The past few weeks, students may have noticed some posters placed around campus with different themes. The posters contained themes duch as friendships and the importance of sleep, courtesy of the Wellness Center on campus. Throughout the school year, the Wellness Center, ound right inside the doors of the RSC across from the Hub, plans to release more posters with varying themes to try and help other students who may be struggling.
Therapist Justin Derry was able to give insight for the posters. The Wellness Center is “putting out the information regarding mental wellness,” Derry, explained. The information is a way to “assist students in recognizing steps they can take to get beyond surviving on campus but thrive while at Northwestern.”
“We are also wanting to help students notice when they may be struggling and provide them with the information they need to get assistance when they are,” Derry concluded. The themes do not just appear out of thin air though. Derry said, “The therapists at the Wellness Center identified these as things that are talked about.’” He went on to say that the chosen themes “tend to be topics we talk about with most of the students that come in for therapy.”
What is the goal of theses posters? According to Derry, they “want to get the information out to students,” which in itself is a step forward, “and much like speaking in a dorm or offering group sessions the posters get this information out to as many students as possible.” Derry continued by saying that “it has been a large undertaking to consolidate this information and put it in an eye-catching poster but the more students that see this information and put it into practice that better.”
Typically, the therapists only see one student at a time for therapy. However, this is not the only option for students. “We do offer group sessions and are willing to come and speak on any topic that may interest a group on campus,” Derry said. “With the posters we can get this information in front of many students at once and hopefully help more people.”
If any student needs assistance, the posters are found around campus. Students can also go talk to Suzanne in the Wellness Center to set up an appointment with one of the therapists to talk about any issues or assistance they might need. The Wellness Center is free and available for all students to use.
