Fall semester topics

• Week 36. Benefits of volunteer work
• Week 37. Living with learning disabilities
• Week 38. Personality disorders
• Week 39. Setting up healthy boundaries
• Week 40. Learning to improve concentration
• Week 41. Suicide prevention – learning to help
• Week 42. Phobias – dealing with fears
• Week 43. Sleep disorders
• Week 44. Sexuality – the biochemistry
• Week 45. Addictive relationships
• Week 46. UNESCO day of tolerance
• Week 47. Improving self-confidence
• Week 48. Helping friends or others in distress
• Week 49. World AIDS day – living with illness
• Week 50. Value based decision making
• Week 51. Being assertive in a diverse world
• Week 52. Spirituality – spiritual growth

Spring semester topics

• Week 1. Dynamics of intro- & extraverts
• Week 2. Orientation – a career that fits!
• Week 3. Living in a foreign country
• Week 4. Overcoming test anxiety
• Week 5. Understanding dysfunction in a family
• Week 6. Smoking – giving up methods
• Week 7. Valentine’s day – commitment
• Week 8. Communication – focusing on skills
• Week 9. Domestic violence
• Week 10. Work-life balance – expectations
• Week 11. Loneliness and feeling alone
• Week 12. Understanding of joy and happiness
• Week 13. Racial discrimination
• Week 14. PTSD
• Week 15. World health day
• Week 16. Panic disorders
• Week 17. Academic honesty – authenticity
• Week 18. Death and dying
• Week 19. Job interviews – good impression
• Week 20. Characteristic of sound families
• Week 21. Celebrating cultural diversity
• Week 22. Growing up in a single parent home
• Week 23. Act of love (self and others)
• Week 24. Focusing on personality tests
• Week 25. Childhood traumas
• Week 26. Relating to the elderly
• Week 27. Grief – dealing with loss
• Week 28. Drug and substance abuse
• Week 29. Dealing with depression
• Week 30. Procrastination
• Week 31. Recovering from shame and guilt
• Week 32. Perfectionism
• Week 33. First generation university students
• Week 34. Compulsive obsessive behaviors
• Week 35. Body image – eating disorders
• Week 36. School bullying – mobbing concerns

Helping friends or others in distress

Most college students encounter academic, personal, and social stress at some point during their educational experience. This is true at The University of Iowa as well as at other universities. Typically, students cope successfully with the demands of college and the experiences that go along with it, but for some students these difficulties can become overwhelming and unmanageable. Friends are often the first point of contact in obtaining advice and support. Your expression of interest and concern could be critical in helping your friend reestablish emotional equilibrium.

How Can You Tell If Someone is Emotionally Distressed?

At one time or another, everyone feels upset. However, when some of the following are present, significant emotional distress is possibly present:

– Noticeable decline in quality of school performance
– Noticeable signs of depression (e.g., persistent sadness, suicidal thoughts, apathy, fatigue, tearfulness, changes in sleep and eating habits, distractibility, sudden weight loss or gain)
– Nervousness, agitation, irritability, aggressiveness, non-stop talking
– Bizarre behavior or speech
– Extreme or sudden dependency on family or friends
– Marked change in personal hygiene
– Talk of suicide, either directly or indirectly
– Comments in letters or emails that arouse concern

Any one of the above signs present in someone does not absolutely indicate serious distress. However, several signs and changes, which are extreme and sudden likely, point to potential mental health concerns. If there is doubt about the seriousness of the problem, consult a Counseling Service staff member about evaluating the situation and taking the most appropriate steps.” Sorce info
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Read about more practical info on what you can do to help others in distress below:

Additional video resources