DUNMORE, Pa. — Are you feeling insecure or unsure of yourself? Do you feel overwhelmed and stressed from your daily grind? Penn State Scranton has the answer for you. Campus Counselor Katherine J. Stefanelli is hosting two new workshops that will aid in helping you handle your woes and worries for the spring semester.
“It is so important for people to engage in self-care these days, when it seems that life is moving at an unprecedented pace,” said Stefanelli. “Mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and self-care in many other forms are great ways to reduce the deleterious effects stress can have on the mind and body. Remember, self-care is NOT self-indulgence, it is self-preservation.”
The spring workshops now being offered include:
- LGBTQA+ Support Group – meets Wednesday afternoons from 12:30 p.m to 1:20 p.m in SLC 36.
- Mindfulness Minutes – meets Thursday afternoons from 1 p.m to 2 p.m in SLC 37.
The LGBTQA+ Support Group is an eight-week group that will meet, support, and connect through the campus community. It is a forum for students in the LGBTQA+ community to seek out and provide support for those who are experiencing the same issues, ideas, and problems.
“We know that therapy and support groups function best when predicated on the installation of hope and the establishment of universality — that is helping people realize they are not alone. Thus, maintaining a welcoming cohesiveness and respect is paramount,” Stefanelli explained.
The Mindfulness Minutes group is another eight-week group that will focus on mindfulness topics and techniques to relieve stress. This group will allow participants the chance to learn about the concept of mindfulness and how to apply the principles of meditation to their everyday lives. From meditation to mindful eating, students are free to join and learn how to live in the moment.
"Mindfulness is evidence based, meaning that we have good research support showing that mindful techniques can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, can help us develop coping for the unpleasant experiences we face in life and help us focus on 'being' rather than 'doing' all of the time," said Stefanelli.
The idea for these two groups came from “looking at trending needs of the college population and student body request for mindfulness information," added Stefanelli.
Last year, she held a campus wellness survey and asked what programs students and staff would like to see. Mindfulness/meditation and yoga were among the top responses.
“I hope that the results will include a sense of increased connectedness among the student body and an awareness of the diversity of experience that exists,” she explained.
For more information, contact Stefanelli at 570-963-2694 or [email protected].
