UNews - counsellor

Piquette champions unique learning environment

trevor.kenney — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 16:14:40 +0000

Dr. Noella Piquette is an associate professor and registered psychologist in the Faculty of Education.

Her research areas encompass inclusive education, counseling diverse clients, assessment and development psychology. She is currently involved in research on early literacy supports for rural communities, inclusive teahcing practices: differentiation and gender specific counselling treatment options.

Piquette teaches predominantly in educational psychology and counsellor training - her teaching and research interest areas are concentrated on supporting marginalized populations. She is keenly interested in application based research dissemination for early intervention and informing practice.

A proponent of the small class sizes at the U of L, she sees the unique relationship building that can occur when students and instructors work closely together, resulting in benefits for both.

Co-op interns show off creative side

trevor.kenney — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:33:55 +0000

While Statistics Canada reported a 17 per cent unemployment rate for 15-24 year-old students this past summer, Faculty of Arts and Science co-op students told a different story, as they were all too happy to flash evidence of their impressive co-op work term experiences.

Students submitted work related pictures for the second year of the Co-operative Education and Internship Programs' photo contest. Arts and science co-op students are voting for this year's winner out of three finalists.

Gavin McAtee, a third-year kinesiology and psychology major, clearly had a lot of fun on his work term at Camp Warwa, west of Edmonton.

"This photo encompasses my entire experience as a summer camp counsellor/outdoor school co-ordinator. Not only did I have the opportunity to work with a variety of different age groups, I also had a blast while doing it," says McAtee.

Co-op student Gavin McAtee alongside a stormtrooper in

He says that the work term has clarified his career aspirations.

"As the result of my co-op experience, it has finally become clear that I wish to use my university education to pursue a career that provides athletic development programs for youth."

Evan Vandervalk, entering his third year in biological sciences, used pictures to compare old and new ways of tracking grizzly bears.

"My job this summer was to set up, bait and re-visit what are called 'hair snag sites'," says Vandervalk. "A bait pile, made up of sticks, moss, and rotten cow's blood serves to draw bears into the corral, over the single strand of wire, on which they snag their fur."

The data collected was used to estimate the grizzly population in the area near Hinton, Alta.

"My supervisor is hoping that these sorts of sites will function as a cheaper and less invasive way to monitor grizzly populations as compared to the collaring and trapping typically done in the past, which causes stress to the animal and costs more money," says Vandervalk.

Other students have focused on the natural beauty of their work settings, including 2011 contest finalist, Lucas Pittman. A fourth-year environmental science student, Pittman did a co-op work term with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and is pictured walking in the direction of Chief Mountain and Waterton Lakes National Park.

"That's me using my hand-made yoke to carry out bags of weeds, which we manually removed from the Shoderee Ranch Property," says Pittman.

An Inuit family jigging for Arctic Char and seals on the broken ice near Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Photo by Lorin Doerksen

Lorin Doerksen's breathtaking photo in Nunavut was a part of last year's contest. He completed a 16-month co-op work term with Environment Canada before graduating with a Bachelor of Science with Co-operative Education last June. He now works for a small environmental consulting company in the upstream oil and gas industry.

"The experiences gained during the internship have proven useful, not only in getting my resumé noticed, but also in improving my ability to adapt to a new company and new responsibilities," says Doerksen.

Despite appearances to the contrary, Doerksen explains his photo was actually a late night scene taken at 1 a.m. one July morning.

"One evening I caught a ride out along the bay to a fishing spot. Each summer, by about July, the bay ice breaks up and Arctic Char move in to feed," says Doerksen. "Seals also follow the Char into the bay. Inuit families make use of the 24-hour sunlight to fish late into the night."

As a student intern, Doerksen was part of the Contaminated Sites Expert Support Group covering the Prairie and Northern Region.

"Contaminated sites include old mines (gold, uranium and silver), tailings ponds, Distant Early Warning (DEW) line sites in the arctic, and various other contamination sites all over the southern parts of our region."

