Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Happy Sunday, y'. All. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And my friend, this is our last episode of 2025. We are in December.
[00:00:22] Speaker C: It's hard to believe.
[00:00:23] Speaker B: It really is.
[00:00:24] Speaker C: I mean, it's been long, but then it's also flown by.
[00:00:30] Speaker B: I agree. And you know, and I think what's, what's been great about this fall in particular is we've had such a great lineup of guests, you know, and clearly since this is our last episode of the fall, like, we gotta, we gotta go out with a banger, right?
[00:00:45] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. I have learned so much from our guests this fall and I hope our listeners have too. But it has just been, it's been a pleasure for me, you know, to co host along with you, but also to learn so much about all our campus partners.
It's just been. I just, I don't know, I just feel like I am so enlightened.
[00:01:05] Speaker B: I agree. And you know, and I will say so if you are a long term listener of our show, you know that in this first five minutes, we kind of just go all over the place. And so, Nika, this will not be the, you know, this. There will be no difference here too. So right now in my purse, as I was waiting on us to get started with the show earlier, I was making some flashcards because, you know, I'm preparing my first grader for a little first grade spelling bee. And I just, I have to know, did you have as much stress about spelling words when you were younger as I did?
Were you a spelling bee kind of person?
[00:01:43] Speaker C: Yes, I'm a words person. I'm not a math person, so.
And it's easier for me to write it out than to imagine it in my head. Yes.
I think I would do well if I could do a spelling bee and like write it and then put it up on a board, like a dry erase board.
[00:02:00] Speaker B: Do you remember now, did you watch much of the script spelling bee on television growing up?
[00:02:05] Speaker C: No. I mean, I've seen clips and stuff, but it's.
I absorb the stress. Yeah. It's stressful.
[00:02:12] Speaker B: Yes. Well, there was this girl. I don't know if it was in the 90s or early 2000s. It was this girl named Rebecca. I can't remember her last name, but it was, I mean, she was iconic because she would like whisper the word to herself and then like write it on her hand and then like re. Whisper it. Like she had this like this method in this formula, and she won the whole thing.
And so I've always been really fascinated by it. But as I was looking at these first grade spelling bee words, and then, you know, they include second and third grade, I'm like, these are not normal words. Like, these are clearly spelling bee words that are meant to, you know, kind of throw you off.
[00:02:53] Speaker C: Right. Well, T. What's interesting is in the month of November, public health had a public health medical terminology spelling bee.
[00:03:04] Speaker B: Really?
[00:03:04] Speaker C: And you want to talk about some hard words.
I'm like, you know, anaphylaxis and quaaludes. And I mean, it was.
And they were popping them off, man. I mean, they were not missing a beat.
[00:03:23] Speaker B: Now, where did this take place? Was this streaming? Was this on?
[00:03:27] Speaker C: Was in person.
Our Eta Sigma Gamma, which is our honor society Head on, raised money, and it was in Lloyd hall, so anyone could sign up. We had a lot of, like, pre med students, but we had people who were not in going into the health field.
[00:03:44] Speaker B: Well, hot dog, man.
[00:03:45] Speaker C: I know, right?
[00:03:46] Speaker B: Will you please tell me the next time it happens? Because I feel like I've got to watch.
[00:03:50] Speaker C: I know. I mean, it was pretty impressive.
One of our students, I think, actually won it, but I think she was neck and neck with a computer science.
But he knew his.
He knew his medical terminology. Yeah.
[00:04:03] Speaker B: Were they asking, like, origins? Like, is this a Greek origin? Is this Latin?
[00:04:07] Speaker C: You know?
[00:04:07] Speaker B: Can you tell me the, like, all the things they asked?
[00:04:10] Speaker C: Well, I am not sure because I did not get to attend.
It was on a weeknight. So I had my. You know, my kids, we were doing. I was doing the mom things. But my colleagues ask me, though, for some words to throw in there, to kind of throw them off, because I teach, you know, some medical terminology, and I was like, I can tell you the definition, but I don't. I. I need my little handy spell check on word to help me spell some of this. But they didn't. They were rocking and rolling.
[00:04:43] Speaker B: Okay, well, that, you know, and.
And again, I'm just fascinated. But I'm gonna stop us there because I know, again, you know, every show we kind of go into this. This weird thing in the first five minutes. And you guys, thankfully, we are not talking about spelling B words the rest of the show. We have two fabulous guests. Not just one, but two. But we have to take a quick break. Please go hydrate yourselves. Run to the restroom. Do what you gotta do. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:05:18] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:05:27] Speaker C: Happy Sunday, y'.
[00:05:28] Speaker B: All.
[00:05:28] Speaker C: Thank you for listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7 the Capstone.
