Good mental health is essential for physical health, quality of life, and life satisfaction. It serves as an integral foundation for healthy relationships, problem-solving skills, stress management, and job satisfaction. Even in the best of circumstances, it is not unusual for people to experience depression, anxiety, stress, and related problems. With particular regard for these extraordinary times, as we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and related complexities for the foreseeable future, our lives continue to unfold. We face a range of challenges to our psychological resilience. Even the most resilient individuals will struggle from time to time. Our mental health should be cultivated and safeguarded. As a means of support, please be aware that there are a number of entities available on campus to provide a range of services to faculty, staff, and students, as well as members of the larger Oxford-Lafayette County community, as needed.
The Psychological Services Center (PSC) is dedicated to providing affordable and accessible mental health care services to the Oxford/Lafayette community and beyond. The PSC serves individuals of all ages and backgrounds, including UM students and faculty, as well as children and adults in the community. The PSC offers a wide range of services, including individual, couples, and family therapy, and diagnostic testing for learning, behavior, and emotional difficulties. Services are provided by a dedicated team of doctoral students working under the supervision of licensed clinical psychologists. The PSC is committed to meeting the needs of our community and providing competent, culturally-responsive mental health care. Due to safety concerns related to COVID-19, the PSC is currently offering services via telehealth. For more information about PSC services, visit the PSC website. To schedule an appointment, please call (662) 915-7385 or (662) 237-8373.
It is a good life skill to know when, how and where to go for help when it is needed. The University Counseling Center (UCC) is one of those places on our campus to get help related to mental health needs. The UCC offers individual and group psychotherapy for students and some limited services for faculty and staff. UCC services are provided by licensed clinicians, provisionally licensed clinicians and selected graduate students. UCC services are free to students. For more information please attend a drop in opportunity on Thursdays between 10 am and 11 am and/or visit the UCC website. Remember that you are not alone during this time.
The University of Mississippi Clinical-Disaster Research Center (UM-CDRC) specializes in community-based psychological first aid (CBPFA; analogous to medical first aid), with workshops offered conjointly with the support of the Psychological Services Center. CBPFA helps individuals to develop skills they can use in coping with the stress in their own lives, as well as stress in the lives of others. These skills include a knowledge of stress and extreme or overwhelming (traumatic) stress, effective active listening skills, and knowledge about how to help someone access other forms of psychological support if needed. For information about our CBPFA program, please contact Mikaela Raley or Jeff Pavlacic through the Psychological Services Center at (662) 915-7385. For information regarding COVID-19 and associated stress, visit the CDRC‘s COVID=19 webpage and the CDRC‘s COVID-19 Media webpage.
The Clinic for Outreach and Personal Enrichment (COPE) offers free mental health counseling not only to faculty, staff, and students of UM, but also members of the community. COPE counselors are a team of talented graduate students working under the supervision of licensed counselors and faculty. Due to COVID-19 safety concerns, COPE is currently offering Telemental Health services to individual adults. They look forward to reopening for play therapy and family counseling when it is safe to do so. For more information, visit the COPE website.