Health and Wellness Services available to students
College life can be an exhilarating experience, but it can also be stressful. The University of West Florida Counseling and Wellness Services offers a variety of services to help students achieve and maintain mental and physical health. Counseling Services offers counseling and therapy to help students while Wellness Services promotes health programs, such as alcohol misuse and abuse prevention, sexual health promotion and sexual assault prevention.
“The primary goal of counseling is to help students develop the personal awareness and skills necessary to overcome problems and to develop in ways that will allow them to take advantage of the educational opportunities at the university,” said director Rebecca Kennedy.
Kennedy said the fall semester was a busy time. However, she assured that appointments are now available and encourages students to take advantage of the opportunity to speak with licensed counselors. There are a variety of counseling options, from individual counseling to couples counseling to career counseling.
Joel Brown, a graduate student at UWF who is working on his last semester of a master’s in education with an emphasis in college student personnel administration, believes Counseling and Wellness Services is one of the top resources available to students on campus.
“UWF is a home away from home for students coming from all different kinds of experiences and backgrounds,” he said. “Counseling and Wellness Services is here for the students and I hope students are able to capitalize on this resource while attending UWF.”
Students also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of “Living Well” workshops each semester, including the upcoming “Building Better Romantic Relationships” scheduled for Feb. 9 from 4 to 5 p.m. in the University Commons, Room 272. Also, Wellness Services offers several interactive programs and workshops designed for facilitation in the classroom, group organization or resident hall.
Lindsey Greeson, UWF peer educator advisor, said that these programs are designed to be fun, while teaching students important life lessons.
“Wellness Services staff and Peer Educators develop and implement campus-wide programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles among college students,” said Greeson. “I am always excited about providing preventive education to such a large and diverse community of students here at UWF, whether it is through an event, program or workshop!”
Students who are interested in scheduling a counseling appointment can call Counseling Services at (850) 474-2420 or visit Building 19, West Entrance, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Students who need to speak to someone immediately after hours may contact the UWF switchboard at (850) 474-2000 to inform the operator that he or she needs to speak with someone from the Counseling Center. To learn more about Wellness Services or to request services, visit uwf.edu/cws/wellness/programs/index.cfm or contact Greeson at lgreeson@uwf.edu.
For more information about UWF Counseling and Wellness Services, visit uwf.edu/cws.
By Lauren Smith, University Marketing Communications