Jasminn Berteotti, Applied Studies and Co-operative Education co-ordinator for the Faculty of Arts and Science, explains why the photo contest was started.

"We wanted to give our co-op students a creative venue for sharing amazing work term experiences with each other," she says. "We were looking for a 'Wow! Look what I did,' kind of message, and I think it worked. Our students get to do and see remarkable things, and this is the perfect way to showcase it."

EFAP means more help for families

trevor.kenney — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:42:30 +0000

It's got a new name, a new provider and a new list of available services, but the focus of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's assistance program remains the same – to enhance the wellness of U of L staff and faculty.

Now dubbed the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP), the service is available through Human Solutions, an off-campus company that specializes in providing employee assistance and work-health solutions. It means greater access to a broader scope of assistance mechanisms while maintaining the personal and confidential nature that staff and faculty have grown to trust.

"It gives all employees access to help on a 24-hour basis, which is something we never had before," says Barb Thomsen, co-ordinator of pension and benefits. "Whether it be online, through a telephone call or a face-to-face session, our employees will always be able to access help if they need it."

Initially, Human Solutions was looked at as a complementary service to be added to that already provided by Michele Guenter, the U of L's in-house counsellor. When she accepted a position in B.C., following her husband to the west coast, Human Solutions was brought in as the sole provider.

"There was no intent for Michele not to be here," says Thomsen. "We were planning on adding this to Michele's services because her workload was so high as it was, it was difficult for people to get in to see her."

By contracting to Human Solutions, the EFAP offers access to a wider variety of counselling solutions, far more than one person was able to supply in the past.

"There are any number of counsellors available on any different topic," says Suzanne McIntosh, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's wellness co-ordinator. "It's not just stress or mental health issues that we're talking about. Employees can discuss issues such as financial health, pre-retirement planning and even have access to a series of online parenting sessions."

For staff and faculty who travel out of country, Human Solutions offers an international phone number that can be dialed collect 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Staff, faculty and their families are eligible to receive 12 sessions per participant in each benefit year.

As Thomsen and McIntosh roll out the new service, they are using the opportunity to encourage staff and faculty to look at counselling in a new light.

"You almost have to take the word counselling out of the whole mix," says Thomsen, who sees it more as another support mechanism. "Really, you're just going to go talk with someone. If you look at it that way, it's just a case of somebody helping you or assisting you to look at an issue in different ways."

In that manner, Human Solutions is a valuable resource, says McIntosh.

"Many people don't want to take that step to make an appointment to go and talk with someone, they might feel they are already admitting to a problem," she says. "With this service, just having the opportunity to get more information about a topic might be enough. It doesn't have to always end up as a counselling session and this service allows for that."

They encourage employees to talk to Human Solutions representatives at the Oct. 26 Life Balance Fair in the 1st Choice Savings Centre, or to call 1-800-663-1142 to access help.

GET THE FACTS

• In addition to services provided under the former Employee Assistance Program, the new EFAP provides counselling on single parenting, aging parents, gambling, financial issues and more.

• Family member appointments are available.

• No records are kept at or are accessible by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Confidentiality is strictly maintained.

• For more information on the EFAP, contact Barb Thomsen at 403-329-2379.

This story first appeared in the October issue of the Legend. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Lewis a perfect fit for Alumni post

trevor.kenney — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:02:36 +0000

Joking that some might call her career path "checkered" – she prefers eclectic – retired nurse, Kathy Lewis (BN '83, MEd '99) is both nervous and excited to take on the role of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association (ULAA) president this year.

Lewis began her nursing career in the early 1970s after receiving her RN certificate from the Holy Cross School of Nursing, but a phone call from a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ recruiting officer would lead Lewis to explore a whole new world of possibilities.

