Wintertime Wellness: Mental Health Promotion at Barnard

by Ariel Weinsaft

As the weather outside becomes frightful, days become dimmer and shorter, and academic, social, extracurricular, and general stress heat up, you might notice yourself feeling gloomier than usual. It is a fact that the human body uses sunlight as a means of mood and sleep regulation—winter disrupts your biological clock and in turn can change the way you feel. Perhaps this has brought you to seek help from Barnard’s mental health resources. Continue reading to learn more about what is available to students, including the Furman Counseling Center, and other o erings! Planted in 100 Hewitt Hall, the center is open Monday through ursday from 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. and closes slightly earlier on Fridays. e Rosemary Furman Counseling Center aims to create a space that “promotes the social and emotional development of Barnard students to facilitate their richest experience of College Life.” To aid students in maintaining their mental health, they provide workshops, group

counseling, and individual therapy, as well as medication support, for students in need. Both routine and walk-in appointments are stated as available, with an o ce phone number and an email address made accessible on their website, as well as speci c instructions for how to contact them in urgent situations. While individual therapy provides a one-onone counseling experience, group therapy, as explained by the center, can prove just as meaningful a resource. Here, support is provided through reinforcement of the truth that students are not alone at Barnard. Support group o erings for Fall 2021 included a Body Acceptance Group, a Women of Color Support Group, a Coping With Loss group, a FLI Support Group, and more. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its related guidelines, Furman, committed to providing students with engaging and empathetic support, and understanding that masks might prevent this, holds most of its counseling sessions online. Furman services range from free to low fee, and clinicians take many insurances as they work to remain a ordable and accessible to students. As a short-term clinic, Furman also maintains and works with a network of resources outside of Barnard to promote long-term mental health for its users. Aside from Furman, what other opportunities are made available to promote mental health for Barnard students? Functioning in an educational capacity in promoting wellness and wellbeing is Well-Woman at Barnard. Located in the Barnard Quad on Reid Hall’s rst oor, Well-Woman works through peer-education to inform and advise the Barnard community on multifaceted aspects of health, both mental to physical. Peer educators are composed of Barnard student volunteers who facilitate workshops on topics ranging from stress reduction and self-care, body image, maintaining healthy communication habits, and more. While in-person events are currently on hold due to current COVID-19 protocols and restrictions, Well-Woman can be reached by email; groups may request workshops and will be paired with specialized peer educators for meetings in online formats. Other services made available stem from student-run organizations on campus. With nocturnal hours—open from 10:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m., Columbia-Barnard’s Nightline Peer Listening service is an anonymous hotline any student may call to receive empathetic listening from a trained Barnumbian. Sometimes it can feel more comforting to speak with others about personal issues relating to mental health while maintaining anonymity; whether it be with regards to relationship troubles, academic worries, or otherwise, if you are one looking to talk something out, call (212) 854-7777. Nightline is available to listen compassionately. As you make your way through these (literally) cold and dark winter months, know that you are not alone at Barnard. Services such as these are available for you to utilize, here to ease your transition and provide you with comfort, solace, and warmth—do not hesitate to drop by, send an email, or make a call!