[00:05:32] Speaker B: That's right. And if you are just now joining us, that's actually probably a good thing because, you know, we waste a lot of time in the first five minutes and thankfully now we are going to be introducing our guests. So as we mentioned earlier, this is our last episode of the semester and the last episode of 2020, so we had to finish things off with a hit. And so we are very excited to have our guest, Dr. Greg Vanderwald. Sorry I had to be dramatic with that. Executive director of UA Counseling Center. And also Cody Wager, UA psychology intern. You guys, thank you for being on the show today.
[00:06:09] Speaker D: Thank you so much for having us here.
[00:06:11] Speaker A: Yeah. Excited to be here.
[00:06:12] Speaker B: Absolutely. So, you know, Nika and I, in this first 10 minute segment, we're always just really curious about our guests. You know, we're asking you all the details of your life. We leave it to our guests about how much they want to disclose with themselves, but we try to keep IT professional. So, Dr. Vanderwaal, Greg, we will start off with you. Tell us a little bit about your background and what led to your role as director of the counseling center.
[00:06:38] Speaker A: Sure.
So I am a clinical psychologist. I got my degree here at the University of Alabama and I have been working at the counseling center pretty much since I graduated.
Started as a staff psychologist here and really in that work came to love. It came to realize that this is where I wanted to make my career. And so I've had opportunities to serve in roles as assistant director at the center and now the executive director for the last 6ish years.
Yeah.
[00:07:12] Speaker B: Where was your initial interest in mental health?
[00:07:16] Speaker A: Yeah, great question. So it was very broad. I knew in college that I wanted to be a therapist, and I really didn't know the difference between psychologist and therapist. And so I went into psychology and the degree I got was one that kept my options open. I knew I could do research and assessment and therapy. But through all of my training, it really my interest in therapy kind of won out. I initially thought I wanted to be in the VA system and work with veterans. I have a lot of interest in health psychology, sleep trauma and impact of trauma.
But I did a practicum placement at the counseling center when I was in graduate school here and just loved working with college students, loved meeting them where they are in kind of this developmental place of separating from their family. Figuring out who they are, what they want to be, where they want to go, and realizing that that's a place where a lot can happen, a lot of change can happen, a lot of stress and distress can happen. And just really fell in love with working on those types of things. And so that really focused my interest when I had the opportunity to come work at the center here.
[00:08:36] Speaker B: Very nice.
[00:08:37] Speaker C: I love it. So, Cody, tell us a little bit about your role as intern and how you got interested in this career.
[00:08:47] Speaker D: Yeah, so I learned very early on that I was not, for spelling, misspelled the word goalie in second grade, and that was it for that. So I had to turn my attention somewhere else. And throughout my. Actually, I was an athlete throughout college, and I really found psychology to be really interesting because it helped me be purposeful when it came to performing as an athlete. And I just kept diving into psychology more and more. And I initially got my master's in sports psychology at Florida State and then continued on, recognized that I wasn't able to help people quite the way that I want to, and continued to the doctoral degree. And right now I'm about five years into that training. And recognizing it, it's like, really beneficial for me. It's really rewarding being able to work with, like Greg said, this. This population of people that are really susceptible to a lot of change in their life and being able to be a prominent role or to help facilitate some change. And I think that that's been, like, really quite rewarding within that.
And you asked me a second question, and I can't remember the second question.
[00:09:56] Speaker C: No, you're good. Before I ask you, what was your sport?
[00:09:58] Speaker D: I was a baseball player.
[00:09:59] Speaker C: Oh, okay. Very cool. So, yeah, lots of, from what I understand in baseball, lots of like, mental. I mean, every sports mental, but like a lot of, like, superstition and gotta do your, you know, you gotta do everything the right way, put your socks on the right way.
[00:10:16] Speaker D: And absolutely, I had teammates that, like, had to eat the same thing for breakfast every morning, all that kind of thing.
[00:10:22] Speaker C: So you can really get in your head.
[00:10:23] Speaker D: It can really get in your head. So I decided to shift more towards actual psychology rather than superstition.
So I do find that bit rewarding. I wasn't the most talented player, but I took what I could because of the mental side and what I learned from that. And so I still enjoy working with athletics at this point within sports psychology. And that's something that's always rewarding for me because I want to ensure that people that have the skills, the tools available at them that they could utilize in order to achieve what they want to achieve. And that extends to the great student population as well.
[00:10:58] Speaker C: Right. So the second question is, did you kind of rephrase it a little bit too?
Did you know when you went into college, like, this is the career I want to do.
[00:11:09] Speaker D: So funny enough, actually, when I was in, I did two years at a junior college and then transferred to a Division 1 school. And at that time, I had more credits transferred to a psychology degree than a business degree, which is what my associates was in.
