Share lived experiences with other like you. Join the Togetherall community today
Togetherall is a safe online community where UNK students can anonymously connect with others who understand what you’re going through. Whether you want to get advice, tips or just want someone to listen outside of your friendship group, Togetherall is available to you. You too may be able to help others! Lots of students find Togetherall helpful as you can continue exploring your feelings at your own pace, speak to others in similar situations and make use of different resources without a time pressure- all in the one platform. Register here with Togetherall or learn more about the program at Togetherall Explainer Video.
Being a student is a challenging balancing act. Academic responsibilities, social life, declaring a major and other personal matters can create a lot of anxiety and stress for students. At times, might be difficult to remember the strategies for effectively managing stress. We recommend the following tools to help you prevent and/or manage stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression.
1. Unplug
While technology allows us many luxuries and immediate access to resources, it can also be a trigger for envy, depression, and anxiety for some people. One way to manage stress is to "unplug" from all technology for at least 10 minutes daily.
2. Quiet Your Mind
While we expect there to be noise and chatter from the outside world, the inner chatter that takes place in our own minds is often louder and unrelenting. Constant thoughts of the future and ruminating on the past can lead to increased anxiety and depression.
3. Take Care of Your Body
Many college students struggle with taking care of their basic needs such as, getting enough sleep, eating regularly, and exercising. Often, when under pressure to complete multiple tasks and meet deadlines, taking care of our bodies is no longer a priority.
4. Reach Out to Your Support System
Students tell us they are hesitant to talk with friends or family members about their troubles because they fear they will be viewed as "weak" or, they perceive themselves as "burdening" others with their problems. Avoiding sharing your concerns with others only makes the problem worse and leaves you feeling alone.
5. Practice Self-compassion
Contrary to popular belief, being critical of yourself is not a motivator for improvement. Negative self-talk and self-judgment actually decreases personal motivation for change. We have to practice being kind to ourselves on a daily basis.
6. Phone Apps for Coping
7. Groups Offered:
Coping Skills Group:
This group focuses on learning and practicing new coping skills to deal with stress, anxiety, depression and relationships. Group participants will leave group with a specific set of skills they can use to address any type of life stressor.
StartYourRecovery.org provides helpful information for people who are dealing with substance use issues — and their family members, friends, and co-workers, too. We know that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the challenges faced by those who misuse alcohol, prescription or illegal drugs, or other substances, and we aim to break through the clutter to help people at any stage of recovery.
The transition to college for parents/caregivers and students can be exciting and stressful, simultaneously. While parents or caregivers may no longer be physically present every day to support their student during this transition time, they are nonetheless a very integral part of their student's support system. How parents or caregivers and their student negotiate and accept those changes can be a relationship enhancing experience or it can be an additional stressor for the student.
Students are challenged with managing a new schedule, class work, developing new friendships, and getting involved with campus life. Respecting their time to let them accomplish all of this lets them know you have confidence in them. You can trust that while your relationship with your student is being revised, it is not being severed. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions regarding how you can best support your student while attending UNK.
Confidentiality is an important piece of the counseling relationship. While it may seem strange for you as the parent or caregiver not to know what your student shares with us in counseling, confidentiality is meant to help the student engage in a trusted relationship with the counselor. Unless the student permits the counselor to share information with someone, we are prohibited by law to do so. If your student is under the age of 18, a parent or guardian consent will be requested.
Although we are not allowed to release a student's information to anyone without their permission, we can certainly take in information from anyone. If you have concerns about your student, please feel free to consult with one of our counselors.
If you are a UNK student who is taking all of your coursework online and you live in the Kearney area, you are welcome to pay the Student Health and Counseling fee at your first visit, to opt-in for services. If you would prefer to receives services off campus, and you live in the Kearney or Hastings area, please contact South Central Behavioral Services. If you are a UNK student taking coursework online and currently live in Nebraska, please call our office to schedule a confidential telehealth appointment.
UNK is the home to several graduate level programs. Many of our graduate programs are offered online, for accessibility to a wide range of students. Online students do not always have the opportunity to utilize the services at UNK Counseling, due to time and/or distance. Please visit the
GoGrad page, for useful resources on mental health and graduate students.
A crisis is a situation in which an individual's typical style of coping is no longer effective, and the emotional or physiological response begins to escalate. As emotions intensify, coping becomes less effective, until the person becomes disoriented, nonfunctional, or attempts harm to self or others.
How You Can Help
- If you believe there may be imminent danger of harm to a student or someone else, immediately call UNK Police Department at 308-865-8911. If you need assistance assessing the situation, please call UNK Counseling at 308-865-8248 or the Office of the Dean, Division of Student Affairs at 308-865-8528 between the hours of 8am and 5pm.
- If you need assistance assessing the situation, please call UNK Counseling at 308-865-8248 or the Office of the Dean, Division of Student Affairs at 308-865-8528 between the hours of 8am and 5pm.
- Recommend that the student make an appointment at UNK Counseling by calling 308-865-8248, Monday-Friday between 8am and 5pm. Please note, after hours, an on-call counselor can be reached by calling UNK Counseling at 308-865-8248; please follow the prompts on the voice message to be connected to the on-call counselor.
- Make a CARE Team referral. UNK's CARE Team is a multi-disciplinary body of professional stakeholders from across the campus which receives referrals pertaining to students of concern, collects additional information, and identifies and enacts appropriate strategies for addressing the concerning situation. If you are concerned about a student, please visit the UNK CARE Team website for more information or complete a CARE Team referral form.
