she said.
Scott Leydig, third-year student in the clinical psychology doctorate program and director of events, is one of the facilitators for the support groups. The first group met on Jan. 13, and Leydig said it went well.
“It’s about doing things better and learning skills. It’s just a supportive atmosphere and it’s very confidential. It might be intimidating for them to come if they think its therapy. It’s really not. It’s about being involved in a group and feeling supported. Nothing leaves the circle,” said Leydig.
The desire to have students feel supported is what led CPS to start Students for Stress Resilience in Nov. 2010. Garcia works in the graduate office in the Center for Psychological Studies and said he sees the effects of stress.
“The only thing students were complaining about is that they weren’t feeling supported. I realized this was so simple to fix, but no one was paying attention to the fact that no one was supporting the students. Everyone is in the same boat and you don’t need to overwhelm yourself,” she said.
Thuong Truong, third-year student in the clinical psychology doctorate program and director of communications, said, “We actually did our research before we started our organization. We couldn’t find anything in the nation similar to this. This group is all about giving back. We’re taking care of the students—their mental needs and their emotional needs. We’re providing that support.”
The group motto is, “While you take care of others, we take care of you!”
Their meetings are held biweekly in the Center for Psychological Studies from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. on Thursdays. The first 30 minutes consists of educating the students. Garcia said they have speakers come in to address topics related to stress – like physical stress, how to eat better and the importance of exercising.
During the last 30 minutes, they show a comedy TV show, like “The Office” or “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”
“We try to create a nice, relaxing and fun environment. Either people are coming out for the food, the speaker or the show. So, we try to make sure our meetings always have that format for every reason why people show up. We want that consistency,” said Garcia.
The organization also ensures that their members feel supported outside of that hour every two weeks. Leydig said they provide care packages for students if they’re sick and send birthday greetings to the members.
“It’s the little things that put a smile on their face. It can change their mood for the rest of the day,” he said.
The organization also wants people to know they’re not against stress. Garcia said the club addresses extreme stress, when students aren’t handling it well.
“We’re not taking your stress away. We’re building your resilience to make sure you can deal with it better the next time because you will have stress again,” she said.
The student support group meets biweekly on Fridays with the next one held on Feb. 10 in the Shepard Broad Law Center from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. in the Lawsc Terrace room. If you want to learn more about the organization or where the meetings will be held email Garcia at fg45@nova.edu.