"I was married, had two young children and was working as a nursing sessional instructor at the Lethbridge Community College. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ was just starting the nursing program and I was asked to enrol. I remember thinking, 'Gee, why are you contacting me?' I really didn't feel that I had what it took academically, but you know the old saying: success breeds success. I found myself completing courses and did very well. I surprised myself," says Lewis, who completed her BN (with distinction) in 1983.

With an undergraduate degree in hand, Lewis says doors opened to her that had formerly been closed. She landed a job as a discharge planning co-ordinator for St. Mike's Hospital and eventually began working as a home care co-ordinator for the Lethbridge Health Unit. Working as a sexuality educator and counsellor in the 1990s, Lewis decided to pursue her master's degree.

Kathy Lewis sees the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as a positive force in the community.

"I had always liked the teaching part of my job so I opted for a master's in education at the U of L. My supervising professor was Dr. Cynthia Chambers. She was such an inspiration; she had a lot of life experience as a wife, mother, educator and writer and she brought that experience to the classroom," says Lewis. "By coincidence, Ron Chambers taught me my last class, which was a drama elective. It was one of the most rewarding classes I had in all my ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ time. Here I was, almost 50, and I found myself in class pretending to be a cow.

"That is what the university does; it gives you that opportunity to open up to a broad range of ideas, people, experiences and possibilities."

Despite her busy schedule with family, work and schooling, Lewis has always made community service a priority in her life. She has served on various boards, including the Southern Alberta Art Gallery, the Lethbridge Community Band Society and the Allied Arts Council, and has been a canvasser for a variety of different organizations such as the Canadian Diabetes Association. In 2002 she was nominated to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Senate to which she dedicated six years of service. In 2008, while attending a Senate meeting, Lewis volunteered to join the ULAA.

"It was not in my life plan to be on the Alumni Council, but the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is such a positive force, certainly in my life and in the community. It is a major employer in the region, we have excellent research going on, wonderful fine arts and contribute to educating our population. I often say that Lethbridge is a different place because people in the 1960s had a vision. We can be proud of that and proud of the people who made all this happen," says Lewis. "Being a part of the ULAA is a valuable opportunity. I am very much a believer in working together; where we may have shortcomings in experience or knowledge, others fill in. Together we all contribute to the betterment of our society."

During the past two years the ULAA has revised its constitution and by-laws to ensure that the association continues moving in the right direction, maintaining its focus on building relationships with the community, students and alumni.

"In Spring 2012, thanks to the hard work of Cheryl Meheden and her committee, we will be launching a Fiat Lux ring as part of our 45th Anniversary celebration at the U of L. We hope every alumnus will want to have one and wear it with pride," says Lewis. "Our alumni chapters are essential. Together we are over 32,000 strong. We are represented on the Board of Governors, the Senate and many ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ committees. Our voice is at the table of decision-making and our participation is vital to the success of this institution. I would encourage each alum that when the timing is right and the opportunity to get involved knocks – open the door."

GET THE FACTS

· Lewis is a proud mother and grandmother.

· A member of ULAA since 2008, she served as ULAA vice-president from 2009 to 2011.

· Lewis plays clarinet with the Lethbridge Community Band Society, and is also a former concert planner.

· Lewis is a former ESL tutor with the Lethbridge Public Library.

· In 2009 she completed her RN re-certification through Grant MacEwan ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

This story first appeared in the September issue of the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Fenske made the most of his U of L opportunities

trevor.kenney — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 21:50:46 +0000

When he enrolled in psychology at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Dr. Mark Fenske (BSc '96, Distinction) had a goal – he wanted to help people.

The associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Guelph, and co-author of the Canadian best-seller, The Winner's Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success, initially thought about becoming a counsellor. But after the opportunity to work as a research assistant for
Dr. Scott Allen opened up, Fenske found he was hooked on cognitive psychology.

"Lethbridge has some really good people. You get to know these people on a level that you probably wouldn't at a larger institution," says Fenske. "Working with Drs. Scott Allen, John Vokey and Don Read, who were the cognition faculty in the psychology department at the time, was a bit of an awakening for me. I was able to learn about memory, about how we interact with the world around us, what drives our behaviour, how we make decisions and how we pay attention.
"I learned there is so much more to psychology than the commonly-held view of people lying on a couch and talking about their problems."

