The Counseling Services team was happy to offer a variety of events during De-Stress Fest, May 7-11, to provide students with the self-care they so deserve. We also appreciated how students reached out to their peers via social media to make sure they attended events and took care of each other. It showed the true strength of the NEOMED community.
Here’s how the week went:
Approximately 35 students received massages, Monday, May 7. We had four massage therapists, so we were able to provide massages for many students and the wait was extremely short. The therapists also commented how much they appreciated the grateful attitudes the students had for their services!
Over 100 students stopped by for a quick puppy pet and/or to utilize the bubbles, acupressure rings, or coloring sheets and puzzles that were in the area outside the Watanakunakorn Auditorium, Tuesday, May 8. This was a great event as multiple classes united for the love of dogs! Faculty and staff also engaged with the students, which helped create a wonderful sense of community.
The VRev Virtual Revolution session was sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Wednesday, May 9, and students used all three hours—that’s a lot of virtual reality. The experiences varied from going “inside” the human body to exploring a haunted house. Students were able to watch their peers’ experiences as well as complete one themselves, so it had something for every level of participation.
We passed out over seven dozen cookies, Thursday, May 10! Most students were very creative with their frosting and sprinkle designs, while some others chose to eat their cookies plain. We appreciated the help we had from students on the NEOMED Wellness Committee.
Our Student2Student grab bags were a HUGE hit, Friday, May 11! We worked with students from the NEOMED Wellness Committee again to pass out 250 bags, each containing a squishy stress toy, candy, mindful coloring sheets, markers and an amazing coupon, courtesy of Erie Island Coffee. Students were also encouraged to decorate a card with an encouraging phrase to hand out to a peer during these last weeks of the semester.
--Stephanie Orwick, assistant director of Counseling Services, contributed this report.