Group Counseling
Many people come to Counseling & Testing (C&T) assuming they will meet one-on-one for their counseling. Often your intake counselor will recommend group counseling instead or in addition to individual counseling. This is because group counseling is often the most effective type of counseling‚ especially if your problems involve relationships with other people. Groups usually involve 6-10 students and are led by two members of the C&T staff.
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Support Groups
Support groups usually center around a common experience and are designed to help you get support and encouragement from other students who are dealing with a similar issue. They can meet weekly or every other week. You can be in a support group and individual counseling at the same time. You can be in a support group and individual counseling at the same time because support groups are not considered to be “therapy.” For current support group schedules, please check our group schedules.
Graduate Support Group
The Graduate Student Support Group is a place where graduate students can seek support around any number of issues that are interfering with or an outgrowth of their graduate study. Common discussions include the stress of graduate school; lack of progress or productivity; procrastination; deciding whether or not to stay in a program; problems with advisors or committees; and financial strain‚ often due to funding issues. Some concerns‚ such as family or health issues‚ arise that are not specific to graduate school but impact performance and progress. Many students seek out the group prior to major milestone events such as qualifying exams‚ dissertation or thesis defenses‚ and searching for jobs for post graduation employment. The group is fairly unstructured and the topics can vary from meeting to meeting depending on the needs of the students present. Call the Counseling & Testing Center at (859) 257-8701 to sign up for the group.
Women of Color Support Group
The Women of Color (WOC) Support Group is a safe and supportive place for minority women to meet, talk, and find hope. If you'd like a place to meet other women of color, the group is a place for you to get and give support. Common discussion topics include loneliness, racism, relationship struggles, sexism, family difficulties, academic issues, sadness, anxiety, health problems, low self-esteem or other concerns. Group leaders are Dr. Tina Bryant and Carolyn Spearman-Teamer, two women of color. Group sessions are free and confidential and open to UK students taking at least 6 credits. The group meets in 201 Frazee Hall. Call the Counseling & Testing Center at (859) 257-8701 to sign up for the group.
International Students’ Tea Time
As an international student, it may be exciting to leave your home country to come study in the United States. However, you may also face the challenge of addressing academic and personal concerns as you are exposed to a new culture. You may have some of the same academic and personal concerns as other UK students; however, you may also experience a number of unique challenges that can complicate the process of adjusting to university life and achieving academic goals. The Counseling and Testing Center’s International Students’ Tea Time provides a place for international students to meet other international students who have similar concerns. This space provides an opportunity to learn from one another about adjusting to a new culture and educational system, dealing with different customs, and practice speaking English. The group meets every Friday from 12:30-2:00 p.m. throughout the semester at 201 Frazee Hall. There is no appointment necessary.
The Body Image Group
This group is a confidential support group for women on campus. The group provides an opportunity for women to meet weekly in a safe space with others who struggle with issues that have shaped their relationship with food and their body. This group will provide members opportunity to disclose one’'s struggle in a non-judgmental setting and regain hope in learning new skills for managing emotions and stress while challenging old beliefs. The group is co-facilitated by Dr. Carolyn Spearman-Teamer and Dr. Monica Thiagarajan. Call the Counseling & Testing Center at (859) 257-8701 for more information or to sign up for the group.
Grief and Loss Group
The loss of a loved one is a common experience but one not often spoken about. Each person is unique in how they experience a loss‚ and grief is a normal and natural response. There are‚ however‚ healthy coping strategies and ones that may hinder the grieving process. The Grief and Loss Group provides participants the opportunity to express reactions to loss‚ identify the tasks necessary for recovery‚ learn positive coping skills‚ and give and receive support from others. The group is free‚ confidential and will meet for six weeks during the semester. The group will be co-lead by Dr. Nathaniel Hopkins and Dr. Susan Mathews. Please call the Counseling & Testing Center (257-8701) for more information or to sign up for the group.
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Therapy Groups
General therapy groups are designed to help you learn about yourself and how you interact with others. Group members often have a variety of initial concerns‚ but share a desire to feel better about themselves and their relationships with others. It can be a powerful experience to realize others struggle with the same things as you do. General therapy groups meet for 1.5 hours each week for the duration of the semester. You cannot be in a general therapy group and individual counseling at the same time. For current therapy group schedule‚ please check our group schedules.
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Psychoeducational Groups & Workshops
There are a number of structured‚ educationally focused workshops and groups that are currently being offered by the UK Counseling & Testing Center. Some have been regularly offered in the past and some are new. All of these groups and workshops are free for fee-paying University of Kentucky students who are enrolled for at least 6 credit hours. Below is the list:
Relaxation Workshop
The Relaxation Workshop is a drop-in single-session workshop designed to help students learn a variety of mind/body approaches to reducing excess stress and increase their ability to then focus on academic or other work. Focus is on breathing/ mindfulness approaches.
Stress Management Group
This is a three-session informational and skills-training group designed to help students understand stress and identify ways to reduce the stress in their lives. A variety of relaxation techniques addressing the physical, cognitive, and emotional sources of stress are taught during the workshops with the goal of helping students identify a range of coping skills and stress reduction strategies particularly applicable to them. Students will gain the most benefit by first attending a stress orientation drop-in session and then attending all three sessions of the stress management series.
Test Anxiety Workshop
This workshop is for students who prepare well for class exams but consistently receive low test scores. Low test scores may be due to many factors such as test anxiety or concentration/focus problems. The workshop facilitator will help students define the problem and develop useful solutions. The workshop will take 45 minutes and the content is the same for all sessions. No appointment is necessary to attend the workshops.
Career Decision Workshop
UK’s Counseling & Testing Center offers Career Decision-Making Workshops to assist students with the college major/career decision making process. The workshop format is 45 minutes of interactive activity that guides students through the steps involved in making important life decisions. No appointment is necessary to attend the workshops.
Social Confidence Group
This group is a three-part series and is being offered twice this semester. The group is educational in nature and goes over specific skills such as reading social cues‚ overcoming initial anxiety‚ and getting to know others on a meaningful level. It is particularly geared for those individuals who feel socially awkward‚ find it difficult to initiate conversation‚ and have trouble meeting friends or dating partners. All social confidence group meetings will be held in the classroom/workshop room 203.
counseling & testing center . university of kentucky . 201 frazee hall . lexington‚ ky . 40506–0031 . (859) 257–8701 . fax (859) 257–3319