Counseling Center Paraprofessional

Hello My Name is Olaf!

Have a great Winter

Break!

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS MOST LIKELY FRIGHTFUL

About the authors:

Doowon Choi

Senior in Psychology and Eco-

nomics, with a minor in Busi-

ness. Contracted with Interna-

tional Student Outreach, and

with the Asian American Cul-

tural Center

Thomas Hahn:

Senior in Psychology, with a

minor in Leadership Studies.

Contracted with the Alcohol

and Other Drug Office, and

with the Counseling Center as

the Workshop Coordinator.

Which Workshop on Request have CCP’s presented this semester?

The Ultimate Guide

to Final Exams

1

An Uncommon Look

at Service

3

Tuesday@7 Work-

shops Summary

4

Inside this issue:

WINTER is Coming!

12/08/14 By: Thomas Hahn, Doowon Choi

The Paraphrase Winter 2014

Name of Workshop CCP Presenters Attendance

Becoming a Leader at U of I Jennifer and Tramell N/A

effective communication with group mates and supervisor None N/A

Stress Management and Resources. Mary Kate, Lauri 13

Time Management Dimitri , Evalina 11

time management and procrastination Whitney , Boyuon 6

Communication in Relationships Doowon, Emily N/A

Time Management/Procrastination Blake, Mary Kate 10

Optimal academic performance Asha, Sarah N/A

Healthy Relationships Taylor, Nicole N/A

Sexual Assault and Violence Blake, Elizabeth N/A

Test Anxiety Laura, Ashley N/A

time & stress management, study habits. Tramell, Apryl N/A

Counseling Center Paraprofessional

The ULTIMATE GUIDE to FINAL EXAMS A psycho-educational piece for successful test-taking

Emotional regulation:

Data: Captain, I believe I am feeling … anxiety. It is an

intriguing sensation. A most distracting— Captain Picard: (Interrupting) Data, I am sure it is a

fascinating experience, but perhaps you should deactivate your emotion chip for now.

Data: Good idea sir (computer noise). Done. Captain Picard: Data, there are times when I envy

you.”

–Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

The discussion between Captain Picard and Data

highlights the undesirable feelings that may arise

from emotion.

When faced with anxiety, or negative emotion, it

would be a whole lot simpler if we could just

switch it off. Anxiety is often a common compan-

ion when taking a test. This section focuses on the

emotional element of test-taking.

In order for the sensation of anxiety to emerge,

we must judge the examination as having rele-

vance to our goals. If we do not, then the potential

for emotion, and anxiety disappears, or is greatly

reduced. In addition to this cognitive appraisal pro-

cess, we must also perceive that we are not pre-

pared for the examination or that the examination

will not go well. That is, we will receive a poor

grade, or another undesirable consequence will

result because of the examination. The last ap-

praisal that contributes to the emotional reaction to

examinations is the confidence that we hold to our

ability to control the outcome of the examination.

Therefore if we feel little or no confidence related

to the successful outcome of the test, or the ability

to control the outcome, then anxiety is much more

likely to emerge. Notice then, that our emotional

reactions are largely based upon the appraisals that

we make about our interactions with the environ-

ment. If we can change the appraisal, one might

argue that we can change the emotional reaction or

experience. Stated another way, if we can isolate

the anxiety-facilitating beliefs, then anxiety may

become more easily regulated.

Focus regulation:

“Focusing is about saying No.”

―Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs referring to staying focused on a task

by saying, “no,” when given the opportunity to

socialize or accommodate another person's plans.

When taking a test, it is important to remain fo-

cused on the present. This section will discuss

strategies for maintaining attention on the exami-

nation.

Seeking out the topic of a given question serves

two purposes when taking a test. First, it keeps us

focused on the question in order to avoid our

thoughts drifting to other topics, and second, it al-

lows us to identify exactly what the question is

asking. However, it should be noted that this strat-

egy can only be maintained for a certain amount of

time before the test-taker will become fatigued.

Tension-reduction methods must be utilized during

the test in order to maximize test taking efficiency.

