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From the Experts
A regular section in AnteaterNews, “From the Expert” highlights various areas
relating to your UCI student. Different topics will be covered in each issue.

End-of-the-Year Pressures: Parents Can Help
The first-year experience for students is often positive and exhilarating, but not without substantial academic and personal challenge. Parents play an integral role in fostering well-being and good mental health in their students, especially as the academic year comes to an end and pressures can mount.

During spring quarter, parents are encouraged to maintain ongoing communication with their student, being particularly alert to any signs or symptoms of emotional distress, and proactively referring their son or daughter to campus counseling and mental health services. While academic achievement is cultivated and honored at UCI, students are encouraged to seek assistance for emotional and mental distress, if it is needed. Check out donteraseyourfuture.org, a UCI website devoted to mental health.

You know your student well! If you notice symptoms of depression, severe anxiety, sudden changes in academic performance or social behavior, or what appears to be some emerging problem – or just sense that something is wrong – ask questions and start a dialogue, ultimately encouraging your student to get help if you think it is needed. The following are the three campus support services for students seeking mental health and/or emotional assistance:

• UCI Counseling Center
  www.counseling.uci.edu
  Primary Counseling and Mental Health Service for Undergraduates
  (949) 824-6457
  8 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday–Friday
  After 5 p.m. emergencies, call the UCI Police Department (949) 824-5222
  
  Individual Counseling, Group Counseling, Screening, Crisis Response and Intervention, Urgent Care, Referrals, Outreach Programs and Workshops (e.g., Stress Management, Relaxation Training, Coping with Depression, Assertion Training, Communication Skills, etc.)
  Confidentiality. No appointment necessary; students can self-refer.
  


• UCI Student Health Center
  www.shs.uci.edu
  On-Campus Health Center
  (949) 824-5301
  Mental Health and Counseling Clinic of Student Health
  8 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday–Friday (Closed weekends and University holidays.)
  Appointments: (949) 824-1835 (Mental Health Coordinator). www.shs.uci.edu/mental_health.html
  
  The Mental Health Clinic is a component of the UCI Student Health Center and sees students, in general, by appointment. The Clinic is compromised of psychiatrists, psychologists and masters-level therapists. The psychiatrists are a team of physicians who also provide psychotherapy and medication evaluation. Whether treated by an individual therapist, or receiving combined psychotherapy with medication management, students have access to comprehensive, current medical care at the Student Health Center.
  
  Students may refer themselves by calling the Mental Health Coordinator in the Student Health Center or by coming to Berkeley Place, Suite 2901 (at the corner of East Peltason and Pereira Drives).
  
  Student Emergencies
  If a situation is urgent, a student may call or walk into the UCI Counseling Center and request to be seen IMMEDIATELY; an appointment is not required.
  
  For urgent situations after 5 p.m., call the Campus Police at (949) 824-5222 or 911. (The Police Department will contact a campus health professional.)
  
  Remember: When it doubt, refer to the Counseling Center, and/or, if seriously concerned, walk the student to the Counseling Center and tell the receiving staff member that the student needs to be seen immediately.


• UCI Health Education Center
  www.health.uci.edu
  (949) 824-9355
  The Health Education Center is committed to promoting healthy lifestyle choices among students, providing timely information and educational workshops on many health-related topics, including sexual health, alcohol and drug abuse, nutrition, tobacco use, mental well-being, and suicide prevention. Students are encouraged to drop in for information at the Center or visit Health Education’s website.

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