By Edgar Gonzalez, Staff Reporter
The clinical therapists for CNM Main Campus gets many students dealing with stress, anxiety, and depression, said Merry Guild, CNM clinical therapist.
Anxiety and depression are like the basic colds of mental health, she said.
They see a lot of students that are dealing with the pressures of school but when something else happens the whole house of cards threatens to come down, Guild said.
Learning how to manage your stress is a good thing, she said.
Exercise is super important and it does not have to be fancy gym workouts, she said.
“CNM has fitness classes and those are great,” she said.
There is also a gym that is free for students between 8 am and 5 pm, but even getting a 30-35 minute walk every day at a fast enough pace to get your heart going is enough, she said.
It is also necessary to have good sleep hygiene, which means going to sleep at a regular time, waking up at a regular time, not drinking a lot of caffeine late in the day, and not having a lot of electronics going in the bedroom, Guild said.
“Dealing with the deadlines from school, GPA, and a personal crisis can be real tough,” she said.
Stress breaks people down and it weakens the immune system so a person is more likely to get sick, Guild said.
“It is a vicious cycle where stress hurts your performance which stresses you out more, plus it takes a toll on your self-esteem, sleep, and it just spirals downward,” Guild said.
Stress can also lead to self-harm through violent acts or substance abuse, she said.
There are about 22 achievement coaches that send people in for counseling, they suggest and encourage the students to try it, Guild said.
If there is an academic issue she will send them to an advisor, she said.
She also sends students to the achievement coaches at the Connect office to get food bank and shelter information or to get health care information, she said.
Some of the coaches are like social workers and they have lots of resources in the community, Guild said.
What is available at the school is eight free counseling sessions a year and all students have to do is be enrolled in one class, she said.
There are also two master level interns that are working with Guild to provide counseling but the only counseling that is available in CNM is at Main Campus, she said.
They do some substance abuse counseling but cannot do any court ordered substance abuse counseling, Guild said.
If it is intense substance abuse they are connected with resources that will also do mandate counseling and court reports, she said.
If students need more counseling they will be referred to places that are sliding scale or take Medicare or affordable care so that is easier for students to get long term counseling, Guild said.
UNM psychology training clinic will also see students for individual counseling for $5 a session, she said.
It is pretty rare when someone does not benefit from counseling and when it does not it is because they drop out after one or two sessions, Guild said.
“You know what they say, it is not the counselor but the client or patient and if someone comes in and is looking and willing to do something different they are going to get better,” she said.
Everything is confidential, they do not talk to anybody unless the student signs a release of information, Guild said.
The Vet Success center has moved into the counseling health clinic so that veterans can get counseling as well, she said.
MORE INFORMATION:
For More Help Please Contact
Merry Guild CNM clinical therapist
(505)-224-3271
Student Services Center
Room SSC 207
900 University SE
Call for more information
