Campus Connection

UWL counseling center director to speak on college-age resilience building

Gretchen Reinders sees plenty of media headlines about college students and young adults incapable of functioning in their stressful new surroundings. But that message doesn’t jibe with the picture she sees as director of the UWL Counseling and Testing Center. Yes, students do struggle, but they also learn to cope and thrive in college. Exaggerating the stress students experience in college and their inability to handle it can be a destructive force, she adds, particularly when internalized by students. Two of the biggest messages young people need to hear to overcome adversity are:

• Stressful transitions are an important and necessary part of life.
• You can get through it — because you’ve climbed similar mountains before.

Reinders plans to share a message about how to cultivate resilience in this young adult population during the Suicide Prevention Summit Wednesday, Sept. 21, at the La Crosse Center. The event, organized through UWL Continuing Education and Extension, is about increasing understanding of suicide, its prevalence and risk factors, as well as acquiring tools for prevention, assessment and intervention. Reinders’ message of resilience building isn’t just for those who work in academia; it’s for all people who connect with young adults. Literature shows the most resilient people are those who have had experiences such as tragedy or loss, which has given them the opportunity to build resilience, says Reinders. “Resilience is not a trait that people either have or don’t have,” she says. “It’s something that can be learned and developed.” Reinders adds that being in college affords students a good environment to practice resilience because they have strong community and resources around them. The UWL Counseling and Testing Center sees about 10 percent of UWL’s student body, which is comparable to the national average. The vast majority of students visit the center for counseling. They also come for academic skills help. A more accurate picture of college mental health Reinders says it is true that the college years are a critical developmental stage where mental health issues are most likely to emerge. The vast majority of people who develop a mental illness do during the ages of 18-24. One out of every eight students who comes to college has had a previous mental health diagnosis. Half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14 and three fourths by age 24, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, 2006. Traditional college aged students (18-24) are at a critical developmental period and college settings offer both increased stressors along with protective factors for young adults with existing and developing mental health concerns, she says. When working with people in this age group, it is important to see each situation for what it is instead of associating college student’s capacity for stress with media headlines, notes Reinders. “We need to be careful not to make broad, sweeping generalizations,” she says. “Instead we should look at situations more proactively, encouraging students to problem solve, empowering them without coddling them, and reminding them of the past situations they’ve made it through.” Any faculty or staff who encounter students in need of support should contact the Counseling and Testing Center. Learn more about the Suicide Prevention Summit: http://www.uwlax.edu/conted/suicide-prevention