- There is increased concern and discussion around the rise of mental health challenges at post-secondary institutions. Why do you think this is happening and how do you think college counsellors can influence student , campus, and community well-being?
WHY?
Technology shift
Economics (wealth gap, rising costs, student debt, poor job outlook)
Competing pressures for students
Changes to family structure and parenting styles
Lack of coping and resilience skills
Increased awareness of and reduced stigma around mental health
Psychopharmacology
Shift in function of college/university
Geopolitical destabilization
What we as counsellors can do?
Lead by example
Health of the team (immune system analogy)
Share information (introspective consciousness)
Support, empower, and train staff / faculty (e.g., boundaries, not fixing)
Outreach to programs (speak their language, e.g., optimal performance, flow)
Innovate support and empowerment for students
Groups (e.g., leading skills, branching points)
Teach them coping and resilience skills (e.g., “Mind Hacks”)
Enlist students as mental health point-persons
Encourage clients, support them in helping others
Frame efforts in context of the Student Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy
- Take 5-minutes to highlight the key personal qualities, knowledge, skills, and experiences that make you a preferred candidate for this position
I have many years experience as a student in higher education, and have overcome struggles similar to those faced by students
I completed practicum and clinic years at UBC and Douglas College.
I care about students and can relate well with them.
I continually seek professional development.
I grew up in the fraser valley
I am self-reflective.
I am curious.
I am compassionate.
I consider myself a student.
I have been successful in school.
I have been through personal counselling and therapy.
I have been through career counselling.
I have changed careers. I have studied a range of subjects.
- Which counselling theories have influenced, and are represented in , your counselling approach / method?
Attachment
Trauma-informed theory
Psychodynamic
Strengths-based, solution focused
Paradoxical theory of change - radical acceptance - nonattachment
- Clinical Example: Describe in a recent example how you counselled a student presenting with depression and suicidal ideation. Include in your example, the work you did with the student, services you engaged, and what you learned in the process?
Suicide assessment including risk and protective factors.
Normalize suicidal thoughts, validated experience
Safety plan
Attempt to determine what prompted suicidal thoughts
Attempted to remove prompting events
Anxiety BC
Services: crisis line
- Many students accessing our services have been given one or more mental health diagnosis from a professional outside the college. Where do you see diagnostics and the DSM fitting into your therapeutic practice?
The DSM and related diagnostic instruments are important and powerful tools that can help determine appropriate treatment. I continue to study the DSM.
In my therapeutic practice,
Care should be taken with an existing diagnosis. What does it mean to the person who has it? Did it help them? Hinder them? Confuse them? Stigmatize them?
If there is any stigma, I would work to find ways of destigmatizing that. If there is any indication of overpathologizing on the part of the client, I would look to reduce that.
DSM can guide evidence-based treatment.
What is the nation upon which UFV sits?
Traditional unceded Territory of the Stó:lō Nation and to S’olh Shxwélí,
What are some of UFV’s main bachelor programs?
Social work Science in nursing Criminal justice Global development Business Admin Computer information systems Fine Arts Education Kinesiology Science
What are some of UFV’s main bachelor programs?
Social work Science in nursing Criminal justice Global development Business Admin Computer information systems Fine Arts Education Kinesiology Science Master of Arts in Criminal Justice
What are some trade programs offered by UFV?
Aircraft structures Apprenticeship training Drafting Automation / Robotics Auto mechanics Carpentry Cook Electrician
What are the major UFV faculties (8)
College of arts Faculty of Access and Continuing Ed Applied and Technical Studies Health Sciences Professional Studies Science Graduate Studies Gen Studies
What are the major UFV faculties (8)
College of arts Faculty of Access and Continuing Ed Applied and Technical Studies Health Sciences Professional Studies Science Graduate Studies Gen Studies
What are some UFV services?
Academic Success Centre Advising Assessment Services Career Centre Counselling Services ESL Financial Aid Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Office Indigenous Student Centre Disability resource centre
- Please tell us which teams or agencies (within or outside of the college) you would see yourself collaborating with most often in order to provide the best care to our students? With whom do you already have strong relationships? Which groups do you need to learn more about or build relationships with?
Within college: Indigenous Student Centre Career Centre Academic Success Centre Disability resource centre
Fraser Valley Distress
Abbotsford Mental Health Centre (Fraser Health)
Abbotsford Mental Health & Substance Use Centre
Women’s Resource Society of the Fraser Valley
End Abuse Program
Ann Davis Society (Women)
Ishtar Transition Housing (Women)
Redbook Online
AnxietyBC
mindcheck.ca - mood and anxiety
First Nations Health Authority
- You are seeing a client where historical trauma is at the core of the presenting issue. How will you proceed to counsel them within our relatively short-term counselling session guidelines?
Establish safety
Validate experience
Address shame
Provide grounding, anchoring, braking techniques
Discuss what trauma work looks like, and investigate referral options for longer-term trauma work.
Investigate trauma-repair options which are culturally relevant. For example, trauma work addressing residential school trauma would ideally be community based
- Scenario: Describe how you might work with an Indigenous student who has experienced a recent death and the considerations you would have in approaching this work?
Investigate the possibility of having a support person attend session
Investigate possibility for community based healing
Allocate extra time for story telling
Consider the use of indigenous healing model :
Mental: Connection, healing, freedom
Spiritual: Elders, identity, traditions, smudges
Emotional: Connecting with others, understanding trauma
Physical: Stories, voice, grounding meditation
Wisdom, Love, Truth, Respect, Bravery, Humility, Honesty
- Career development and counselling is an integral aspect of our work with students. Describe your experience an the model you use with career counselling. Please tell us which career assessment tools and programs you are currently trained in and feel competent using?