Alumnus Mark Fenske is thankful for the research foundation he established while still an undergraduate student.

Fenske made the most of his one-on-one opportunities with faculty.

"I was able to get a lot of face time with faculty and learn what life in a research lab is all about," he says. "It really cultivated a sense of excitement for research, and I was given a lot of responsibility. I learned a lot in terms of computer programming, setting up experiments, running subjects and how to analyze data. Those are skills and training that I otherwise might not have gotten until grad school."

By the time he graduated in 1996, Fenske knew that he wanted to pursue a career in academia.

"One of the driving forces for me has always been about how I can have a positive impact on others. A lot of the people who have had a major influence on my life have been teachers or instructors," he says. "If you are teaching three or four classes a year and each class has up to 100 students, you have the potential to have a positive influence on lots of people. And as an academic, when you are not preparing or giving lectures, you get to investigate important issues that you find interesting. It is a fantastic job."

Supported by NSERC scholarships, Fenske completed both a master's and PhD in psychology from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Waterloo by 2001. After a two-year post doc at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Wales in Bangor, Fenske moved to Boston, Mass. in 2003, where he began to integrate cognitive psychology with neuroscience, the study of the brain.

"In Boston I worked at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, where I had a dual appointment as a research fellow with Harvard Medical School and as an assistant in neuroscience at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). With rapid advances in neuroimaging technology, it became clear that we could learn a lot more by combining our study of human cognition with neuroscience," says Fenske. "Using MRI scanners, we were able to look at the structure of the brain and the areas of activation that related to different cognitive operations. What I now do is try to understand how it is that we do what we do. How do we pay attention to things, remember things and what elicits different emotional responses?"

Fenske spent four years at MGH and Harvard, the last two as faculty, before returning to Canada to work at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Guelph in 2007. In spite of the years of intense research and study, he has never lost sight of his original goal of helping people.

In recent years, he has worked on bringing the knowledge he has gained about cognitive-affective neuroscience to the general public. His work on The Winner's Brain with Dr. Jeff Brown serves as an example.

"The book is all about the neuroscience of success," says Fenske. "What we do with our brain – the different ways in which we stimulate, engage and care for it – can have a significant impact on the way it works, and even alter its physical landscape. We looked at what the latest brain science says about people that excel in key areas related to success, and the various strategies the rest of us can use to fine-tune our brains and become more successful."

GET THE FACTS

· The Winner's Brain was on Amazon Canada's bestseller list, ranking 20th in the All Books category and first in both the Psychology and Success classifications. U of L neuroscience instructor, Dr. Bryan Kolb, is featured in the book.

· Fenske writes a bi-weekly column, Better Brain, for the Globe and Mail newspaper.

· He is the recipient of grants in excess of $1 million and is currently working with the Gambling Research Exchange Ontario.

· Fenske has published more than 35 articles, abstracts and theses, and has presented at more than 40 conferences and seminars.

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a full look at the January issue of the Legend, follow this link.

Fenske appreciates opportunities he was given

trevor.kenney — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:48:22 +0000

When he enrolled in psychology at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Dr. Mark Fenske (BSc '96, Distinction) had a goal – he wanted to help people.

The associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Guelph, and co-author of the Canadian best-seller, The Winner's Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success, initially thought about becoming a counsellor. But after the opportunity to work as a research assistant for Dr. Scott Allen opened up, Fenske found he was hooked on cognitive psychology.

Alumnus Mark Fenske is thankful for the research foundation he established while still an undergraduate.

"Lethbridge has some really good people. You get to know these people on a level that you probably wouldn't at a larger institution," says Fenske. "Working with Drs. Scott Allen, John Vokey and Don Read, who were the cognition faculty in the psychology department at the time, was a bit of an awakening for me. I was able to learn about memory, about how we interact with the world around us, what drives our behaviour, how we make decisions and how we pay attention.
"I learned there is so much more to psychology than the commonly-held view of people lying on a couch and talking about their problems."

