The Student Counseling Center, a space located under Roberts Hall, offers a variety of activities designed to help people find inner peace. From meditation to painting and drawing, the suite has what the brain needs to achieve a state of Nirvana.
“The suite, a testament to our commitment to student well-being, was created to complement our 1:1 therapy service and respond to identified needs,” said Coordinator of Outreach and Programming Lee Ann O’Dell. “The increasing usage of the mindfulness and creativity suites clearly indicates their effectiveness.”
According to O’Dell, 2022-23 saw 424 individual uses, and this number rose to 703 individual uses in 2023-24.
“We tabulate usage data at the close of each semester and academic year,” she said.
The creation of the Suite was a labor of love for O’Dell and Counseling Center Director, Jessica Stallard. Their efforts throughout 2021 were aimed at providing students with a sanctuary of calm amidst the storm of college life.
O’Dell had looked into the national data on student mental health; this data had been collected before the pandemic. In it, students’ self-reported anxiety nearly doubled between 2013 and 2019 (17% to 31%). Also, 1 out of 3 students also reported having a mental health disorder.
“Many students need guidance about creating space to rest their overtaxed nervous systems through calm, healing practices like breathwork, meditation, and restorative yoga,” O’Dell said.
O’Dell said they chose to develop interventions around equipping students with essential skills to help them find calm in what could feel like chaos.
“These life skills serve them now and after they leave Ferrum,” she said.
This suite offers breathwork, meditation, small group, and 1:1 restorative yoga classes. These allow students to be at peace within their minds. Furthermore, and breathing has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression frequently.
“We have students come through the Counseling Center specifically the Mindfulness Suite (and) as part of their Gateway classes,” O’Dell said.
O’Dell has also worked closely with the area coordinators and their dorm RAs to address any issues students may face. Some problems include insomnia or interrupted sleep, an inability to quiet the mind, and limited mobility.
“We have delivered specific content around mindfulness practices to augment courses at the faculty’s request,” O’Dell said. “The space is also used for wellness activities for faculty and staff. HR provided a massage chair and a shiatsu neck massager for anyone in the mindfulness space.”
O’Dell invited faculty, staff, and students to use the space to breathe.
“We call it ‘practicing the pause,'” she said.