I received training in assessment with RIASEC (Holland Codes), Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and Strong Interest Inventory.
I am familiar with careercruising, onetonline, and workbc.ca as online tools.
- Please describe some of the primary strategies your would use with a student presenting with moderately generalized anxiety?
Assess environmental factors, assess behavioral factors. Check sleep patterns, exercise, etc.
Validate, normalize, and depathologize experience of anxiety symptoms.
Psychoeducation around stress response, self-regulation, distress tolerance, basic CBT triangle, effective worrying
Introduce and practice mindfulness skills, relaxation skills
Look into making changes in the environment to increase sleep, social connection, exercise
- In an initial counselling session, a student reveals that they have been spoken to in a ‘sexually suggestive and offensive manner’ by an instructor on a number of occasions. The student presents this as ‘no big deal’ but their friends are urging them to do something about it. What are your considerations and approach? What specific actions do you take, and why?
Explore with the student what their options are, what not saying something would mean, what saying something would mean
Provide emotional support
Validate their experience, explore the option of reporting it with them
Explore what kind of support they have
Advocate for the student
There is no immediate threat of serious harm, abuse of a vulnerable person
Seek supervision
- How would colleagues / coworkers describe the way you contribute towards a cooperative and positive workplace? How would your colleagues / coworkers describe your approach to managing conflict?
I support team members. I communicate proactively. I encourage colleagues. I check in on colleagues.
I resolve conflict with conscientious, direct, preferably face to face communication. I rely on the feedback model to ensure understanding. If a conflict escalated, I would follow appropriate channels, reporting to a supervisor.
What are some emotion regulation skills?
Opposite action
Check the facts - does my reaction match the situation
Pay attention to positive events
What are some mindfulness skills?
Gratitude Body scan Guided meditations Object oriented mediation Eating meditation Moving meditation
Gratitude
Body scan - short version, long version
Progressive muscle relaxation
Meditation - walking, open awareness, visualization, mountain meditation
Diaphramatic breathing
5,4,3,2,1 - 5 things you see, 4 you hear, 3 you smell, 2 you touch, 1 you taste
Raisin exercise
Mindful seeing / nonjudgmental seeing
Mindful listening: 1 stressful thing, 1 looking forward to, thoughts feelings, sensations
Triangle of awareness
Personal boundaries and stress response
Back body meditation
Object oriented meditation
Observe thoughts for 15 minutes - label as thought, i am not my thoughts,
Bell dissipation exercise
Depression: Sorting thoughts, sensations, emotions into mental boxes
Attitudes or intentions: beginners mind, patience, letting go of judgment, compassion, equanimity
Acknowledging cravings like passing thoughts
Wheel of awareness: 5 senses, interoceptive sense, mental activities, interconnectedness
ACT: Cognitive difusion: I am not my thoughts, attachment to thoughts, acceptance, presence, values, actions
What are some mindfulness skills?
Gratitude Body scan Guided meditations Object oriented mediation Eating meditation Moving meditation
Gratitude
Body scan - short version, long version
Progressive muscle relaxation
Meditation - walking, open awareness, visualization, mountain meditation
Diaphramatic breathing
5,4,3,2,1 - 5 things you see, 4 you hear, 3 you smell, 2 you touch, 1 you taste
Raisin exercise
Mindful seeing / nonjudgmental seeing
Mindful listening: 1 stressful thing, 1 looking forward to, thoughts feelings, sensations
Triangle of awareness
Personal boundaries and stress response
Back body meditation
Object oriented meditation
Observe thoughts for 15 minutes - label as thought, i am not my thoughts,
Bell dissipation exercise
Depression: Sorting thoughts, sensations, emotions into mental boxes
Attitudes or intentions: beginners mind, patience, letting go of judgment, compassion, equanimity
Acknowledging cravings like passing thoughts
Wheel of awareness: 5 senses, interoceptive sense, mental activities, interconnectedness
ACT: Cognitive difusion: I am not my thoughts, attachment to thoughts, acceptance, presence, values, actions
What are evidence based treatments for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance use?
Depression: Problem solving, social skills and assertiveness, increase pleasant activities, problem/solution focus,
Panic, Phobias, OCD: exposure, applied relaxation, problem solving, cognitive restructuring, meta-cognitive awareness, ACT, mindfulness: present moment focus, values guided behaviour
PTSD: Imaginal exposure: psychoeducation, breathing, relaxation, recounting trauma aloud; invivo exposure; addressing maladaptive thinking patterns; strategies for perspective shift; breathing retraining, muscle relaxation, negative-thought stopping, and restructuring/challenging maladaptive cognitions.
Substance Use: Pros and cons, coping strategies, self-monitoring, motivational interviewing,
What are evidence based treatments for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance use?
Depression: Problem solving, social skills and assertiveness, increase pleasant activities, problem/solution focus,
Panic, Phobias, OCD: exposure, applied relaxation, problem solving, cognitive restructuring, meta-cognitive awareness, ACT, mindfulness: present moment focus, values guided behaviour
PTSD: Imaginal exposure: psychoeducation, breathing, relaxation, recounting trauma aloud; invivo exposure; addressing maladaptive thinking patterns; strategies for perspective shift; breathing retraining, muscle relaxation, negative-thought stopping, and restructuring/challenging maladaptive cognitions.
Substance Use: Pros and cons, coping strategies, self-monitoring, motivational interviewing,
