UHS, USG promote counseling resources

Events so far have included a meditation session, a yoga class, free cookies offered throughout campus and tabling in Frist Campus Center by members of Sustained Dialogue and Peer Health Advisors.

U-Councilor Katlin Poladian ’12 is one of the Peer Health Advisors who participated in tabling at Frist Campus Center on Monday night. She noted that students came to the table asking for ways to get in touch with a Health Advisor to speak with about their mental health problems.

“I hope everyone has those people they can talk to during that time of need,” she said.

Anita McLean, the director of Counseling and Psychological Services at University Health Services, also expressed a desire to have students feel comfortable reaching out to someone when in need. She said that CPS was happy to work with the week’s organizers to promote mental health across campus.

“We believe that student involvement in these important efforts is crucial to creating a culture that promotes mental well-being along with academic excellence,” she said in an email. “We support the students in their efforts, and we want every student to not only know about our services but to feel comfortable reaching out to us whenever they need support.”

Poladian urged students to not feel stigmatized about turning to CPS for help.

“People are afraid of failure. It’s that Princeton invincibility, but everyone can relate to being stressed out,” she said.

For one student who said she overcame the stigma, seeking counseling was a productive experience. The student, who was granted anonymity in discussing health issues, said she decided to go to CPS after a tough first semester away from home. Upperclassman friends suggested that she consider talking to a counselor. She said she did not even know that CPS existed before her friends told her.

She praised CPS for helping her navigate the academic, social and family pressures that made her first semester difficult.

“I didn’t want a solution. I just needed someone to listen to everything I was going through. CPS was a safe haven for me,” she said in an interview.

She also acknowledged the stigmatization of utilizing campus resources for mental health issues. The Mental Health Awareness Week’s organizers have highlighted this as a barrier to improving mental health.

“[Going to] CPS is definitely stigmatized. Nobody ever wants to admit that they can’t do their work,” she said.

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Poladian said she hopes that as Mental Health Awareness Week progresses, more students will feel comfortable seeking out campus resources to improve their mental health.

“We are trying to get this to be a movement,” she said. “We want to make this an issue that is okay to talk about, and we encourage the discussion to continue beyond these seven days.”