And I was like, oh, well, I like psychology. Let's give it a shot.
[00:11:26] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:11:26] Speaker C: It's like.
[00:11:29] Speaker D: It'S only a major decision in my life, like, whatever.
[00:11:32] Speaker C: Well, we love to hear these stories from our guests, because more times than none, it was something they kind of stumbled into or just kind of discovered by accident, and they were like, this is what I'm supposed to do, certainly.
[00:11:49] Speaker D: And I think, like a lot of athletes that get to the point where I had this in my mind, I only wanted to be a baseball player. What's. I don't need a backup plan or a career.
[00:11:59] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:12:00] Speaker D: I'm just gonna do this. Yeah. And so being lucky enough to stumble upon something that I was just as passionate about was very exciting for me and then continue to have the opportunities that I've been able to have throughout this journey has been amazing, and I really enjoyed my time here at UA as well.
[00:12:17] Speaker B: That's awesome. And, you know, Cody, I know that you've clearly had exposure to mental health in the higher ed space, but since you've been here at UA and in your internship, have there been any aha moments or even just newer revelations that you've had about the field of mental health within the college age population while you've been in your internship?
[00:12:39] Speaker D: I think something that really helped change the way that I view our position as a counselor is the developmental model that we utilize at the counseling center, which really just normalizes a lot of mental health struggles. Throughout the lifetime of a college student, it's to be expected that some levels of anxiety and depression arise. There are social challenges that you are coming across, academic pressures that are nuanced.
So normalizing that experience has really changed the way that I view it. I think I came from a very diagnostic treat model. So, like, this is the diagnosis, and therefore, we treat you this way.
And I think this developmental model has helped me shift more to meet the needs of a student more comprehensively. We are working with a person rather Than a diagnosis?
[00:13:23] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. I think, you know, and Greg, correct me if I'm wrong, I feel like you were about to. Were you about to add something in there, or did you just seem very interested?
[00:13:31] Speaker A: No, I was agreeing with everything that was.
[00:13:33] Speaker B: Yeah, I was like, Greg is like, yes, yes. Well, and I think, you know, I think that's what is really beautiful about the. The work that we are able to do in the div. Of student life in tandem with our faculty in academic affairs. When we think about all of the different ways that we're getting to have a hand in a student's life and their development overall. Because I think that we forget that there's still a lot of key developmental things that are happening during this season of life for them. And so the fact that we do have a counseling center available on campus is incredible. And just the amount of services that we have, I want to get more into that, but I know that we've got to take a quick break.
So while we do that, y' all run to the restroom, grab something to drink. Do what you gotta do. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:14:31] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:14:41] Speaker C: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capstone. And this is our last show of the season, and we are joined by two wonderful guests. Dr. Greg Vanderwaal, who is the executive director at UA's Counseling center, and the UA psychology intern, Cody Wager.
[00:14:59] Speaker B: That's right. And before the break, we learned a lot about Greg and Cody. You know, what got them interested in the field of mental health and especially mental health within the high ed setting. But now we kind of want to turn our focus on the UA Counseling Center. So, Dr. VanderWaal, can you tell us what services does the counseling center provide for students?
[00:15:22] Speaker A: So, primarily what we offer are counseling services to students. We can work with a student individually in group setting.
Students can come see us for ongoing therapy or if they're interested in just kind of a single session, check in with a counselor. They can take advantage of that.
In addition to that, if a student's ever experiencing a mental health crisis, they can walk in or call. We have after hours on call counselors.
We want students to know more than anything if they're experiencing a crisis. The counseling center is a safe place to go and a place to go to get help.
In addition to that, if a student's concerned about somebody else One of their friends, they can call us. We'd be happy to talk through what's going on, make some recommendations for getting help, and then we help. Well, we do a lot of education on campus, a lot of outreach, a lot of prevention education.
We have an advisory board for our suicide prevention programs. Student tied against suicide. So there's ways students can get involved if they're interested in advocating for mental health awareness on campus and things like that.
[00:16:31] Speaker C: Okay, can you talk a little bit more about the embedded therapist? Because my college is the College of human Environmental Sciences, and we have an embedded therapist.
[00:16:44] Speaker A: So this is a newer program that we've been able to offer.
We're in the second full year of that, and we have embedded therapists in six of our colleges. So these are therapists. They're located specifically within those colleges.
So a different access point for students, additional access and higher visibility.
And they're providing similar services to what we do at the main center. They're meeting with students one on one. They're offering group workshops and things like that. But we really are incredibly grateful for the partnerships we've been able to build here. We've gotten to know so many of our colleagues and faculty and staff in the educational colleges here.
