Below you will find helpful websites that have been reviewed by University Counseling Services at Pittsburg State University. These websites address a variety of concerns and can be useful in providing educational information regarding various topics. The websites listed below are not intended to take the place of professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. UCS encourages readers to always consult with qualified and licensed health professionals, and follow the advice of their medical providers, despite anything read on a helpful and informative website. UCS does not recommend or endorse any clinicians, counselors, psychiatrists, social workers, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the websites. Reliance on any information provided by a website is solely at your own risk. If you are in need of immediate medical care, please dial 911.
For questions about the websites, or to report a non-working link, please email us.
Transitioning to college with a diagnosis of AD/HD can be done smoothly when you have an understanding of accommodations that could benefit your academic performance. Check out the following links for more information on recommended accommodations for college students with AD/HD, as well as information on how to be a successful college student while coping with the symptoms of AD/HD.
Making the transition from high school to college is a major step as a young adult. For many students, going away to college is their first time being away from home. Starting college requires one to have the necessary skills to adjust to a new environment, make new friends, learn about personal values and priorities, and learn new things in general. Making the transition to college while living with a mental illness can present additional challenges and can require more mindfulness during the transition time. Check out the following links to learn more about transitioning to college, managing homesickness, and how to cope with mental health difficulties while transitioning to college.
While in college, some individuals may experience an increase in anger difficulties often related to an increase in stress and/or poor coping skills. Coping with emotional or anger outbursts can be difficult to do on your own. Take a look at the following links to understand more about how to cope with, and control your anger, before it controls you.
Anxiety is often an inevitable aspect of life, particularly while transitioning into new life stages (such as from high school to college and adulthood). Many individuals have great coping skills in some areas, but may lack resources in others, intensifying the experience of stress and anxiety. To learn more about the various types of anxiety disorders and the treatment for anxiety, explore the following links.
How well an individual manages symptoms of bipolar disorder while in college can greatly determine how successful he or she is academically, socially, and personally. For more information about bipolar disorder, and how to manage it while transitioning to college, click on the links below:
Every individual experiences times when he or she feels down. Experiencing sadness is normal when a relationship ends, friend moves away, a loved one is lost, or something unfortunate has happened that has made us unhappy. The stress of a heavy academic load, money management, or unemployment can also negatively impact your mood. However, typically the feelings of sadness will eventually pass and there will still be pleasant and happy times with your friends and family. If you are experiencing sadness that is especially persistent and find that you have lost motivation and interest in activities that you once enjoyed, you may find the following links about the symptoms and types of depression to be particularly enlightening.
Having a healthy relationship with food and exercise while in college can be a terrific way to help manage the stress resulting from a heavy academic load. However, when an individual experiences times of overeating, excessive worry about food and his or her body, desires to extremely restrict his or her food intake, or maintains a strict exercise regimen, intense anxiety may lead to poor academic performance or social interactions. If you’re concerned that you or someone you know may have a problem with food and/or body image, take a peek at the following links which provide information on the various types of eating disorders, as well as the types of treatments available for eating disorders.
Loss is an inevitable part of life, and with the healing process comes the natural experience of grief. There are many reasons for grief, such as the loss of a loved one, loss of one’s health, loss of a job or title, or even the letting go of a long-held dream. Coping with a significant loss can be a very difficult time in an individual’s life. Take a look at the links below to learn more about how to work through grief and find support during the healing process.
Healthy money management and financial planning is a crucial aspect of wellness as an adult, and it’s never too early to start being responsible with your finances. Added financial stress can create heightened anxiety for college students who are often juggling a busy schedule and transitioning into a more independent way of living. Check out the following links to learn more about money management and building good credit.
One of the best parts of college life can be the significant relationships that are created through shared interests and the opportunity to meet new people. However, one of the worst parts of college life can be when those important friendships or romances are broken. The experience of learning to relate to new and different people is rarely easy, and can require an individual to learn new interpersonal skills. Check out the links below to learn more about how to create new friendships, cope with the loss of a friendship, get through a tough breakup, or to learn more about relationship abuse and red flags.
Learning healthy coping styles is an important aspect of college life as individuals encounter stressful academic demands and cope with the transition to adulthood. There are many relaxation techniques, both formal and informal, that can help a person build mindfulness and purposefully pause and slow down to gain a new perspective. Below, you’ll find links for mindfulness and meditation practices, including information on how to engage in deep breathing exercises.