Fenske made the most of his one-on-one opportunities with faculty.

"I was able to get a lot of face time with faculty and learn what life in a research lab is all about," he says. "It really cultivated a sense of excitement for research, and I was given a lot of responsibility.
I learned a lot in terms of computer programming, setting up experiments, running subjects and how to analyze data. Those are skills and training that I otherwise might not have gotten until grad school."

By the time he graduated in 1996, Fenske knew that he wanted to pursue a career in academia.

"One of the driving forces for me has always been about how I can have a positive impact on others. A lot of the people who have had a major influence on my life have been teachers or instructors," he says. "If you are teaching three or four classes a year and each class has up to 100 students, you have the potential to have a positive influence on lots of people. And as an academic, when you are not preparing or giving lectures, you get to investigate important issues that you find interesting. It is a fantastic job."

Supported by NSERC scholarships, Fenske completed both a master's and PhD in psychology from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Waterloo by 2001. After a two-year post doc at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Wales in Bangor, Fenske moved to Boston, Mass. in 2003, where he began to integrate cognitive psychology with neuroscience, the study of the brain.

"In Boston I worked at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, where I had a dual appointment as a research fellow with Harvard Medical School and as an assistant in neuroscience at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). With rapid advances in neuroimaging technology, it became clear that we could learn a lot more by combining our study of human cognition with neuroscience," says Fenske. "Using MRI scanners, we were able to look at the structure of the brain and the areas of activation that related to different cognitive operations. What I now do is try to understand how it is that we do what we do. How do we pay attention to things, remember things and what elicits different emotional responses?"

Fenske spent four years at MGH and Harvard, the last two as faculty, before returning to Canada to work at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Guelph in 2007. In spite of the years of intense research and study, he has never lost sight of his original goal of helping people.

In recent years, he has worked on bringing the knowledge he has gained about cognitive-affective neuroscience to the general public. His work on The Winner's Brain with Dr. Jeff Brown serves as an example.

"The book is all about the neuroscience of success," says Fenske. "What we do with our brain – the different ways in which we stimulate, engage and care for it – can have a significant impact on the way it works, and even alter its physical landscape. We looked at what the latest brain science says about people that excel in key areas related to success, and the various strategies the rest of us can use to fine-tune our brains and become more successful."

GET THE FACTS

• The Winner's Brain was on Amazon Canada's bestseller list, ranking 20th in the All Books category and first in both the Psychology and Success classifications. U of L neuroscience instructor, Dr. Bryan Kolb, is featured in the book.

• Fenske writes a bi-weekly column, Better Brain, for the Globe and Mail newspaper.

• He is the recipient of grants in excess of $1 million and is currently working with the Gambling Research Exchange Ontario.

• Fenske has published more than 35 articles, abstracts and theses, and has presented at more than 40 conferences and seminars.

For a full look at the January issue of the Legend, follow this link.

Students' Union has busy summer

trevor.kenney — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:06:58 +0000

By BRIANNE ROHOVIE

With all four ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) Executive Council members having hit the ground running upon taking office May 1, several initiatives set for completion this summer are already well underway.

"We've had opportunities to meet with many people we will be working with this year in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community, municipally, provincially and even federally," says ULSU president Jeremy Girard, adding that he plans to keep a strong focus on maintaining the value of the ULSU to these external stakeholders throughout his term.

An equally important task, planning main elements of ULSU events and initiatives for 2009-2010, is also slated for completion this summer. With this being a central responsibility of the VP Internal, the next few months will prove crucial for Cole Lehto.

"By the end of summer we intend on having concrete arrangements with the artists who will perform at the Zoo this year, as well as plans for what will be involved in other ULSU events," Lehto says.