It's helped, I think, increase awareness of services. It's helped, and maybe most importantly, it's helped with our mission to normalize the discussion around mental health and recognizing that this is something we don't have to tuck away or talk about only behind our hands, but it's something that we can talk about out in the open and encourage everyone to pay attention to and to reach out and seek help if they need it.
[00:17:57] Speaker B: You know, and I'm curious, too, if when students come in for that first appointment or that screening appointment, are they typically asked how they heard about the counseling center? Because I'm wondering, you know, do students take it as far back as like, oh, I remember hearing about it at Bama Bound, or, you know, it was word of mouth or it was a referral. So what?
Is there an overwhelming number of responses that are consistent on that question?
[00:18:25] Speaker A: Good question. And we do ask about it, and what we find is there's a huge array of what people point to as the reason they came. But I think if you lump it all together, the biggest referral source is people in their lives that know about these resources that help about it. And so that is a huge part of our educational efforts on campus, is just to build awareness. So not just for your own self, if you need it, but if you know somebody else around you who might benefit from that?
[00:18:56] Speaker B: Absolutely. No, I appreciate you sharing that because I think that, you know, if anything I, I do want that to empower our listeners who are hearing about these services and to feel comfortable sharing those resources. So I think the fact that, that our UA community can partner with the counseling center and that awareness is always going to be a huge thing.
[00:19:17] Speaker C: You know, we have a blurb that we will put in our syllabi but I go even more because I mean I think y' all are fantastic. And so I have this whole area about how to contact you, where you are and then on my, my class blackboard, I mean I'm in public health but I put links to all of the resources on campus. Like so it's just a one stop shop where they just click and there's you guys. There's student care. Well being uapd, but I've had a lot of students come into my just this semester wanting to know what to do and I'm like, hey, let's go over to Dallster and see the embedded therapist. That's your first step. And they'll come back and tell me thank you so much. They've got me now an appointment. Yeah, it's like it, it, it's kind of like not holding your hand but just grab, come alongside you and holding your hand and helping you make that next step, not be so scared.
[00:20:16] Speaker A: And that's so good to hear because really we all have a role to play in creating a caring and compassionate campus community. One that supports everybody and that's the role that anybody can play is being aware of what we have and being willing to look and see in those that are within their sphere. Like is somebody struggling? Can we talk about it? Can I encourage.
That's great.
[00:20:40] Speaker B: And when it comes to cost because you know, because I'm sure for any listener or anyone who would be perusing your website or just hear about the services, it's like, well, how much is this going to cost me? Because I feel like that that's always a factor in a barrier for students. You know, either perceived cost or the actual cost. So what does that, what does that look like for students, Greg?
[00:21:00] Speaker A: Yeah, so we do.
There is a cost associated to individual counseling. So if a student comes to us, goes through our screening process and established as an individual counseling client, those counseling sessions are $15.
It's billed to the student account.
That cost is less co pays.
It's relatively affordable for most of our students.
All other services.
So those single session appointments I Talked about group services, outreach, crisis. All of that is free of charge to students.
And we do not want that $15 to be a barrier. So we encourage anybody who is interested in our services, may benefit from them, but is concerned about that, to bring that up, up when they come in for their screening. Because we have processes in place that we can certainly work with students to make sure that that's not getting in the way of them getting the, the, the help they need.
[00:21:57] Speaker C: Sure, yeah. So for our students out there who maybe their parents have, you know, they've signed a FERPA so their parents can see their student bill and can see charges, it's just kind of a generic charge, isn't it? Like they can, if they, if they're not ready to, you know, kind of, of talk about that with their family, they won't see that, oh, this was for counseling. It was just a kind of a generic charge, correct?
[00:22:23] Speaker A: Yeah. There's no, nothing that's put on the student bill that identifies the counseling center.
So it is generic, it is protected that way. However, we do have students who do have that concern, and if that's part of your concern, bring that up as well.
Happy to talk through some options with you.
[00:22:39] Speaker C: Just get rid of some of those barriers or perceived barriers like that.
[00:22:43] Speaker B: Absolutely. And now this next question is for both of you guys. What type of issues do students most commonly seek help for? And you know, whether, you know, this semester is a wild card or if this semester is as consistent with others, or does it kind of just run the gamut?
[00:22:59] Speaker D: I know I could speak for this semester at least. I know frequently what I see is academic distress, oftentimes coming in, meeting more rigorous demands than they've ever had in their life before.
Certainly some roommate difficulties is certainly something that comes up.
Social difficulties in general.
Bottom line is, a lot of times college is like a very different environment, a very. It takes an adjustment period. And sometimes that adjustment is quite stressful for a lot of students. And I'd say like the number one thing that I see people coming in for is help with that adjustment period, not quite understanding where to go, what to do, how to think about a situation. And so being able to help those process or those students in those moments, I think is one of the most common things that I've seen.
