If final projects, exams, your job, the price of gas, your roommate, or the general state of the world have got you feeling a bit overwhelmed, Polytechnic Counseling Services can help you deal with these pressures.
Dr. Joel Hutchinson, the program director, said that the most frequent reason they work with students is stress.
"Students tend to take on a lot," Hutchinson said. "We can teach you some skills and techniques for managing that stress."
The Polytechnic Counseling Services team, made up of Hutchinson and Dr. Louise Welter, offers a wide range of services, including counseling — individual and group — workshops, crisis intervention, and referrals.
Hutchinson and Welter said they see between 15 and 20 students per day during the busiest times of the year, such as the end of the semester.
Welter said that right now, as we move into the end-of-the-semester rush, is the perfect time to take a few moments to map out the rest of the semester and schedule all big projects and exams, work hours, and especially sleep.
"You need to make sleep as much a part of your schedule as anything else," Welter said. "Research has shown that the less sleep you get, the slower you think."
Special and elementary education sophomore Maria Camargo said that it's comforting to know that Counseling Services really encourages students to see them for any reason.
"And it's free," she added. "I think the fact that it's free, especially if students don't have any insurance, really gets more people to take advantage of the services."
Polytechnic Student Counseling Services is located in the Quads buildings and is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Drop by or call 480-727-1255 for more information or to make an appointment.
"Most of the time, we can fit you in within 24 hours," Hutchinson said. "If you call in the morning, you can usually get an appointment later that day or the next. And if it's a crisis situation, we'll see you as immediately as possible. We try to keep it that way."
Reach the reporter at: kbielski@asu.edu.
