The Wellness Center, known for being a medical resource on the Spring Hill College campus, is now offering new services not only to treat your cold but to treat your mind. New activities and treatments are being offered from the quaint center located in Toolen Hall. Whether it just be stress from school or extreme mental illness, there are services offered that may interest you.
Every Monday in the Wellness Center, staffers begin their day at 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. From 9 a.m. until 10 a.m., John McClain, a counseling intern in the Wellness Center, leads “Mindfulness.” This is a form of focusing that enables the person performing to become grounded in the moment and deal with whatever emotions they are feeling at the time. McClain said that he plans to use different types of “focusing” to lead the groups through this mindfulness, such as music, visual imagery, breathing and more. Anyone is welcome and you are not required to have previously attended a therapy session with the Wellness Center to join.
On Mondays from noon until 1 p.m., Michelle Dees, one of the therapists in the Wellness Center and alum of Spring Hill, teaches a Coping Skills Training session that helps people with emotional disorders or instability, specifically people with anxiety disorders. Through the sessions, the participants can expect to learn various tools that can help them deal with anxiety or alike issues on a daily basis.
There are other services offered throughout the day and throughout the week, such as “Substance Struggles” and “What is ED?,” which are both led by therapist Melinda Rader. For more information, contact the Wellness Center at 251-380-2297.
However, if any of this seems like it is not for you, try out the “Walk and Talk” on Mondays at 3 p.m., led by Dees. “It’s not focused on mental illness, but on having a place to vent or bounce ideas off of someone in a non-therapy setting. I think it would be good for someone with homesickness or having trouble in classes. Those things that don’t really rise to the need for mental health treatment but just needing someone to talk to,” Dees said. Anyone interested can meet at the Wellness Center on Mondays at 3 p.m. in your exercise gear.
If you’re an athlete, this specifically applies to you. Shannon Boone is a doctoral candidate in the Wellness Center that has a strong interest in keeping athletes mentally healthy and focused on their sport. On Fridays at 10 a.m., she leads “Peak Performance for Athletes,” which does not primarily focus on mental illness but more on “keeping your head in the game,” Dees said.
One thing that that can be expected in the future is group-style therapy on relationships for people involved in relationships. These group sessions would be led by therapist Dodie Ward. She expects to have these sessions in the afternoon on Tuesdays and is looking for suggestions from students. If you are interested or have any questions, contact Ward at dward@shc.edu.