Mental Health Matters

from the Counseling Center

There are moments in every person’s life when they feel as if they will explode. A lot of people struggle to find a way to cope. Whether it’s with the stress of classes or the loss of a family member, everybody’s emotions and frustrations are valid. In modern-day society, many have succeeded in disassociating from their emotions. However, DSU has provided a safe and caring environment where every student is welcome to talk and learn about how to cope with their feelings.

The Counseling Center is a free service that is available to every student who attends Dakota State University. Three licensed professionals are there to help all of us in both our times of crisis and on our best days.

The DSU Counseling Center is open Monday through Friday 8 am-5 pm. You can schedule an appointment through Trojan Connect or you can email them at [email protected]. They are located in the Learning Engagement Center room 041. Students are welcome to schedule multiple appointments if need be.

While speaking to Nicole Bowen of the Counseling Center, we discussed how all students are welcome and how “it’s ok not to be ok.” She continued to state, “we are all a work in progress, and we all need help from time to time.” While working on this story, I found that the counseling center has put its best foot forward when it comes to helping the students of DSU.

The Dakota State University’s Counseling Center is what I believe to be one of the more underrated resources that our school offers. When looking at colleges, I found myself surprised that so many offered free counseling and therapy services. It shows how South Dakota is positively evolving when it comes to mental health awareness.

While I was talking with Dr. Nicole Bowen, she mentioned that not is the counseling center available to everybody, but they also have something special in the works. Have you ever just needed a social reprieve? Have you ever just needed a break from people? Or from your same old boring dorm room? Well, the DSU counseling center has gone out of its way to make sure everyone has a place to go to relax.

The Relaxation Room is something solely unique to DSU. It’s a place you can go to just exist. It has fun seating, as well as a back and foot massager, and it’s somewhere you can go to just breathe. Life can be exhausting, so if you need a moment to just exist, this is a place that you can go. Of course, like all good things, it’s still a work in progress, but it comes highly recommended by all different kinds of people. To check it out, all you need to do is walk into the Counseling center and ask! They will unlock the door, and you will be able to get some much-needed rest.