Life is full of transition points, from getting married to starting a family, but for some the most disruptive can be moving away from home for the first time.
Many young people leave their family home to pursue post-secondary education and College of New Caledonia counsellor George Dunne said the adjustment to campus life can be difficult.
"We have a certain routine that we're used to, but then when you move into college there's a transition," he said. "You're often leaving friends and family, you're leaving your established support net that you have and maybe you move to a new location, you may not know a lot of people, you may need to assert yourself a little bit more to meet people, you're cooking for yourself, you're doing your own laundry, you're doing a lot of things that maybe someone else has been doing for you."
Like other colleges in northern B.C., CNC offers a variety of services to help students adjust and provide counselling for those struggling with the transition. From one-on-one supportive counselling to a "Back on Track" program for students at risk of falling behind, CNC tries to make sure students are given the best opportunity to succeed.
While not every student may seek out formal help for stress and mental health issues associated with going to college, statistics show that most students exhibit at least some symptoms. According to the 2013 National College Health Assessment, 89 per cent of students surveyed said they felt overwhelmed and 57 per cent said they felt overwhelmingly anxious. A smaller, but still significantly sized group experienced more serious conditions with 38 per cent saying they felt so depressed they had trouble functioning and nearly 10 per cent considered suicide.
Dunne said the sudden shift from growing up at home to going to school somewhere else can be daunting.
"All of sudden you're on your own, making your own decisions and you don't have someone helping you out with that," he said. "I would say that the transition is certainly important and it can be very stressful for students. Some people have great mechanisms in order and some don't."
The student body is becoming more and more complex over time and Dunne said counselling services are adjusting to meet their needs. Among some of the chief concerns students bring to his attention are depression and anxiety, but he's also noticed students mentioning loneliness and exhaustion. The loneliness often stems from moving away, while Dunne believes technology can play a big role in why students feel so tired.
"It's not from physical activity, it's not that they're running marathons, they're just exhausted," he said. "When you think of the life a student nowadays with all the technology and these games that go on that you can play. Then you have to get up early to go to class and you're staying up late at night."
Late nights and early mornings combined with a lack of physical activity can take its toll.
"I don't know how physical people are anymore, maybe they're not working out as much," Dunne said. "These are the kinds of things you may lose in the transition. You're eating habits may change. Your sleeping habits may change."
At CNC, Dunne is part of a team of registered clinical counsellors able to provide both supportive and crisis counselling. He said counsellors are trained to have a positive regard for the student, empathy and to be genuine during the meetings, which helps foster an atmosphere where students can feel more comfortable talking about the challenges they're facing.
CNC also has a physician and nurse practitioner on campus to provide medical support for students experiencing a mental health challenge and further supports exist off site.
"We have established links to referrals to community services," Dunne said. "There are some mental health issues that are more than just supportive counselling or crisis intervention, it's more for long-term care, so we will refer them out to the community."
In addition CNC runs a Beyond the Blues program to raise awareness about depression and other mental health issues. Students can fill out a pen and paper questionaire about how they're feeling and review the responses with a counsellor.
The Back on Track program is a tool for instructors to alert the counselling department if a student is exhibiting symptoms of depression or if the teacher believes a mental health issue may be hindering a student's learning.
"Back on Track allows an instructor to refer a student to see a counsellor if through the instructor's view and a discussion with the student maybe [the student] is not attending class or looking like they're struggling," Dunne said.
One way students can work to avoid mental health challenges down the road is to practice mental wellness techniques. Dunne said those can be as simple as getting enough sleep, eating right, drinking enough water and getting proper exercise or they can require a little bit more thought like examining your friendships and ensuring you're talking with people who are actually listening to you.
"Are you hanging out with people that have a positive attitude towards challenges," Dunne said. "Not always being with people that drain you, but with people that fill you."
Dunne also encourages students to stay in touch with their spiritual side.
"Are you doing things that nurture your spirit?" Dunne said. "It can be things like spending time in nature, for some people it can be an actual spiritual practice that works for them."
