Dear Staff and Faculty,
Sometimes sad events happen in life. We are aware of a number of situations involving tragedy, grief and loss for our faculty, staff, and students which have occurred recently. It is so important to take care of ourselves, and our colleagues, staff, and students during these tough times. We'd like to provide some self-care counseling services and resources to help support those in our college affected by tragedy, grief, or loss.
STUDENT COUNSELING RESOURCES: Students who may be experiencing immediate distress from a tragedy or extremely stressful situation can go to the CSUN Counseling Center urgent care walk-in hours daily from 8 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday in our office in Bayramian Hall 520. Students are able to walk in and ask to be seen same-day for an urgent matter; they do not have to wait for a scheduled appointment. In addition, if it is after UCS business hours (8 am - 5 pm) and/or weekends, students can call UCS at (818) 677-2366 and press option 3. They will be immediately connected to a crisis counselor who can provide counseling support by phone.
FACULTY COUNSELING RESOURCES: If faculty or staff are experiencing stress, grief, or loss, they can utilize free Employee Assistance Program resources through LifeMatters at (800) 367-7474. And, here is a link to short-term counseling services: http://www.csun.edu/benefits/lifematterscsun-short-term-counseling
DOCUMENTS TO HELP WITH TRAGEDY, GRIEF, AND LOSS: We have attached two handouts that might be helpful for yourselves, and your colleagues, staff and students, one on "Dealing with Crisis and Traumatic Events," and the other on "Lifestyle Management as a Result of Grief and Loss."
GENERAL ADVICE FROM OUR COUNSELING CENTER AT A TIME OF CRISIS, TRAGEDY AND LOSS: Basic self-care becomes even more crucial during times of crisis, things like sleep, good nutrition, exercise, reaching out to supportive/trusted others, allowing space and time to acknowledge and express feelings, and making adjustments in schedules as needed for coping.
Our college cares about all of you, and is here to support you and your students in any way possible.
Please take good care of yourselves an each other.
Warmly,
Shari