Rowan Expands Mental Wellness Center To Help Stressed Students

GLASSBORO, NJ - The spring always brings rising levels of anxiety over grades, graduation and the need to find a job. This year, new coronavirus is enhancing those anxieties even more.

In order to help students, Rowan University’s Wellness Center has expanded access through virtual and telephone counseling, the university announced.

“Now is the time when some students think ‘oh my gosh, I’m going to fail a class,’ or, ‘I’m not going to get a job’,” Wellness Center Associate Director Dr. Amy Hoch said. “Some are stressed over having to be home when they don’t want to be there.”

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Many college students have been stressed simply because they’ve had to move back home, Hoch said.

“One of the biggest challenges with telehealth is finding a private space to speak,” Hoch said. “Often, students go out to their cars to speak if they don’t have a private space. We’ll do Webex sessions from their room but that too can present challenges if students feel it isn’t private enough.”

She said that many students find remote counseling sessions, whether they are individual or as part of a group, are greatly beneficial. As many as 120 Rowan students per week take advantage of individual teletherapy sessions through the Wellness Center and many more benefit from group meetings, according to Hoch.

Rowan’s Wellness Center has 17 full-time therapists, two of whom were hired since January, and one half-time therapist, Hoch said.

While many of the center’s services, except for emergencies, are now offered only through remote sessions, a great many remain available to students including medical consultations and pet therapy. Counselors are offering advice on meditation, which can help focus and quiet the mind.

“Getting enough sleep, doing some kind of exercise, getting proper nutrition and avoiding drugs and alcohol are all very important in reducing stress,” Hoch said. “People’s sleep patterns are hugely affected right now so if you can get into a regular sleep routine it’s really important. Getting out, taking walks and exercising are natural anti-depressants and can help regulate sleep.”

Hoch said if students currently in therapy feel especially anxious or depressed they may also speak with a Wellness Center psychiatrist.

“For many people, medication can add benefits to therapy,” Hoch said. “We have two psychiatrists at the Wellness Center and if we think a patient can benefit from medication that’s available now as well.”

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