Strategies such as taking deep breaths to slow

breathing may calm the test taker down. Also, tak-

ing calculated 1-minute breaks to stop and stretch

will also improve the ability to continue focusing

on the test. The most important element of focus

regulation is keeping actions test-oriented; we

must focus on changing the focus from the self and

feelings about how we are doing on the test, to the

test itself.

Counseling Center Paraprofessional

Studying for the examination:

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

– Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin stressing the importance of proper planning.

This section will cover time-allotment for studying, and proper environments conducive for successful

preparation.

When it comes to actually studying for the exam, research has shown that two (2) weeks is the appro-

priate amount of time that one should give themselves for preparing for a test. Any longer, and the mate-

rial will begin to diminish, and any shorter the material will not have enough time to be reinforced in

memory.

When it comes to studying individually or with others, social psychology has shown that if the material

is not well known, studying alone will be most effective. Oppositely, if one understands the material well,

then reinforcing the information is best done with a companion.

Finally, psychology has identified a phenomenon known as state-dependent learning, which describes

the retrieval process of information from memory as more effective when done in the same state as the

encoding process. For example, studying, or encoding, information in a caffeinated state will provide eas-

ier retrieval in a caffeinated state as well, for example.

Utilizing this information will put you ahead of the game when it comes to test-taking. For more infor-

mation on test taking strategies, check out the References section below.

References:

Paul A. Schutz and Heather A. Davis, Emotions and Self-Regulation During

Test Taking, EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST, 35(4), 243–256 Copyright © 2000, Lawrence

Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Counseling Center Paraprofessional

The complexity of volunteering and service-learning

An Uncommon Look at Service

There are many reasons to become active in vol-

unteering your time to help, but there are a lot of

issues under the surface regarding service.

On campus, there are many ways to get involved

with volunteering. Greek life offers many opportu-

nities for volunteering, as well as Registered Stu-

dent Organizations (RSOs).

(https://illinois.collegiatelink.net/). Additionally at

the University of Illinois there is Illinois Alterna-

tive Seasonal Breaks, which is an organization

that specializes in offering trips for students to

participate in volunteer work.

(http://www.illinoisasb.org/?q=trips). Even men-

toring another student is a great way to get in-

volved with volunteering. For other opportunities

for service, the University of Illinois offers a 3-

credit hour course, ENG315 for a semester long

service-learning experience.

(http://linc.illinois.edu/). Even after college, you

can visit (www.nationalservice.gov).

As you can see, there are a wealth of opportuni-

ties to get involved with volunteer work. However,

as we will break down in this article, there are

many facets of volunteering that one might not

consider when signing up to volunteer.

In an article by Elizabeth Tryon, The challenge

of Short-Term Service-Learning, she states, “How

do community organizations react to students who

arrive on their doorsteps expecting a ten-hour ser-

vice-learning placement with lots of deep experi-

ences and no future commitment? As we will see,

small- and medium-size community organizations

-- those that have the most to gain from service-

learning when it’s good quality and the fewest re-

sources to waste on it when it’s not—often find

short-term service-learning to be an unhelpful time

sink.”

The issue that Tryon is attempting to shed light on

is that involvement with NGOs (Non-government

organization, also known as a non-profit organiza-

tion) is often short-term, which can prove prob-

lematic.

When it comes to hiring a new employee for any

profitable organization, there is a lot of money that

goes into the training process. When volunteers

come to an organization, resources are also being

spent on that volunteer. The problem then, is that

the volunteer is usually not staying for the long-

term. Monetary concerns aside, we can observe the

emotional impact of volunteer work with children.

Eby wrote an essay detailing the problems of

short-term service with children. Below is an ex-

cerpt from an organization that supports low-

income and homeless children, commenting on the

emotional distress that can accompany short-term

volunteering.

“We do not want to have students come in, meet

with them [the children] for a few weeks, then start

to get connected and have them drop off the face

of the planet. That is not healthy for these kids.

They really need to have strong role models in

their lives. We ask students to give at least a six-

month commitment. But some people would say

okay, and then not show up again after they did the

commitment they needed to for class...”

It appears that volunteering for the short-term is

harmful, but this is not always the case. There are

plenty of examples where short-term service can

prove helpful. Service and volunteering are acts

that we should all engage in, however this article

hopes to raise awareness to issues that can arise

from volunteering, in the hopes to reduce such

negative interactions. For more information on this

topic, please look at the References section.

