Wright State University's Counseling and Wellness Services offers a wide variety of resources to all students, including a variety of group therapy sessions for various identity groups. There is also one which is open to everyone, focusing on mindfulness with a new activity each week. They held their second weekly meeting of the semester on Wednesday, Feb. 19, with the activity of mindful coloring.
Present Moments group
The therapy group, called "Present Moments," will be focusing on mindfulness by practicing a different hands-on activity each week when the group meets.
Abigail O'Koon is a senior social work major who runs Present Moments as a part of her practicum for her degree. Last semester, she assisted some other students in running this group, but for this semester, she is taking the lead.
"Our focus is more like mindfulness, then the other groups focus on other topics. [I] thought it was helpful, but I was worried that the same people were gonna come to this group, and I was like, I want to change it up. And [I've] always found that [I am] really more comfortable doing more hands- on activities, because just a bunch of people gets really nervous with me, and I kind of will start stuttering, so reading out things in front of people can be hard," O'Koon said.
O'Koon also shared that she has felt the importance of group therapy in her experience as a student and encourages other students to give it a shot as well.
"I was actually a part of a social anxiety group my junior year that they ran. It [was not] bad. It was just, you know, just there [was not] a lot of people that showed up. Yeah, and with social anxiety groups, because I have social anxiety, and so it's hard. It's harder, I feel like, to get people really engaged in wanting to talk. But you know, that's also just the joy of social anxiety," O'Koon said.
Group therapy can be a great way to talk about common goals or experiences, meet people or get outside of your comfort zone.
Alexander McLeod is a graduate student in social work who helps O'Koon lead Present Moments. Together, they created a safe and healthy environment for attendees to feel grounded and at ease.
"It's been nice to get a chance to know everyone, and just being able to help facilitate mindfulness activities. Because I know [it is definitely a] busy world. Everybody [has] crazy lives, so [it is] nice to come in and just be able to just do something that you typically enjoy in the middle of the day, to take a break from all the chaos of normal life," Mcleod said.
For this event, there were many different sheets available for coloring, as well as boxes of crayons that the leaders let attendees take home with them. The session began and ended with meditation, and attendees shared conversation and the only box of colored pencils.
Perks of the group
CWS offers many different types of group therapy sessions, but Present Moments stands apart in many ways.
"[It is] drop in. So really, everyone's welcome. We [do not] do any, like, pre-group meetings with people or anything. So you can just drop in. If you want to come to one session, you can come to one session, [or] you can come to all of them. [That is] what's kind of nice about this group. [It is] the only group that you can do that with," O'Koon said.
Shannon Moorman is a social work major at WSU who has attended both sessions of Present Moments this semester. While the group is a safe and confidential space, Moorman agreed to openly discuss her experiences.
"I love this group. I do a lot of mental health therapy. And out of all the groups like, this is one of my favorites," Moorman said.
Moorman encourages other students to attend Present Moments and shared why she has enjoyed the two sessions so far.
"Just kind of recenter myself and relax. [It is] a good place, [it is] fun, but it helps me relax and recenter," Moorman said.
With the meditation and coloring, it was certainly a relaxing environment for students to unwind and focus on something fun. Other sessions will look different, with new activities each week. The meetings are posted in Engage so students can know what will happen that week.
Other CWS services
CWS is located in the basement of the Student Union and offers free services to all WSU students. Every student gets six free therapy sessions every semester, and the group therapy sessions do not count towards this number.
"I think [it is] worth coming to try at least once. And if you [do not] like it, you [do not] have to keep doing it. But I think [it is] always worth trying," O'Koon said about CWS group therapy, and their services as a whole.
Present Moments meets in CWS every Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., and all students are welcome to drop by at any point in this window. For more information on other groups or services offered, or to schedule an appointment, visit CWS website.
