Winthrop University Counseling Services

Congratulations to all the Spring 2024 graduates across the university. You're going to do great out there!

Are YOU walking with us tomorrow to prevent su***de? There's still time to register - including just showing up on the green tomorrow at 2:15p to register on site. Registration is free and we'd love you to join us as we spread a message of hope for those who are struggling.

Only four days until this year's Out of the Darkness Campus Walk for su***de prevention. Today's post is in honour of our top student team, SAGE, and their Trans Week of Visibility. We're grateful for their commitment to su***de prevention and providing safe spaces for our trans+ students.
Are YOU registered to walk?

Join us tonight at Dina's Place at 7pm for a discussion about mental health in the Black Community, including a panel of distinguished guests from all walks of life - including many amazing Winthrop Alumni!
This is an approved cultural event for students. See you tonight!

Have you registered for Winthrop's 2nd Annual Out of the Darkness Campus Walk? We're raising money (and awareness) for su***de prevention on Friday, April 5th at 3pm.
It's free to register and you'll have an individual fundraising page - just raise (or donate to yourself) $25 by tonight for an entry into a raffle for prize packs - including tickets to WU ZOO on 3/21!
Su***de prevention AND a petting zoo? It's a win-win, y'all.

Learn more about SATS services and take some time to decompress with a mini-coloring break today between 11am and 2pm in DIGS! Hope to see you there!

Another group option this spring! Starting next Tuesday, Rebuild is a group specifically to help you build the skills for managing symptoms after experiencing trauma. This group will meet in person and does not involve any processing or discussion of the trauma itself. If you're interested, e-mail Michele Killion, SATS intern at [email protected] by Friday!

Groups are back! Our first group of the semester is...
Within is a 4-week group led by Veronica Rector and is specifically created for students of color at Winthrop. Over four weeks, you'll get the opportunity to gain support from your peers and explore messages you've internalized about yourself and your racial identity. Meeting Thursdays starting 2/8 during Common Time. Interested BIPOC students should contact Veronica via e-mail ([email protected]) by 2/1/24 to register.

Join the Center for Student Wellness THURSDAY, 10/26/23 during Common Time (11a-12p) for a program about managing your life and wellness in the "real world." Being out "on your own" doesn't have to be scary and we're here to help! Listen to speakers discuss tools and skills for managing finances, physical health, and emotional wellness.
Adulting 101 - Thursday, October 26 from 11a-12p in Dina's Place (DiGiorgio Student Center).

Center for Student Wellness will be out and about this Walktober - if you're joining Rec Services to walk around campus, we'll be out there! Whether you've got a question about how to access services, what sorts of things we offer, or the best way to refer a student or friend, we're happy to chat while we walk! Meet outside the West Center at 11:15 on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout October - this Tuesday and Thursday, the walks will be 1.5 miles!

Due to building maintenance concerns, the Center for Student Wellness (CSW) will be operating remotely until further notice. Health Services, Counseling Services, and SATS are seeing students for new and ongoing appointments. For CSW questions or concerns, please call 803-323-2206 and leave a voice message, or email [email protected]. The appropriate staff member will respond as soon as possible. Staff are closely monitoring their voicemail and email.

To schedule a Health or a Counseling appointment, use the Patient Portal (https://patient-winthrop.medicatconnect.com/).

Need a video walkthrough on scheduling? We've got you covered:
http://tiny.cc/schedulewithCS

We loved seeing all the new "legacy" eagles that was posting and wanted to join in the fun. Did you know that some of our counseling staff are Winthrop grads? Dr. Gretchen Baldwin and Bry-Anne Jones accidentally came to work "twinning" today (a surprise benefit of the casual summer initiated by ) and wanted to document the moment!

Dr. Baldwin, Bry-Anne, and Jess (who was feeling a bit left out and forced another pic) are all proud alumni! (Not pictured but also an alumna is our Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator and Counselor, Veronica.)

Go Eagles!

[Image Description: Slide one: Dr. Baldwin showing off the back of maroon shirt featuring outline of SC and a Winthrop eagle with statement "I'm proud to work at my alma mater." Bry-Anne stands on the right of the frame pointing to the shirt and wearing a similar shirt with Winthrop University Alumni on the front. Slide two: Dr. Baldwin and Bry-Anne stand behind Jess, who is wearing a light green shirt with a rainbow.]

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) don't just impact our physical health, but our *mental health*, too. For some SDOH, we may be able to modify these factors and/or their impact on us - such as actively working to create community wherever we're living. A strong sense of community helps us know we're not alone and makes it easy to find help and resources during times of joy, grief, or stress. As Mental Health Month comes to an end, take some time not just to look within yourself at what you can change and make better, but look around and find ways to connect to your community, nature, and self. Check out the Mental Health Month Toolkit at MHANATIONAL.ORG/MAY or at the link in our bio.

[ID: Colourful streetscape with neighbors of varying ages, races, and genders talking to each other on sidewalks, benches and stoops. Text above says "LOOK AROUND, LOOK WITHIN" in large bold type on left and "A strong sense of community within neighborhoods protects mental health through shared support, resources, and joy."]