[00:23:43] Speaker B: Yeah, Joy.
[00:23:46] Speaker A: A lot of that can be summed up in just stress and stress management.
And we do work with a lot of students on building coping skills, building resiliency in managing day to day life.
That being said, far and away the Top presenting concern is anxiety for our students. And that's been a shift over the last last seven, eight years. It used to be the number one was depression, and that's still up there. But anxiety has outpaced it to where, even if it's not the primary reason students are coming in. I'd say about three out of four of our students are identifying anxiety as part of their picture.
And that can. Anxiety is a very broad term and so that can affect different students in different ways. But that is a very common, common concern.
[00:24:40] Speaker C: I'm learning so much well, and I.
[00:24:42] Speaker B: Know we will have to take a break, but I have one last question just related to what you shared, Greg. Do you find that a lot of the work that your team does is really helping a student discern between what we would consider normal everyday stress and then stress that needs a little bit more clinical management or long term therapeutic services? You know, where I, and I don't know, I don't want to stereotype this generation in terms of being like, oh, you know, we're just having to help them rebuild that resiliency of what everyday stress looks like and what those normal coping skills should be.
[00:25:23] Speaker A: Yeah, it does. And it runs a spectrum. Right. Most of our diagnosable mental illnesses are a collection of symptoms that most of us have had experience with at some point in time. They just are happening in a way and at a time and in a severity where it impacts your ability to function, that we put a diagnostic label on that. And so you may have students that have severe distress that could be clinically relevant, but it may not meet a diagnosis and it may fluctuate. That's another thing that's really common for our students is that something this week that could be extremely impactful, next week is not so much and they feel better. So some of it is helping students learn that they have the skills to manage some of these things, to realize that they are capable of dealing with distress or making difficult choices in the face of some hard things. And so, yes, in that way, we do a lot with students to help them discern what might be manageable on their own, what they might need help for.
And that's why I often lead off with students to say, if it's impacting your ability to be the student you want, want to be, it's a good reason to come talk to somebody. You might not need ongoing therapy, but we could start talking about things that might help. And even if it's just one time, 30 minutes, you talk to a therapist about some Specific questions. It could be beneficial to help you get back out there and be the student you want to be.
[00:26:52] Speaker B: I love the way that you articulated that because to me, you know, that takes the pressure off and then also any preconceived notions. I definitely want us to continue these conversations. But you guys, we've got to take a quick break. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:27:12] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:27:21] Speaker C: Welcome back, listeners.
[00:27:22] Speaker B: You are listening to Fit to be.
[00:27:23] Speaker C: Tied with Shana and Nika on 90.7 the Capstone.
[00:27:27] Speaker B: That's right. And today we have had two fabulous guests from UA Counseling Center. Dr. Greg Vanderwaal, executive director for UA Counseling Center center, and Cody Wager, UA psychology intern. And we have had some great conversation today.
Earlier on, you know, we talked about the types of issues that students commonly seek help for. But when we think about college and higher ed as a whole, this is along the same vein. But are there some.
What are some of the biggest mental health challenges within this population as a whole?
[00:28:00] Speaker A: Good question.
I think some things that stand out to me in this day and age are just the shifting socio political factors that exist. Right. The questions about what is next for me, what is my degree going to lead to with rising costs of education and other things, you know, there just seems to be a little bit more uncertainty around all of that. And that creates kind of an underlying just general stress that students bring to the table. And so I think managing that, on top of all the other things we've talked about, relationships and separating from family and figuring out your own direction, what you believe in and whether that's the same thing you always were taught to believe in, that can just create kind of a soup of stress for students. So I think that's a big thing.
[00:28:59] Speaker C: Um, certainly I was gonna ask, you know, back in our day, Sheena, that's where, you know, dinosaurs, of course. No, I remember being stressed about the adjustment to college, separating from family, and then stressing about, what do I, what do I want to do in life? Is this what I want to do? And then as soon as I got over that hump, it was, how am I going to find a job? On to the next, onto the next, and it just kept adulting.
It never stopped.
[00:29:28] Speaker D: Yeah, that's a great point. There's always going to be another mountain to climb.
[00:29:31] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:29:32] Speaker D: So I think a lot of times it's about shifting that mindset into like, what are we doing in order to Enjoy the current mountain we're climbing, so to say. Right. Because there is always going to be the, the next challenge that you face. But increasing, like, well, being throughout your life, I think is oftentimes a priority. Like, yes, we are struggling to make sure that we are, or maintaining that 4.0 GPA, which I hear a lot.
