Moving Your Emotional Baggage to College

         Just because we left home for school, doesn't mean we've left every problem behind. Sometimes, we come to college with bigger baggage than we ever knew we were lugging. Other times, the stress of academia can reduce us to (what feels like) a frazzled mess. Maybe we're more homesick than we ever imagined. We're adults now, and the real world can be a scary place. We have larger problems than a well intentioned, trusted friend can fix.

                     Going to UT Tyler gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet many new people. Every one of these new friends comes from a different place, a different paradigm. Being a good friend was something I have always prided myself in, so I needed some professional advice. I became a Peer Educator in my sophomore year. I needed to learn how I can help the people around me that were struggling. Things come up when you share a dorm or eat every meal together. Now, even after leaving PeerEds to focus more on school, I am thankful for the lessons I learned.
                     Though I have been properly trained to council my friends and give them the facts about their mental and physical health, I don't have all the answers. The Student Counseling Center is staffed with licensed professional counselors that are available to provide a variety of services for a wide range of concerns in a confidential setting. That means that they know what we don't know, and now we know where we can go to find any help we need. It is included in tuition for UT Tyler students. If any UT Tyler student is interested in visiting, you can just walk in. The office is located on the third floor of the University Center, next to the Student Testing Center. The lady at the front is named Millie. :)

I know this is heavy, y'all, but it is real.