Mental health disorders rise among young people-including stressed out students
Scottsdale Community College counseling center refers students in crisis to community services and counsels on well-being strategies
Counseling Services is located at SC-108
November 24, 2022
Thanksgiving is in the rear-view mirror, but Christmas and the New Year are dead ahead, putting many people on a collision course with mental distress.
Even so, SCC counseling faculty Andrea Scherrer, who has been helping students for the last seven years says the holidays are not their busiest time.
“Our busiest time with students – stress management, time management, crisis, is the middle of the semester,” Scherrer said.
Counseling services assists students with a wide variety of needs. From basic needs like food, housing and emergency funds to personal support and crisis management. If they are not directly able to help, Counseling Services specializes in referring students to qualified providers within the community.
“We don’t provide therapy on campus. So, we provide personal support. We talk to students about stress. We talk to students about time management,” Scherrer said.
“There’s a significant number that both meet with us, but then also have needs outside of the scope of what we can do on campus. That community referral piece, I think is probably one of our most important roles,” Scherrer said. “A significant portion of what we do is help students know what’s available in the community.”
In addition to virtual and in-person appointments Monday-Friday during business hours, Counseling Services also offers a wide array of workshops and classes.
Personal growth workshops are offered in both live/online and self-paced formats throughout the year and are available to students as well as the public.
Counseling and Personal Development (CPD) classes include First Year Experience Courses, which are required for certain students, and a variety of Personal Development classes, such as Career and Personal Development and Resilience and well-being. Classes are offered in hybrid and online formats to SCC students.
“A lot of times people just need a chance to have a quiet moment, to self-regulate, to take a few deep breathes – it’s amazing how much that can change things, Scherrer said. “And that’s sometimes what a lot of students do with us. It’s a little bit of a time out, a chance to talk things out, get it outside of their head and talk about it.”
Counseling Services is located at SC-108 in the Student Center building.
Phone (480)423-6524
