The Counseling and Career Center at SUNY Jamestown Community College is a central hub of support resources available for students, faculty, staff, and anyone in the community who is ready to make a personal or professional change.
“We provide holistic support through academic, career, transfer, and personal counseling,” shares Morgan Franchina, director of the Counseling and Career Center at JCC. “Holistic support is based on the idea that every area of our life is interconnected, so we need to develop the person as a whole and not just emphasize one part of ourselves.”
In keeping with this idea, softly-lit mediation rooms are being added to each JCC location to enhance the integrated wellness initiative. Students can utilize aromatherapy, weighted blankets, calming music, and other meditative activities to help reduce stress and learn healthy coping strategies that can be used the rest of their lives. These rooms are open at the Cattaraugus County Campus at the Counseling and Career Center located in College Center, and in the Lounge Room in the Main Building at the North County Center in Dunkirk. A similar space is expected to open on the Jamestown Campus later in the fall semester.
“When we can create awareness, improve how we cope with stressors, and strengthen self-care knowledge, we can create a campus community functioning at its best,” said Dianna Shaw, a counselor on the Cattaraugus County Campus. “Students at all locations can also take advantage of take-home mental health kits that allow them to try out coping strategies they may not have heard of or had access to before.”
Franchina encourages students to visit the Counseling and Career Center to introduce themselves, even if they don’t have an immediate need. “The sooner students come in to meet with a counselor, the sooner they have a connection with our office and we are able to introduce them to the wonderful resources we have to offer,” she explained. “We are a gold mine of resources and passionate, skilled counselors who care deeply about students and their success.”
Staff in the center help students learn more about themselves through self-assessment, guided problem solving, goal setting, and big-picture life conversations. The department is also a resource for JCC faculty and staff, able to point others in the direction of resources available for them and their students.
“I plan to offer a series of behavior and crisis intervention trainings this year so employees can learn what to do in these types of situations, and feel confident in their decision making,” Franchina said. “Anyone visiting our center can expect to find smiling faces and a safe place to be who they are, be vulnerable, and take a step in the right direction toward positive growth and development.”
The Counseling and Career Center works to connect people with mental health and wellness services on campus and in the surrounding area. To assist with this effort, a new page has been added to the JCC website: sunyjcc.edu/mentalhealth.
“There is something special about meeting someone at one of the most challenging points of their life, being their support system, and helping them cross the finish line to achieve their goals,” Franchina said. “In my new role as director, I have an opportunity to expand the resources we already have. New and exciting things are coming and I cannot wait to share them!”