But also what are we doing to take care of ourselves, to explore who we are at this time of our life?
[00:30:03] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:30:04] Speaker A: So much of it's about putting things into the proper perspective and realizing that we're not running a race to like, we get to the end and we're like, okay, finally, no more work, no more stress. We made it. But life is about challenges and the next step and we build skills along the way. We're not starting from scratch with each new challenge. And how do we, we build our confidence in our skills there? How do we bring in a balance and ways to take care of ourselves so that we can enjoy the life we're living, not feel like we're always moving through life to get to the part that we can enjoy.
[00:30:40] Speaker C: Yeah, just kind of surviving.
[00:30:41] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:30:42] Speaker B: Well, and I'm curious too, if your team typically helps students in session with how they talk about their mental health with their family members. Because, you know, when I, when I think about the generations that are represented on this earth and, you know, in a student potentially having parents, that, you know, mental health was not as normalized as it is now. You know, feeling comfortable talking about that and feeling like in order for them to really flourish and what they're doing for their own mental health care, they want to be able to have those open conversations with their family, but they're not sure how to do so. Do you feel like that can often be part of session time as well?
[00:31:27] Speaker D: Well, yeah, I definitely think so. Like you had mentioned, there's various different approaches and levels of acceptance towards mental health struggles.
I think it's oftentimes something to reflect on that. This generation of students has been through a pretty life altering global pandemic at some developmental times. That was pretty key for them. And so we saw depression and anxiety levels that have never reached that high. And so, so normalizing, at least having those discussions about it is oftentimes like what we've always looked to talk about, because it is occurring, it is happening. Whether you want to talk about it or not. It is there.
[00:32:09] Speaker A: And a lot of it is about finding a way to speak the same language. Right.
These are not new problems. These are things that previous generations have struggled with. They made A different language for it or different solutions for it that helped or didn't help. Right. And we've learned a lot more over the last 50 years about mental health and how that impacts. And sometimes it is just helping a student talk about and describe their experiences in a way that other people can understand.
[00:32:37] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:32:37] Speaker C: Yeah.
What are some of the misconceptions that you have encountered with students about what they think about what counseling or therapy is?
[00:32:49] Speaker D: That's a great question. I think two answers come to mind for me. One is that the therapist is there to be a life coach and tell you what to do. Right. Oftentimes I think I get a lot of questions like, well, what do you think I should do? I'm like, well, I'm not going to answer that. Let's think about this question together, and let's come to a decision that you think about.
And the other one is that therapy can oftentimes be a quick fix.
I think that that misconception is fairly common. While I. I had one session, like, why don't I feel better? Like, it's definitely one of those things that takes a little bit of time. But by far and large, like, having the courage to seek out that first session is the most important piece of you actually being able to get yourself to a better place. Because we talked about the overall language about mental health, and I think emphasizing that vulnerability is strength is oftentimes one of the more difficult things that people come to accept. And reaching out, saying, I'm at my limit. I think I need some help with this.
I think that's very courageous. And oftentimes that that helps open the door towards those conversations.
[00:33:55] Speaker A: Yeah. We often say that, you know, knowing when you need help and how to ask for help is a strength. Not in that if you don't ask for help, it's a weakness, but in that it's a. It's a learned skill.
[00:34:07] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:34:08] Speaker C: Right.
[00:34:09] Speaker A: And it takes practice. It's hard to ask for help. The more you do that, the easier that gets.
[00:34:14] Speaker C: Right.
[00:34:14] Speaker A: And I'll echo what Cody said, too, just about the misconceptions about what therapy is. It's not a quick fix. It's not a come in and you're going to cure me of this. It's a lot of hard work. And the hard work is what you, as the student, the client is putting into that.
[00:34:32] Speaker C: I love that you say that because, you know, in the world you hear, like, in TV movies, my therapist and I, what we've been working on, I've been working on this and the word work is in there.
[00:34:45] Speaker D: And oftentimes what people don't realize is the work is often done outside the therapy room.
We see for an hour a week. You know, there's a lot of other hours outside of that time to be. To be also working on some of these things.
[00:34:56] Speaker B: Yeah, well, and I know, you know, Greg, I was going to ask you and Cody what advice you'd give a student who feels overwhelmed but isn't sure if they need counseling. But I feel like you articulated that so beautifully in our previous segment where. Where it's like, hey, if this is something that is affecting the student that you want to be, let's talk about it. It doesn't have to be this, you know, a long term therapeutic scenario, but just a conversation to really kind of tease out those things. I feel like that was incredible. And, you know, as we think about this theme of stress and anxiety that our students experience, what practical strategies would you recommend for students when it comes to stress and anxiety that could be shared on a platform like this?
