Anxiety, feeling isolated and lonely, insomnia, poor self-esteem, depressive symptoms – and of course academic concerns – were among the main reasons why students sought help from the Rhodes Counselling Centre last year.
Anxiety, feeling isolated and lonely, insomnia, poor self-esteem, depressive symptoms – and of course academic concerns – were among the main reasons why students sought help from the Rhodes Counselling Centre last year. These issues, along with family and other relationship problems, are what the centre is there to help students deal with, said the manager of student wellness at Rhodes University, Dr Colleen Vassiliou. The Counselling Centre works in collaboration with the Career Centre, Health Care Centre and the HIV officer at the university, giving students a comprehensive list of people to turn to for concerns they may have. The university's latest wellness publication, italRU Well/ital, says that the centre offers confidential counselling and can refer students to whichever appropriate support service is most fitting. Vassiliou encourages students to go to the counselling centre before their problems become larger than life, and also advises them to look after themselves and pay constant attention to their physical, academic, social, emotional and spiritual well-being. Students need to take care of themselves by maintaining a balance in all areas of their functioning, she said. The centre is open from 8am to 5pm daily. To get in touch with the Counselling Centre, call 046 603 7070 or email italcounsellingcentre@ru.ac.za/ital. For after-hour emergencies students can call 082 803 0177.