Among additional tasks on Executive Council member's to-do lists are: complete a detailed plan for Fresh Fest 2009, take steps to have a used text book exchange program in place for this school year and make arrangements to host academic speakers and ensure the ULSU food bank is prepared to continue serving students at a high level of functionality.

"I want to see the food bank running efficiently and effectively all year," Lehto says. "With the addition of a food-planning guide, which will act like an in-hand counsellor, we can provide an even greater service to food bank users."

From September's Fresh Fest to April's Last Class Bash, with awareness weeks, concerts, charity drives and club events in between, Girard promises 2009-2010 will be a great year at the U of L.

"I think this year we have the potential, through our many initiatives, to reach more students than we ever have before," says Girard, adding that the Executive Council is prepared to work as hard as is necessary to do so.

"Although we've begun our terms very strongly, I'm sure that over the year our energy levels will fluctuate," Lehto says. "We plan on keeping pace in a way that allows us to cross the finish line still running."

Miller uses co-op experience to shape future

trevor.kenney — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:18:10 +0000

By ERICA LIND

Career choices do not come easily to most of us. Learning about your career in the classroom is one thing; learning about it in the work world is quite another. This is something Holly Miller found, and it is something that led her to change her career path entirely.

With a double major in French and English, Miller wondered what she could do with her degree.

"I talked to a U of L counsellor who suggested I talk to the people at the Co-op office," she explains. "So I asked them about the program and they totally sold me on it."

Holly Miller worked four different co-op work terms during her time in the Arts & Science Co-operative Education Program.

Miller had initially thought that the Arts and Science Co-op program was only for students in the sciences, but when she learned that there were also jobs for students in the arts, she decided to participate in the program.

The Arts and Science Co-operative Education Program at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge works to create a partnership between students, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and the employer, and allows for an extended learning environment as well as the ability to network with employers. Students can integrate academic semesters with work terms, and can apply skills learned in the classroom directly to the workplace and vice versa.

Miller completed her first work term at the Rocky Mountain House Museum as a museum assistant. She had a variety of responsibilities including interpreting, helping with activities and tours and taking inventory for an entire floor of the museum.

She then completed a second work term at the museum, which involved translating a variety of materials from English to French. Her main project was translating the life story of Henry Stelfox, who had important historical connections with the Native peoples of the area.

Next, Miller accepted a third work term at the Communications Security Establishment of Canada, which is a branch of the Department of Defence. The Communications Security Establishment gathers foreign intelligence and is an expert on secure technology. Miller worked again as a translator, this time translating and editing sensitive documents.

"Working at CSEC was such a unique experience," says Miller. "The most memorable part of the job was how respected Co-op students were; we were treated not just as temporary help but as an investment in the organization's future."

Miller then completed her fourth work term at the City of Edmonton's NextGen Initiative. The purpose of the NextGen Initiative is to represent the 18 to 40-year old demographic in Edmonton and to give them a voice in how to best develop the community to meet the needs of the next generation. Her position as a coordinator assistant helped with communications, marketing and the planning of meetings and events.

"I liked it better than translating," she says. "I like planning events and working with people. Before I started the Co-op program I thought for sure that I wanted to be a translator, but when I actually tried doing it I realized that it maybe wasn't the career for me, and that I preferred doing a variety of tasks, so now I've completely shifted directions in my career goals."

The skills Miller learned during her work terms are varied and valuable. She has learned about government operations and structure at both a federal and provincial level, how communications and marketing works, and she has learned the value of networking and making a good impression. According to Miller, the practical experience gained from the Co-op program is essential.

"Being in the workforce and seeing what it's like is really important," she emphasizes. "It's like a two-way interview – the company is seeing what you're like and you're seeing what the company is like. That can really shape your decision about what you want to do for a living."

Another benefit of the Co-op program is its flexibility. After four months of working at a company you often have the option of leaving or staying longer, or sometimes staying permanently. Miller views the Co-op program as a win-win situation.

