November 2, 2023–Springfield MA
AIC Counseling is located on the second floor of Mallary Hall. Students are welcome to come during its typical business hours which are from 8:30 am through 4:30 pm Monday through Friday, either by stopping by or scheduling an appointment through the patient portal. The counseling center was originally a career coaching center, but the previous director transitioned it to a mental health counseling center.
In the AIC counseling center, there are two professional clinicians, Dr. Rosado, who is also the director of the counseling center, and counselor Kandice Boyd. They work to offer professional counseling and support to all students at AIC. As Dr. Rosado said, “We are non-judgmental; we’re licensed professionals; we have ethics boards and standards around confidentiality, meaning that everything that is talked about is private. It does not go anywhere. It does not go into your school record. It’s not protected by FERPA; it’s protected by HIPPA, which is protecting your medical records… It’s a service that is paid for by your tuition.”
Some of the services that are offered at the AIC counseling center are in person or virtual health services such as talk therapy, supportive counseling, over-the-phone consultations, individual therapy sessions, and group sessions. Additionally, AIC counseling will be rolling out a new program called, “Let’s Talk,” where Dr. Rosado and Kandice Boyd will be out and about on campus, sort of like a pop-up. Students do not have to sign up. Everyone will have the chance to walk up and just drop in. If something is on their mind, they can just talk about it with someone who is non-judgmental and well-resourced. The main purpose of AIC counseling is to come up with short-term solutions for current problems.
When asked about examples of starter questions, Dr. Rosado said some focus types of questions include: “What’s happening now? Tell me why you made the appointment for today; what’s on your mind, or what’s going on that we can help you sort out?” Dr. Rosado really emphasized that she is passionate about college students, and that she wants this to be an experience for students. However, only 10% of the population at AIC use the counseling services. Sometimes students only come one or two times, but some come four or five times. On rare occasions, students who need additional support to work on a solution come every week. Though that is not really the goal, the hope is that students can see their strengths and rely on things that work within them to solve their problems.
Mental health is important to everyone. If we do not have our wellness, that can interfere with all the other goals we are trying to achieve. This especially affects college students. Dr. Rosado said, “There are so many shiny objects pulling your attention: you have the academic pieces, you have the financial pieces, and you have the social pieces.” Dr. Rosado further explained that this developmental period of life is amazing yet difficult because you are creating a life of your own while still having your parents and friends’ support. To be successful, it is important to take care of your well-being, to find strategies for self-care, and to understand what nourishes us–though that can be different for everyone.
Dr. Rosado encourages people to know what nourishes them and to know what helps them. “Is it spending time with people or is it spending time alone? Is it exercising, or is it being still? Is it listening to music that lifts you up, or music that brings you down? We all have different needs at different times in our lives. What used to work for you may no longer work for you, so you may have to look for new strategies. Actively planning and making time to take care of yourself is a necessary part of stabilizing and feeling the best version of yourself. I think it is important to know that feeling okay is okay; you don’t have to feel happy and joyful all the time. That is an elevated feeling and feeling low happens for everyone sometimes.”
The last topic discussed was how to approach a student who is feeling stressed about classes or even failing a class. College is extremely hard, and it requires having good time management. Many problems arise for college students that a high-schooler may not face or be able to relate to. Because of this fact, college students may get caught up with their problems and only focus on doing well in their classes but completely forget that college is about building up one’s future. This is why it is important to bring back meaning and purpose in our lives and to ask questions that answer, “What led you to choose AIC or your major?” Knowing this can help align your vision of the future, identify what is important, and point out any misalignment.
I highly recommended visiting the Counseling Center. If you feel like you need professional counseling, book an appointment at Home (medicatconnect.com) and give counseling a chance. Remember, mental health is important. To succeed, we must take care of our minds; one does not need to have a mental health problem to seek counseling.
