College students have many opportunities to meet new friends and develop enriching relationships. Such relationships can make the difference between a positive and negative college experience. It is important to know the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, and to know how to make choices to preserve the former and improve the latter. While no…
“Growing up” for some can be a painful experience, especially if their family background was unstable. In healthy families, members contribute to the physical, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being of each other, creating an environment that helps children feel worthwhile and valuable. In a dysfunctional family one or more family members experience unmanageable stress, which…
Understanding Grief and Loss Grief is a normal and natural reaction to loss. College students can experience many losses, from the death of a loved one to the loss of a significant relationship. Other losses can occur as students experience change. Symptoms of Grief and Loss Helping Others with Grief and Loss If you or…
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is an aspect of two of eight “intelligences” that are now believed to exist. For many years academic or analytical intelligence, that which is measured by many “intelligence tests,” was seen as the only or best kind of intelligence. Psychologists now believe there are several forms of intelligence, including musical, bodily-kinesthetic, logical-mathematical,…
Disordered eating consists of a spectrum of thoughts, feelings and behaviors associated with problem eating. On one end of this spectrum one might find concerns with body image and preoccupation with certain foods or eating habits. On the other end one might see severe caloric restriction (Anorexia Nervosa) or binge-purge cycles (Bulimia Nervosa), either of…
College students face many life challenges and transitions which can often lead to “the blues” or bouts of depression. Stresses of classes, moving away from home, forming new relationships, and worrying about the future can lead you to feel like you just can’t cope any longer. Sometimes, these feelings of being overwhelmed disappear after a…
Assertiveness refers to the ability to directly and confidently express one’s thoughts and feelings to others. It is not aggressiveness; assertive people can express themselves without violating the rights of others and yet get their needs met at the same time. Assertiveness is a crucial life skill. Attaining goals, managing stress, having rewarding relationships and…
We all know what it’s like to experience anxiety when we take final exams, give oral presentations, go on job interviews, or go on a first date. For most of us these situations produce reactions such as sweaty palms, muscle tightness, a pounding heart, and feelings of apprehension and uneasiness. “Normal” anxiety arouses us to…
Students don’t usually set out to develop an addiction to alcohol or drugs. Rather, the addiction process often sneaks up on them and takes them by surprise. Due to the psychological and physiological processes involved, what starts out as moderate use can transform into higher and higher tolerance for the substance, which then leads to…
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is a pattern of persistent inattention and/or hyperactivity, most often evident before age seven. The inattention causes impairment in at least two settings, such as school and work, and it is more severe than what is usually seen with others of the same age and developmental status. Many students experience periods…
