Student wellness

“Things haven’t slowed down,” reports Student Wellness Counselor Sherry Adams. “Uptake of all our wellness services is increasing, particularly individual counseling.”

The stressors are wide ranging: reckoning with the cumulative impact of a challenging year; anxiety about returning to work and school in person; concern about career prospects in a changing job market; grief for loved ones lost to the pandemic. And they take a toll on the mental health of many students, posing a risk to their academic progress.

In response, the CUNY SPH counseling and wellness service upped its game, with an impressive tally of weekly workshops and special events as well as the addition of two trained interns to expand the number of private counseling sessions.

Adams has been inspired by the students participating in group events. “What I learn from them truly shapes my work in this role,” she says. “I strongly encourage students to take advantage of the groups and the sense of community they create—they are extraordinarily rich in terms of the kind of validation, support and resources students can offer each other.”