"I don't understand why anyone wouldn't do it," she says. "I really can't say enough about it. It's just an amazing program."

For more information on the Co-op program, contact the Faculty of Arts and Science Applied Studies/Co-operative Education and Internships office at B610, or phone 403-329-2000.

Planning well underway for fall semester

trevor.kenney — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:54:22 +0000

With all four ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) Executive Council members having hit the ground running upon taking office May 1, several initiatives set for completion this summer are already well underway.

"By the end of summer we intend on having concrete arrangements with the artists who will perform at the Zoo this year, as well as plans for what will be involved in other ULSU events," Lehto says.

From September's Fresh Fest to April's Last Class Bash, with awareness weeks, concerts, charity drives and club events in between, Girard promises 2009-2010 will be a great year at the U of L.

Counselling Services offers safe haven

trevor.kenney — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:37:33 +0000

When it comes to maintaining their physical health, people know where to turn. However, maintaining one's mental health may present unique challenges and it is important to know what resources are available to students on campus.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, through collaboration of the Counselling Services office and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Health Centre, has created a safe environment through which students can get the assistance they need.

"This is a trusting and nurturing place where you can refocus and get some balance to your life," Counselling Services Coordinator Barbara Williams says.

"If we can reach out to folks and make them realize that everyone, at some point in their lives, hits some kind of a bump. If you are unable, for whatever reason, to find your own way around it, then this is a safe and reasonable place for them to come for some help."

The Counselling Services office is celebrating its one-year anniversary in Turcotte Hall (TH218) and Williams and her staff could not be happier with the change in location. Previously located in the Registrar's Office, that site did not provide the privacy they so desperately need to help students feel comfortable when they are seeking assistance.

Williams describes the new office as a one-flow environment where students can come in, be discreetly directed to a counsellor and then leave through a separate entrance — all designed to build trust and honour privacy.

The months of January and February are typically difficult times for many students, Williams explains. For new students, the reality of their first post-secondary term has hit with the first set of grades. Some have found it difficult to adjust to the university lifestyle as the newness of the experience wears off. Combine that with the cold, dark days of winter and the post-Christmas lull and it can be a tough time.

"This is the point where they are really changing a lot about themselves and their environment," she says.

"They've been out there trying to implement some of the strategies that worked for them in high school and discovered they may not work for them anymore."

It is important students recognize when they need help — and that's before they hit a crisis point.

"You don't have to be in crisis to come here, in fact it's so much better if we can have students come to us when they are feeling a little stressed or that there is something that's not balanced in their life," says Williams. "It's much better if we can get them at that point because the strategies that we can help them incorporate into their lives will be much more preventative."

It is a team approach they use, one that reaches beyond the counselling office to the Health Centre where psychiatrist Dr. Wayne Edwards can also be utilized. Williams' team is well rounded and can deal with any issues that walk through the door.

"We are all mental health professionals but various members of our team come with different educational backgrounds and different clinical backgrounds so they are able to bring those strengths into our unit," she says. "That allows us to funnel our students to the counsellor who gives them the strongest support."

Allison Roest is one of those counsellors. She's quick to add that they do not do all the work, getting through a problem is a shared responsibility with the student.

"It's a collaborative process, it's not something we're going to do to them, we're going to work together with the student in order to find solutions to whatever is happening," Roest says.

What is important to remember, adds fellow counsellor Mark Slomp, is that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, rather it's just the opposite.

"We really see counselling as an empowering experience," he says.

GET THE FACTS

• The Counselling Services office sees more than 70 students per week, on average

• Counselling Services offers a variety of outreach programs and workshops, headed by Heather Rowland. The workshops are psychoeducational and Rowland says it can be a non-threatening way for students to engage in counselling services

• Counsellors Allison Roest and Mark Slomp teach a full-credit course in career development, available to all students through the Faculty of Education

• To make an appointment with a counsellor, contact the Counselling Services office at 403-317-2845

UNews - counsellor

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