References

Eby, J. (1998). Why service-learning is bad.

http://www.messiah.edu/external_programs/agape/

servicelearning/articles/wrongsvc.pdf.

Elizabeth, Tryon, The Challenge of Short-Term

Service-Learning, Michigan Journal of Communi-

ty Service Learning, Spring 2008, pp.16-26

Counseling Center Paraprofessional

Tuesday@7 Workshops Summary This semester, there were total 12 T@7 Workshops presented by CCP’s

Name of Workshop Date of Workshop CCP Presenters

Screen to Screen: Long distance Relationshops in the 21st Century 9/9/2014 Chris Bell, Matt King

Shine Bright Like A Diamond: Polishing off your social confidence 9/16/2014 Stephanie Mieczkowski, Alexa Keramidas

Being Able: Disability Awarenesa and Alliance 9/23/2014 Sarah Zola, Blake Bullock

Where Did All The Time Go: Time Management 9/30/2014 Doowon Choi, Jennifer

Discussing Love Beyond the Surface: Fostering Healthy Relationships 10/7/2014 Tateanna Foster, Dimitri Cacean

Leading into Leadership: Becoming a leader on campus 10/14/2014 Evalina Kirkpatrick, Tramell Moore

Depression: Moving Past the Stigma 10/21/2014 Asha Brown, Boyuan Guan

It doesn't take one to support one: How to Be an LGBT Ally 10/28/2014 Taylor and Nicole

Breaking down Bullying: Bullying awarness and prevention 11/4/2014 Whitney and Elizabeth

Dealing with Dependency: Kicking Compulsive Behaviors 11/11/2014 Ashley and Emily

Money Games: Catching Cash -- Tips for Financial Wellness 11/18/2014 Thomas and Apryl

Tackle the Tension: Overcoming Test Anxiety 12/2/2014 Mary Kate and Laura

11

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09/9/2014 9/16/2014 9/23/2014 9/30/2014 10/7/2014 10/14/2014 10/21/2014 10/28/2014 11/4/2014 11/11/2014 11/18/2014 12/2/2014

Attendance

Attendance Trend over Semester It seems like attendance generally drops toward semester end. The attendance data for

the last T@7 is not applicable.

Counseling Center Paraprofessional

As a way to welcome our new staff to the counseling center, the editors requested a short questionnaire be

filled out.

Name: Steve Andrews

Hometown? Arlington Heights, IL

Brief description of involvement with the Counseling Center? I was hired to serve as both a generalist

therapist and co-chair of the Eating Disorders Treatment Team. So, in addition to providing counsel-

ing services for students, I am responsible for assessment and outreach related to disordered eating

and body image disturbance. I have also appointed myself Chief Mischief Maker

(CMM) of the Counseling Center.

Favorite food? Anything pickled or fermented.

If your life was a movie, what genre would it be? Rockumentary, of course! Actually,

probably a comedy. My friends have noted that pretty ridiculous things seem to hap-

pen to me, and I would agree.

Three words to describe yourself? Loving, silly, and confused (in a “the universe-is-

huge-wowie-zowie” kind of way). Words in parentheses don’t count.

Favorite hobby/hobbies? Writing/recording music, and wiffle ball. For some reason, I have received

awards for pitching and lifetime achievement in my wiffle league.

If you could visit any place in the world, where would it

be? First choice, and I’m not sure if this counts, would defi-

nitely be Earth’s exosphere—the uppermost part of the at-

mosphere. I’m thinking the view would be pretty great. Sec-

ond choice: Longyearbyen in Norway. It’s supposedly the

world’s northernmost city. That seems like fun, right? At

least the name is.

If you were a tree, what would you be and why? Whatever spe-

cies of tree is home to lots of animals. It would be a great par-

ty.

Additional comments or announcements? Eating Disorder

Awareness Week is coming up from 2/23/15 –

2/27/15. Get ready!"

NEW STAFF to the Counseling Center! Featuring the illustrious Mr. Andrews

Counseling Center Paraprofessional

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SUDOKU Puzzles Please refer to the back page for the solutions

Counseling Center Paraprofessional

Solutions Great Job!

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