Counselor's Corner

March 15 , 2010 - Stretch or Stress

Whether you are a student or an instructor the likelihood that you will suffer from physical and or mental stress is high. Psychologically speaking, stress is a state of anxiety that is the result of events and responsibilities that exceed one’s coping abilities. Physiologically speaking, stress is simply defined as the rate of wear and tear on the body. There is a general myth in our culture that providing discipline, one can achieve a stress free life style. Unless you’re living in a monastery on a top of a mountain, the possibility that you will encounter daily stresses is eminent. Therefore the question is not whether you live with or without stress, but how you manage stress.

Managing stress is a holistic approach to the mind and body. Physical and psychological pressure have to be both addressed and managed in order to have a complete approach to wellness. For physical stress, I emphasize to students the importance to implement an exercise program into their lives. The program should not be rigorous, but it should certainly be consistent. Walking, jogging, light work-out, swimming , biking, are all good ideas to reduce physical stress. However, the most important foundation to manage physical tension is stretching. Yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi, are excellent sources to teach you how to stretch your body properly and combat stress. Those ancient Eastern exercise programs are currently hailed by the medical communities in both the United States and Europe as solid healing modalities.

Psychological stress can also be managed and reduced by stretching the mind through the practice of mindfulness. Daily affirmation, meditation, playing or listening to music, painting or simply coloring can be therapeutic and provide a sense of mental space and calm.

Finally, an important element for students to prevail over stress is by managing their time. Procrastination is a main source of anxiety and stress to all of us. Managing our time will certainly reduce the amount of chaos in our life, will make us more productive, and will give us more time to decompress.

Our counseling division offers two sections of COUN 114(Stress Management) each fall and winter semester in an attempt to teach and counsel students on how to implement a successful reduction of stress in their lives. The course also meets the wellness requirements needed for both the associate in Liberal Arts and General Studies. Don’t let stress take over your potentials, let’s stretch our bodies and our minds.

Best wishes for a successful semester,
Imad Nouri.M.S.L.P.C
Counseling Division
inouri@hfcc.edu

February 17, 2010 - Tutoring Assistance and Assisted Learning Services

By the time you read this, you may be approaching midterms and completing your last eight weeks of HFCC’s winter term. If you need some tutorial assistance to maintain that existing 4.00 grade point average, stop by the Assisted Learning Services Office in LRC 125, or call 313-845-9617, for more information. Peer tutors provide assistance in subjects where there is a strong demand, such as biology, chemistry, physics, math, medical terminology, and foreign languages (French this semester). Professional tutors, who generally have experience and advanced degrees in a specific career, tutor in programs such as architectural construction, drafting, pharmacy technology, physical therapy assistant, surgery technology, and nursing. All tutoring is free of charge and often available at a variety of times throughout the week. Pick up a schedule from our office today to help you manage those homework assignments and exams!

The Assisted Learning Services Office also coordinates accommodations for students with disabilities. If you have received support services in the past, or if you feel you might qualify, please contact us at the number listed above. Although we do not test for disabilities in our office, we will provide you with referral agencies that will evaluate you.

If you submit documentation of a disability to our office you will be interviewed to determine appropriate accommodations. Some of these supports include: extended time on tests, reader or writer for tests, enlarged text, and use of a computer with text magnification and voice synthesis. Additionally, we may order books on CD or other electronic format, hire interpreters for the hearing impaired, request classroom note takers, and assist with adaptive equipment. As a licensed professional counselor, I also provide academic advising, career guidance, and personal counseling.

Best wishes for a successful winter term.
Maureen Webster, Ph.D.
Counselor in Assisted Learning Services

February 4, 2010 - Stop Beating Yourself Up With Test Anxiety

So often students experience test anxiety and they feel hurt as a result of not being able to perform up to their potential. It is no fun to put forth lots of effort into a class, and then have very little to show for it as a result of taking a test.

Test anxiety is an emotional disorder that impacts a student’s ability to perform. Often time students think the solution is to study longer and harder and the anxiety will go away. All too often that is not the case. In fact, by studying longer and harder it is just drawing attention to the fact that you “aren’t getting it,” when in fact you are. You just haven’t found a way to show off what you know on a test.

Students need to look forward to taking a test, but few do. This negativity works against a student’s mental and emotional approach to a test. A student needs to be able to show what one has learned in a class, and usually this comes in the form of taking a test. If a student is fearful of doing this and doesn’t trust one’s judgment, then anxiety sets in and interferes with the test performance.

Stop Test Anxiety Seminars have been sponsored by the Counseling Department since 1992 under the direction of John Carroll a licensed professional counselor and hypnotherapist. He uses hypnosis with students to neutralize the anxiety they feel while in class, studying, and taking tests. Over the years, HFCC students have benefited greatly from this program allowing them to lower their anxiety so that they can pass their classes, NET tests, licensing board exams, and improve their reading, writing, and math skills.

The next time the Stop Test Anxiety Seminars will be held is during the month of April. Stop in the Counseling Office to sign up for these free seminars or contact John Carroll at johnc@hfcc.edu.

January 25, 2010 - Henry Ford Community College has reached an all time high student enrollment of nearly 18,600 students. We are absolutely thrilled that you have decided to pursue your educational studies at HFCC!!