Knowing how to support students as they cope with their mental health is an important component of being a faculty or staff member at a university. Whether the student experiencing difficulties is a student in your classroom, a student assistant in your office, an advisee, a student athlete, or an international student, explore the links below to learn more about how to demonstrate your support and what to do when a student is experiencing mental health difficulties.
Coming to the United States to receive an education might be a very exciting time for you, but as with any major life change, it will be a transition for you. Here we offer some resources to help you know what to expect with this type of a transition, as well as what you can do to make the adjustment to the U.S. smoother and more enjoyable.
As parents, you may experience sadness or uneasiness as your child leaves home for the first time to attend a university. Helping your child cope with the transition can be a big task as you yourself are also trying to readjust to life without your child living under your roof or in your same town. Check out the links below for answers to questions parents commonly have, as well as to learn more about how to help your child cope with homesickness.
Getting on a good sleep schedule while in college can be a bit tricky. You want to meet new people in order to make new friends, and of course at times you have late nights studying and writing papers. While the occasional late night is unlikely to do much damage, if an individual is not receiving adequate sleep for long periods at a time, the lack of quality sleep can lead to difficulties coping with the stress often experienced while in college. Explore the provided links to learn more facts about sleep, proper sleep habits, various types of insomnia, and the treatments available for sleep difficulties.
Stress is an inevitable part of life, particularly when individuals are transitioning to a new stage of life (such as the transition into adulthood and college life). Stress is experienced when we are under demands that are not well managed by effective coping strategies. Often times individuals may cope well in certain areas, but lack coping skills in others. Take a look at the following links to learn about the types of stress, as well as how to effectively manage stress.
Being an athlete at a university can be an exciting and fun time! However, it also can lead to an increase in stress as you try to learn effective time management skills in order to balance your time spent in practice, at games, studying, and performing well in class. The following links offer information on how athletes can support one another in order to maintain ideal mental health, as well as how best to manage your time as a student athlete at a university.
Maximizing your academic performance in college may require you to learn new study methods, time management skills, note taking skills, and ways to cope with test anxiety. Below, you’ll find links that can help as you beat procrastination, perfectionism, test anxiety, and/or poor study habits.
As young adults transition to college, many are looking to have a good time, which for some may include social drinking or recreational drug use. If you’re like most college students, you may think that you will never have difficulties with drugs or alcohol, however, more than 50% of students who drink end up experiencing major problems related to their drinking habits. Unfortunately, for many students these difficulties can be deemed a result of a significant alcohol abuse problem. If you would like more information on alcohol and drug misuse and abuse, as well as anonymous support groups, please look into the following links:
Suicide and self-harm behaviors are serious issues that are preventable. If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or know someone who is, to such an extent that there is the presence of suicidal ideation or thoughts of self-harm, help is available. If you, or someone you know, is in a crisis, there are specific actions that need to be taken in order to get through this difficult time. For an immediate emergency, call 911. If you’re looking for more information, below you’ll find the links to the national suicide prevention lifeline, as well as information on suicide prevention and suicidal and self-harm behaviors.
University Counseling Services at Pittsburg State University is committed to assisting students who have experienced in the past, or recently been victims of physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual assault, or any other types of trauma. If you have been victimized, you do not have to face the traumatic situation alone. Some who were abused as a child may experience the negative effects of that abuse as adults. Abuse can often lead to difficulties with one’s self-esteem, relationships, academic work, or sexual intimacy. Some individuals may minimize the abuse or pretend it didn’t happen, while others may feel guilty or blame themselves for the abuse. Whatever your experience has been, we encourage you to come in and seek assistance and support. Below you’ll find informative links about post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as information regarding sexual assault on college campuses, and how to prevent this form of violence from occurring.
Returning to college can present unique challenges for veterans. Readjusting to life at a university can be difficult while combatting physical or mental injuries. It is important for veterans to be prepared and aware of the resources available to them at their university. University Counseling Services at Pittsburg State University is committed to helping veterans adequately adjust to college life in order to achieve academic and professional success. The following links may offer helpful information for veterans as they enter, or re-enter, into the college atmosphere.