Stress management has the most people signed up so far.
By Andrea Moreno
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
The advocacy center is offering eight new support and therapy groups in addition to an existing group that uses poetry to help members.
“We believe often times the people in distress have the answers,” social work Coordinator Lisa Black said in an interview March 7. “They just need to talk things through others and to come with up with solutions and to know that others are struggling as well.
“There is a lot of power in coming together and sharing in a supportive environment,” Black said.
The goal for these groups is for students to get help and at the same time help each other, she said.
“I really do think this will help the students,” she said.
Groups that were scheduled to start March 19 are for veterans in transition, stress management, poetry, DACA support, LGBTQ support, male nontraditional students, voices of students formerly in foster care, recovery, and veterans’ trauma.
Students will need to sign up in Room 323 of Chance Academic Center to participate in the groups.
Black said attendance requirements for members of the group will vary according to the group.
More than100 students have signed up so far to be part of one of the groups.
“That’s more than what I expected; the biggest sign up is stress management,” she said.
Josh Ledsord, intern studying for a bachelor’s degree in social work at Texas State University, also explained what types of things students can expect to do in each group.
Interns also will participate in these groups, Ledsord said.
Students in the veterans in transition group will speak to others who are as well “transitioning” from their life of being a soldier to a “regular life” of an individual, Ledsord said.
The veterans in transition group will meet noon-1 p.m. every Monday.
In the stress management group, students will learn how to manage stress.
This stress management group will meet 12:30-2 p.m. every Monday.
The poetry group has been around for several years and will be 2-4 p.m. every Monday.
In this group students will write poetry and share it with the other members of the group.
The DACA support group will meet noon-1 p.m. every Tuesday. DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
This group will help students who have anxiety and fear and others who are also worried about their immigration status.
The LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer) group will meet 2-3:30 p.m. every Tuesday.
The students will learn to not be embarrassed by their identity and to be comfortable, she said.
The group for nontraditional male students will be 2-3 p.m. every Wednesday.
It is mainly for men who graduated from high school but did not go to college right after, Ledsord said.
It is to learn to be comfortable around young students and not be embarrassed by their age while going to college, he said.
Voices of the alumni is for former foster students to learn to cope with fear they still have after being part of a foster home.
“It’s beneficial to be around people like that; you will learn that the students have similar problems and can be overcome,” Ledsord said.
This group will be 3-4 p.m. every Wednesday.
The recovery group will meet 5:30-6:30 p.m. every Wednesday.
The group will help students have information on how to overcome addiction to drugs or alcohol.
“The connections they make can help and will be confidential; all groups will be confidential to keep the respect of the students’ privacy,” he said.
The veterans’ trauma group will help students learn to overcome trauma they could still be experiencing as a civilian.
The group will take place 1-2 p.m. every Thursday.
Black did not want to give the location of group meetings, and she said participation is kept confidential.
If students have a questions, call 210-486-1003.