Student Counseling Services

On Campus

USU Blanding Student Conduct

Admin Building Room 119 - Director of Students

USU Blanding Campus Security

Administration Building

• During the Day call Blanding Police at (435) 678-2334
• In the Evening from 7:00 - 11:00 pm campus security is located in the Administration Building, call (435) 587-2237

Online Screening

If you feel sad, anxious, irritable, hyper, or out of control, free online screenings for a range of common emotional conditions may help you determine the root cause of these feelings.

You can complete the online screening anonymously in just a few minutes. Although the feedback you receive from the screening is not a medical diagnosis, it can help you decide if you could benefit from counseling.

Online screenings are available for:

• Depression
• Bipolar disorder
• Anxiety disorders
• Alcohol use disorder
• Eating disorders
• Post-traumatic stress disorder

Visit the free online screening site to get started.

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Self Care

What is Self-Care?

Self-care is a way of living that incorporates behaviors that help you refresh yourself, replenish your personal motivation, and grow as a person. It is a vital part of maintaining good health and a vibrant life. Building up a repertoire of reliable self-care habits now can affect your quality of life today and in the future. You can begin building self-care into your lifestyle by setting a goal for yourself in each of the following areas.

Three Components of Self-Care

Physical

Physical self-care involves activities that improve your physical health, including diet and exercise. Moving your body is important, whether it is through structured sport or exercise, or through entertainment like dancing or going on a hike. Feed your body healthy foods with high nutritional value on a daily basis, and get plenty of sleep. Go to the doctor when you are sick, and get rest when you need it.

Mental/Emotional

Mental/emotional self-care involves practices that maintain your mental strength and emotional health. Developing reasonable expectations of yourself is an important part of mental and emotional health. Your goal should be to stretch yourself, not break yourself. Learning to be more accepting, kind, and forgiving of yourself can reduce stress and anxiety, and can create a generally more balanced lifestyle. You may need to remove some "shoulds" from your vocabulary, or say "no" to requests from time to time. Focus on improving and expanding your social supports, and create friendships with people who respect you and don't expect you to do all of the work to maintain the relationship. Do a variety of things for fun and stimulation each week.

Spiritual

Spiritual self-care involves practices that exercise your mind and soul. Spirituality can be defined in many ways, and there are a variety of activities that can improve one's spiritual health. Some activities that may contribute to your spiritual self-care include: prayer, meditation, attending services with like-minded others, self-exploration and clarifying your values and priorities, reading literature and initiating meaningful discussions with others, finding a way to contribute to the well-being of others.

Isn't it Selfish to Put Myself First?

Taking care of your needs exists in a balanced, steady place on the middle of a continuum, with intense selfishness on one end, and extreme sacrificing what you need or want for others' sake on the other end. Nurturing oneself is a key factor in being able to maintain strength, resolve, motivation, and inner resources to continue to give to others. In fact, doing too much for others could deprive them of the opportunity to learn how to provide their own self-care.

Self-Help Books

Many books are available through the USU library website. These books can be accessed online for free provided you are a USU student. (This list was compiled by the USU Contextual Behavioral Science lab directed by Dr. Michael Levin.)

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Text Anxiety Self-Help

Test anxiety is worry or fear caused by having to take tests, and most students feel some level of anxiety in testing situations. However, for some students, test anxiety is so intense that it negatively affects their academic success. The objective of the P.A.S.S. Test Anxiety Management program is to help students gain confidence in their test preparation and test taking skills. Taking control of test anxiety and minimizing its negative effects is possible through Preparation, Assessment, Strategies, and Stress Management.

Visit USU Academic Success Programs for help managing text anxiety.

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Helpful Links

• Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH)
• Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
• Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
• National Alliance on Mental Illness|Utah (NAMI)
• MentalHealth.gov
• ParentsEmpowered.org
• Mental Health Screening Tool

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Please note that all of the websites are provided for educational purposes, as they provide information on a variety of topics related to psychology, personal growth, and resources. Although the professional staff at Counseling Services believes that such information can be useful and helpful, please keep in mind the following:

• We are not specifically endorsing any of the above websites or services;
• Self-help materials such as apps or information on websites may not be effective in addressing more complex issues; and
• In the case of a mental health emergency we recommend that you seek assistance immediately.

Please note that the above links connect to sites and websites are not under the control of USU Blanding Student Counseling.