Satellite Office Moves Help a Little Closer From: University Currents Date: May 17, 2000 Story by: Dawn Fuller Phone: (513) 556-1823 Photo by: Colleen Kelley Archive: Campus News Many students who are presently enrolled in the nation's universities would not have considered college an option a generation ago, thinking they had too many obstacles standing in the way of their academic success. Added to that group are today's so-called non-traditional students, a term quickly becoming pass‚ as more Americans upgrade skills, change careers or return to school after raising children. To meet the changing needs of these students, there's a new service at Room 2219, French Hall, a collaboration between UC Psychological Services and University College. The expansion of Psychological Services and the creation of a satellite office at French Hall has brought a new staff member on campus, but she says it's like coming home. Senior staff therapist Anna Cash is all too familiar with the needs of non-traditional students. When Cash started her graduate work at UC, it was her third foray into an entirely new career. Cash finished her doctorate in clinical psychology at UC in 1999. Now, she says it's her job to help students with their daily struggles so that they can achieve their dreams. Funding for the satellite office comes from the Success Challenge grant to improve university- wide retention efforts, says Psychological Services Director Evangeline Norton, who points to a study published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology that found a 14 percent increase in retention rates for students who sought psychological counseling. "A student may drop out due to academic problems, but when you start understanding it from a psychological perspective, you explore the underlying cause," explains Cash. "They may be having academic problems because of a learning disability. They may have emotional problems they can't concentrate because of anxieties and fears and what surfaces is the academic problem." Cash says the open-access University College resembles a community within the UC campus community. "The students are used to being in this close-knit environment. Their academic relationships are all here." This setting puts the Psychological Services location in Dyer Hall a great distance away. Now, the office is receiving double the number of referrals from University College compared to the last academic year, and the staff doesn't doubt it's because of the added support of the satellite office, which opened in October 1999. "What I like the most about this community is the unique relationship the faculty and staff have with the students. Advisers may notice an academic concern and think, 'wait a minute, there's more to this. This person's struggling with some life challenges,' and now it's easy to say there's someone right down the hall to help you with that," says Cash. Those challenges can include the stress of being an older student who may be holding down a job, supporting a family and serving as the primary care-giver for ailing parents struggles that threaten success not only academically but also in careers and marriages. Cash wants students to know that no matter the burden, they don't have to carry it alone, and sometimes just talking can help. Cash also can make referrals for testing, which Psychological Services provides at a great savings to the student. Therapist Rob Hayden explains that tests for learning disabilities can cost more than $1,000 outside the university, but for those who have student insurance, testing runs $40 dollars in out-of-pocket expenses and $200 for those who do not have student insurance. An estimated 3-5 percent of people suffer a learning disability in a population of UC's size, according to psychologist Debjani Sinha, coordinator of testing and assessment at the Psychological Services Center. "That figure can climb even higher in an open enrollment college such as University College," says Norton. Psychological services provides an evening walk-in clinic at Dyer Hall, where fees are charged by a sliding scale with the lower end running $15 a session. That figure drops to just $8 for those who have student health insurance. Norton says professional services outside the university can cost as much as $125-$150 a visit. Furthermore, Psychological Services has vocational and career counseling. Norton says students who have not declared a major are at a higher risk of dropping out of school. Psychological Services provides other outreach efforts by bringing guest speakers to student functions and class discussions to University College and the College of Arts and Sciences. Topics cover everything from conflict resolution and stress management to overcoming test anxiety. Psychological Services can be contacted by calling 556-0648. Anna Cash also can be reached through that number. She is available at the French Hall satellite office 1- 4:30 p.m. Monday- Friday. Rob Hayden works at the satellite office 10 a.m.-noon Mondays. The web site for Psychological Services is at www.soa.uc.edu/psc.