[00:35:45] Speaker A: Good question.
So there's a lot of things, I think, big picture when we're talking about stress and anxiety. So often we want the solution just to make it go away before we go on with our lives. So we stop things or we avoid them until we feel better. And then we're like, okay, now I can get back to my life. But so much about dealing with stress and anxiety is actually facing those things that are making you anxious and getting you stressed.
And I think one really helpful tool is to ask yourself the question is, what am I stressed about? Is this something I have some control over? And if it is, what's one step I can take towards resolving that? And if it's not something that I have control over, what is one shift in my perspective I can make that can help me take steps towards something I can control and manage.
That little kind of reset stop. And asking yourself those few questions can sometimes be really helpful to just get you moving again towards those things that, yes, are hard, but you can do those things, right?
[00:36:50] Speaker D: Yeah. And taking that first step is often, like we've talked about, it could be the most difficult, but I think it shows progress towards the overall bigger picture. Little by little, a little becomes a lot. And I think another thing that I would add, add is just being able to give yourself some grace throughout this time.
Oftentimes, I think I see students that are only fixated on the things that are struggling, that they're not quite achieving where they want to be, but refusing to look at the progress that they have made.
And so allowing yourself to be proud of the work that you put forward, I think is overall big picture, something that I would recommend shifting our focus towards.
[00:37:32] Speaker A: And one last thing I will say is a big part of why counseling or therapy can be helpful is because you're actually talking about these things out loud with somebody else.
Sometimes just getting it out of your head and out into the open can be so powerful. And so it does not have to be a therapist. It can be a friend. It can be a family person. But I'm sure everybody listening has had an experience where they've talked through something with somebody else, and on the other side of that, they felt better because they had a different perspective. And so that's. If you're dealing with all this in your head, get it out.
[00:38:04] Speaker C: I get it out. Yes. I had someone one time tell me that what you refuse to talk about owns you. But if you get it out there, you take ownership of it.
[00:38:16] Speaker A: I love that.
[00:38:17] Speaker D: Most definitely. And I think another piece to add on to that is oftentimes we think that this person. I don't want to burden them by talking about this.
And one of the most common responses that I often say was, has that person ever opened up to you? And oftentimes they say, yes, I have had that person open up and say, well, did that change how you viewed them?
No, definitely not.
[00:38:40] Speaker C: Right? Yeah.
[00:38:41] Speaker D: So I think oftentimes people fall into this misbelief that like, my problems nobody wants to hear about. But that's not true.
[00:38:49] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:38:50] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, you know, and Kody, I really appreciate what you mentioned about giving ourselves grace, because I think that in if someone that we cared about was going through the exact same thing that we were going through, we would tell them what an incredible job that they're making with that progress. Yet we don't.
We hold ourselves to a completely different standard when it's ourselves. So I feel like that is always interesting. And you guys, there are so many more questions that I want to ask. We have to take a quick break, but we're hoping you guys will stick with us in our last five minutes so that we can ask you guys a couple more things, maybe add in a fun question in there, and we'll go from there. But you guys, you are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:39:38] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:39:47] Speaker C: Welcome back, ladies listeners. Thanks for listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Nika. As we Close out our last show of the fall 2025 semester.
[00:39:56] Speaker B: That's right. And if you are just now joining us, please go back and listen to our previous segments. In today's show, we have had some great conversation talking about UA's fabulous counseling center with Dr. Greg VanderWaal, executive director for UA Counseling center, and Cody Waker, UA psychology intern. And we've kind of run the gamut on our different topics. But one of the things that I wanted to ask before the break, and I think we've all kind of alluded to this in some ways, how can faculty and staff support students mental health?
[00:40:30] Speaker A: I think the biggest way is to be aware of these resources and be willing to talk to students about them. So if you know somebody in your sphere as a faculty member that you notice seems to be struggling or has changed their routine or seems to be pulling back, just being willing to ask about about it, being willing to have a short conversation about it and then encourage them to reach out for help if they need it. So many issues that students are dealing with actually can be solved just by that conversation. They don't need to come to the counseling center.
And so just being willing to talk and pay attention has a huge impact.
[00:41:06] Speaker B: Sure, sure. And are there any workshops or group sessions or even online resources that students in our UA community as a whole should know about?
[00:41:18] Speaker A: Yes.
So we have a list of active groups on our website that changes semester to semester. So you can check those out there and you can also sign up if you're interested in one from there. We run a number of workshop series throughout the year. One is called our Mind matters workshop. Covers lots of different topics related to mental health that I think any student would benefit from. We do a lot of suicide prevention gatekeeper training as well called qpr.
