Amid the current staff shortage at Oakland University Counseling Center, the need for fast and quality student support is increasing every day. To alleviate wait times for services, OUCC has created several support groups focused on various mental health topics. These support groups are available at no cost to Oakland University students for the winter semester.
Dr. Travis Goldwire, a clinical psychologist skilled in cognitive-behavioral therapy, is the coordinator of OUCC’s support groups. Goldwire offers six support group sessions to Oakland Center every week.
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, OUCC offers social anxiety support groups.
“The busiest are our social anxiety support groups, which we call ‘Adulting 101,’” Goldwire said. “It’s about helping students get out, meet people, interact with their peers and overcome some of the anxiety that typically keeps them from connecting with others.” »
While each support group focuses on a specific topic, Goldwire is flexible when it comes to topics not on the itinerary. Students are free to bring up topics they would like to talk about, even if they do not directly relate to the group’s discussion topic.
“I try to repeat some of these subjects because I know sometimes students can’t attend or they missed them,” Goldwire said. “If students are interested in something that maybe isn’t on the schedule but they just want to come, I’m very flexible and if there aren’t a lot of students there, I say yes, let’s talk about what you want. talk about.”
In the past, OUCC has used a program known as stepped care model. Under this model, the counseling center offers a range of mental health support services, other than individual therapy, to ensure students get the help they need.
OUCC suggests that students who wish to begin individual therapy first try attending a group therapy session. Once spaces are freed for individual therapy, the counseling center then assigns these students to individual therapists.
The support groups have helped alleviate some of the pressure on OUCC therapists as their workload increases throughout the school year.
“It kind of gives us some wiggle room,” Goldwire said. “In any counseling center, there are only so many therapists, and the student-to-counselor ratio in Oakland is not the best. Groups really provide an opportunity for students to learn self-help and discover things they can do to help themselves outside of an individual therapy dynamic.
Although each session is first-come, first-served due to the size of the space available, each session is free. Although students can simply attend a session, it is best to register online to help OUCC understand what help you are seeking.
For students interested in learning more about OUCC support groups, please visit the center’s website. OU webpage. For any questions about the services provided by OUCC, or for those interested in speaking with Goldwire, please contact him at his email address, (email protected).