Just a reminder from your friendly campus counselors that all night cramming and surviving off energy drinks and sour patch kids isn't the best exam week game plan. Check out these tips to make this exam week a successful one! If you're feeling particularly stressed, we've got counselors available every day for same-day sessions - just call the front desk or schedule online! You've got this, Eagles!

Looking to take a break from studying tomorrow? Come and personalize a succulent with a self-care reminder, color your stress away, grab a snack, and maybe even catch a reading of Jess's favourite book on anxiety, _Hey, Warrior_. Counseling Services and the Dean of Students Office will be in the Bookstore Commons TOMORROW from 11a-2p - come take a break with us!
[Image description: Dark green background with geometric border and pastel succulents and cacti at bottom. White text within border reads: Self-care doesn't succ: a study day self care break. Secondary text reads: Tuesday, 4/26 | 11a-2p | Bookstore Commons. Grab a succulent! Grab a snack! Take a break to colour!]

Finally returning with another Free(ish) App Friday! Check out this app as you work to handle all the emotions that come along with the end of the semester - and remember that same-day appointments are available every day Monday through Friday by logging into the patient portal or calling the front desk!

Winthrop's first Out of the Darkness Campus Walk is TODAY! It's not to late to come out and join us this afternoon - you can register on-site, turn in donations and pick up fundraising t-shirts there, and then join us in the amphitheater for the opening ceremony at 3p! See you this afternoon!

Winthrop Counseling Services counselors Rock Their Socks for World Down Syndrome Day.

We are officially able to count down to Winthrop's first-ever Out of the Darkness Campus Walk for Su***de Prevention on one hand! Only four days left until the big event - and still plenty of time to register (and fundraise, if that's your jam). Registration is free and the walk will only take about an hour of your time on Friday afternoon. Join us! ***de

Congrats to Erykah for winning our prize package raffle! (And apologies for misspelling your name in our first post!) And thanks to everyone who registered for Winthrop's first Out of the Darkness Campus Walk for Su***de Prevention! There's still plenty of time to register before the walk on Friday, March 24 @ 3pm - head to afsp.org/winthrop or use the link in our bio!

Have you registered for Winthrop’s first ever Out of The Darkness Campus Walk? Need a little more incentive? Swipe left to see the swag we’ll give away next week by drawing from our names of registered walkers! We’ll draw our winners at the end of the day next Wednesday, so be sure to register to walk (it’s free!) by 3/8 at 4:30pm! (Use the link in our bio!). Get an entry in the raffle by:
-Registering to walk (1 entry)
Extra entries can be gained by:
-Raising money (1 entry per $25 raised, no limit)
-Tagging a friend on this post (1 entry, max 2 entries from tags)

Free App Friday! Get prepared for midterms and advising by download Navigate Student and keeping up-to-date on requirements, finding study partners, or scheduling advising or other appointments! And if you've got an app you'd like to share with us, please do! All contributors will be entered into a prize drawing at the end of the semester!

Were you able to stop by and chat with President Serna and our CSW Director & Clinical Coordinator yesterday? We hope so!
We're always here to answer questions you may have - just send a message or email and we're happy to help!

Sure, Valentine's Day is generally associated with romance, but if you don't have a partner (or want one - also valid!), but love shows up in our lives in many different forms - romantic, platonic, familial, and plenty of others. And they're all worth celebrating! How are you showing love to yourself and others today?

Are you registered for Winthrop's first Campus Walk yet? If not, what are you waiting for? Su***de is one of the leading causes of death among college students, but it's totally preventable. Register for free at afsp.org/winthrop to join the effort to spread awareness and information and prevent su***de. No cost to walk, but if you're able to fundraise $100 or more, you'll snag a sweet walk t-shirt!
Links in our bio for both walk registration and volunteer sign up in our bio.

It's our second week featuring a free or low-cost app for you to check out over the weekend! This week's app is specifically for those struggling with eating and is designed to help keep track of eating, exercise, and any disordered behaviours - but also features a reflective workbook to better understand your eating disorder/disordered eating and lots of coping skills to use in the moment. Free to sign up and use!
If you have a favourite mental health app that's not on our app library already, share it with us and earn an entry into a prize drawing at the end of the semester!

Happy weekend, all!

In a 2021 survey of undergraduate students, 3.1% of respondents reported having attempted su***de at some point in the previous 12 months. The good news is we can prevent su***de - but we have to bring these conversations first. Join us on Friday, 3/24 for our first Out of the Darkness Campus Walk at Winthrop. It's free to register (check the link in our bio) and you can create an online page for fundraising to win prizes. We hope to see you there!

Welcome to our newest weekly feature: Free(ish) App Friday! We're hoping that by posting these on Friday, you'll take a bit of time over the weekends to consider and care for your mental health. We'll share apps that are free or low-cost (under $10 total). Today's app is Finch, an app to encourage self-care by caring for a virtual bird. We love it here in Counseling Services and would love to know what you name your finch! (See below for some of our counselors'.)

We keep an entire curated list of apps to help you care for yourself - check out the second slide to get the link and learn how to enter a giveaway drawing by suggesting a new app!

There's still time to join the upcoming social anxiety and shyness group! Group begins 2/16 and meets every Thursday at 11a through the end of March.
It's a great chance to learn and practice skills that can improve your daily life. Contact Dr. Sankofa by e-mailing [email protected] or calling 803-323-2206 to get started!