And then we have different events throughout the year. Like usually during each study week, we have a stress free days events where it's just, you know, get some food and take a break and do a craft and all of that. But there's lots of other events too that that run throughout the semester and usually are advertised on student life social media.
[00:42:08] Speaker B: Okay, very nice.
[00:42:10] Speaker C: Well, there's no excuse. Yeah, take advantage.
[00:42:14] Speaker B: Yes. And you know, we've learned so much about the counseling center today and I would be remiss if I didn't end our last show, 2025 with like a quick fun question. And I'll have to warn our guests that it's usually something kind of just off the cuff. So I want to ask the two of you if there were to be a soundtrack of your life, can you name at least one song that would you would want on your soundtrack track?
[00:42:41] Speaker A: Oh, that's a great question.
Song for my soundtrack.
[00:42:46] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:42:48] Speaker A: I think I know what bands I'd want on that.
[00:42:50] Speaker B: Okay. Hey, and that, those are fair answers too.
[00:42:54] Speaker A: I want a little Pink Floyd.
[00:42:55] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:42:56] Speaker A: A little Smashing Pumpkins, a little Modest Mouse. You know, just a good mix.
[00:43:00] Speaker C: But yeah, I'm just thinking like an opening credit of it.
[00:43:03] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
[00:43:03] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:43:03] Speaker C: Yeah. Like what would be that song?
[00:43:05] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:43:06] Speaker A: Honestly, you could just play the soundtrack to the Lord of the Rings.
[00:43:09] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:43:09] Speaker B: You know, I could, I could see that, that, that's on brand for you. I like that.
[00:43:14] Speaker C: For Dr. Greg Benjamin.
[00:43:18] Speaker D: To me, I feel like something that's coming to mind is Best Day Ever by Mac Miller. It comes to mind.
[00:43:24] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:43:25] Speaker D: Very light hearted.
A lot of emphasis on finding the joys in life, I think, which is what I strive to be. And of course even those in the field of psychology always need to work on themselves and be able to do these kind of things. So. So that's a good motivating song for me.
[00:43:41] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:43:41] Speaker C: I love it.
[00:43:42] Speaker B: Nika.
[00:43:42] Speaker C: I love it.
[00:43:43] Speaker B: Do you have anything?
[00:43:44] Speaker C: I mean, I have my favorite song and it's random and it's random, so don't come judge me. But I remember being like 7 or 8 years old when I very first heard this song and loved it and have always loved it and it is bizarre Love triangle by New Order.
Oh, random.
[00:44:03] Speaker B: Very random.
[00:44:04] Speaker C: But it's because it caught my heart and my attention when I was like first or second grade.
[00:44:10] Speaker B: Interesting.
[00:44:10] Speaker C: And it's always been my favorite song. It's never changed. So I just find that to be like, it's very unique.
What about you?
[00:44:18] Speaker B: I think I would pick King of Wishful Thinking. It's that opening credit song for Pretty Woman. I don't necessarily want to emulate all the Paul Rudd. Yeah.
[00:44:30] Speaker C: And then Jimmy Fallon redoing it. I know. Yes.
[00:44:34] Speaker B: Well, you know, and there is a trend on social media right now where people are dubbing over like their song selection over like the Disney opening credit should if they were to be a Disney princess or like the universal opening. So I had chosen King of Wishful Thinking. But another song that really worked with that intro was Thunderstruck. And I'm like, you know, if I was going in a completely different angle, I could do that too. But yeah, yeah.
[00:45:00] Speaker C: Is it Go West? That's King.
[00:45:01] Speaker B: Yes. Go West.
[00:45:02] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:45:03] Speaker B: King of Wishful Thinking. So now I know what I'M going to be listening to later.
[00:45:06] Speaker C: Yeah, you know, it's, it's crazy when you, you get to know a little bit about a person when you ask them, you know, who do you want to play you in a movie?
Who is your celebrity crush? And what is the theme song to your life?
[00:45:20] Speaker B: I know that that's been the gamut. So we need to. We'll get you guys back on so you can rotate through, though, all of those questions.
[00:45:26] Speaker A: The other two questions, I'll be thinking.
[00:45:28] Speaker D: Yeah, we have plenty of time to.
[00:45:30] Speaker C: I'll work those out into your. In your. Work them into your therapy session.
[00:45:32] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:45:33] Speaker C: About your, you know, clients.
[00:45:35] Speaker B: Well, Dr. Vanderwaal and Cody, thank you both so much for being on the show today. We appreciate y'. All.
[00:45:40] Speaker D: Thank you for having us and thank.
[00:45:41] Speaker C: You, listeners, for hanging out with us this entire fall semester.
[00:45:44] Speaker B: That's right. And roll tide, you guys. We will catch you in 2026. You have been listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:45:58] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