As you settle into your classes and your weekly routine please be reminded that the University Transfer, Advising and Career Counseling Center staff and counselors are available to assist and support your educational pursuits. Counselors are available to help you in selecting a program of study that is consistent with your interests, abilities, and skills. Come to the Career Resources Center in the Counseling Office where you may talk with a counselor, take career development assessments and tests, and engage our computer guidance programs; MOIS and Discover. You may also meet with a counselor for the purpose of identifying appropriate courses for your program of study or map out requirements necessary to transfer to a four-year college or university. Our office helps students to identify other resources available at the college or make appropriate referrals when necessary or appropriate.

Our office also provides personal counseling and referral services. Students experiencing stress, anxiety, or other personal and/or social concerns may contact the office to make an appointment with one of our licensed professional counselors. All appointments are met in private offices where safety and confidentiality are observed.

Please contact the Counseling Office at 313-845-9612 if you would like to make an appointment with one of our counselors. We are here to support your persistence and academic success.

November 19, 2009 - University Transfer, Advising and Career Counseling Office Offers a Variety of Services

I am sure you are aware of how quickly we are approaching the end of the Fall semester. Now is the time for you to evaluate the progress that you have made and are continuing to make toward academic, career, and personal goals. As you conduct a self evaluation, you may find that you would benefit from the services and course offerings of the Counseling Office here at Henry Ford Community College. Many students have already enrolled for the Winter 2010 semester. It is important that you register early so you can enroll in your required classes for your selected program and obtain your desired time schedule. A Counselor can discuss and suggest a realistic course load and how to balance the amount of credits with your life style. Career guidance is a service that is provided by our office. You can schedule an appointment to discuss your career goals and aspirations or you can visit the Career Resource Center where you can use our computerized career assessment tools and /or complete an interest inventory. We also offer a variety of student development classes to assist you. You will find a complete listing of our offerings listed in the schedule book under Counseling. Career Exploration (COUN 120) and Life Work Planning (COUN 125) will assist undecided students with career focus. We also offer the Human Potential Seminar (Coun 110) which focuses on increasing greater usage of your positive human potential and Stress Management (Coun 114) provides a supportive group setting to develop more effective coping strategies for managing stress. Our College Success Class (COLL 101) is an excellent course to assist you with navigating the college environment and help you improve your study skills. Our goal is to support your positive growth at Henry Ford Comunity College. Please contact us if you need assistance with your career development, course selections, or any other student development issue so we can work on a positive goal plan for a successfull Winter (2010) semester.

Sincerely,
Gwendolyn Pringle, Ph.D.
Counselor

November 13, 2009 - Career Exploration and Life Work Planning Courses

The right career will enhance your life. It is personally fulfilling because it nourishes the most important aspects of your personality. It will suit the way you like to do things and reflects who you are. Therefore spending the necessary time to find out about what makes you tick, should be your priority as a student.

To begin your research, it is important for you to have a list of what interest you in the world of work. However, what interest you may not parallel your skills, values, or personality. Hence, an adequate career research must include all of those components: interest(s), work and personal values, skills level, and personality.

The counseling department at Henry Ford Community College offers a variety of courses that can assist in your career search. The following courses are currently offered only during the fall and winter semesters:

COUN 120 (Career Exploration) 1 credit hour.

COUN 125 (Life Work Planning) 3 credit hours.

These two courses are typically offered both in classroom and on line to meet the needs of all students. In addition to course offerings, the Counseling department offers Career seminars every fall and winter semester to assist undecided students. The seminars are free of charge and open to all students. Last but not the least, the Counseling department has a Career Resources Center Located in the Counseling office and open to student Monday to Thursday 10:00am to 2:00 pm, and on Tuesday and Wednesday only from 5:00pm to 6:30 pm.

We hope that HFCC students take advantage of all the services that the Counseling department offers, a real life time investment.

Best,
Imad Nouri M.S.L.P.C
Counseling

October 5, 2009 - Tutoring Assistance and Assisted Learning Services

By the time you read this, you are having midterms and completing your last eight weeks of HFCC’s fall term. If you need some tutorial assistance to maintain that existing 4.00 grade point average, stop by the Assisted Learning Services Office in LRC 125, or call (313) 845-9617, for more information.

Peer tutors provide assistance in subjects where there is a strong demand, such as biology, chemistry, physics, math, psychology and foreign languages (French this semester). Professional tutors, who generally have experience and advanced degrees in a specific career, tutor in programs such as architectural construction, drafting, pharmacy technology, physical therapy assistant, surgery technology, and nursing. All tutoring is free of charge and often available at a variety of times throughout the week. Pick up a schedule from our office today to help you manage those homework assignments and exams!

Students who submit documentation of a disability to our office will be interviewed to determine appropriate accommodations. Some of these supports include: extended time on tests, reader or writer for tests, enlarged text, and use of a computer with text magnification and voice synthesis. Additionally, we may order books on CD or other electronic format, hire interpreters for the hearing impaired, request classroom note takers, and assist with adaptive equipment. As a licensed professional counselor, I also provide academic advising, career guidance, and personal counseling.

Best wishes for a successful fall term.
Maureen Webster, Ph.D., Counselor in Assisted Learning Services

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