Counseling Center announces return of popular stress reduction course for students

Counseling Center announces return of popular stress reduction course for studentsSeptember 09, 2008Matthew R. Snydermrsnyder@syr.edu

The start of the fall semester is a stressful time for many students, and chronically high levels of stress can have adverse effects on students’ health, academic progress and ability to adapt to the challenges and opportunities of college life.

To help, and to demonstrate its commitment to supporting health and wellness of students’ minds, the Syracuse University Counseling Center is offering students a free, eight-week course in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). MBSR uses the principle of mindfulness (an open, nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment) to give its trainees easier access to inner resources for coping with the stresses of school, work and personal life. The popular course’s return to campus for the Fall 2008 semester is funded via the Syracuse University Wellness Initiative.

Students who wish to participate must attend one of two information and registration sessions, which will be held Wednesday, Sept. 10, from 6-7 p.m., and Friday, Sept. 12, from 1-2 p.m., in Rooms 304 A and B of the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center. Class schedules and details will be provided at the information/registration sessions. To learn more or to R.S.V.P. for one of the sessions, contact the Counseling Center at 443-4715 or mbsr@syr.edu. Class size is limited.

MBSR’s intent is to teach new methods for coping with and reducing anxiety and stress. It teaches mindfulness meditation and its application to everyday life and work. MBSR training combines meditation, yoga and other mind-body techniques. MBSR was pioneered at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center’s Stress Reduction Clinic in 1979 and has been taught around the world. There are more than 250 programs in North America. In studies, MBSR trainees have reported a greater ability to handle stress, pain and illness, and felt an increased sense of control, well-being and appreciation in their everyday lives after completing the program.

David Jacobs will teach the course at SU this fall. Jacobs, a certified instructor for the Upstate Yoga Institute in Syracuse, has completed the MBSR teaching practicum training at the Center of Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and has conducted numerous workshops for college students, health clinic patients and employees of public and private agencies.

“Bringing the experience of mindfulness meditation to college students can provide them with practical skills to attain professional and personal goals,” says Jacobs. “Equally important, the gifts of any meditative model can provide seeds for the future transformation of any society in which these students will participate.”

For more information, visit http://counselingcenter.syr.edu.