Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:00:41] Speaker B: Welcome back to the BAMA Balance Podcast. Real stories about men's mental health. I'm Edward Fountain, and I'm really excited for today's episode because we actually have a special guest with us today, Dr. Perez. Do you want to introduce him for us?
[00:00:55] Speaker C: Yeah, I think so. We've got Dr. Greg Vanderwaal here, and he'll be our first guest for this season's podcast. And I thought it might be appropriate since we're talking about college men's mental health, that kind of is about the subject or the focus of the podcast. And so I thought it'd be great to have him kind of talk about not just the services here on campus, but some of the trends that he's seen and some of the issues that he's been aware of. And I guess with the two of you being what now, seniors and juniors, I don't know if you've seen emerging trends or sort of the same kinds of topics either in your friend groups or in your organizations or other places on campus as it relates to college men's mental health.
[00:01:54] Speaker D: I think Dr. Vanderwaal is easily going to be able to attest more than I am just because I'm kind of around a smaller group. I've been fortunate enough that kind of, like I said last episode, that I've got a great friend group and we like to build each other up. But our freshman year, we had an episode where we lost one of our Pudge brothers due to something similar of this nature.
And that was really tough on all of us. And now that we've seen that, I feel like my friend group bounces hard against that. That's something we try to fight and help each other out on.
But, I mean, I know it's out there. I know it's happening here, but this is exactly why we get somebody like you to come here and talk to students about this, because they may not know opportunities and chances they can get to get some help.
[00:02:43] Speaker C: What do you think? Yeah, I was going to say, so what do you think is what do you think is the status of college men's mental health these days in terms of willingness to seek out help, seek out support, or their level of awareness?
[00:03:01] Speaker B: I think oftentimes what I see from especially, like, guys around my age is I think I'm fortunate enough to have a lot of good friends who are aware of these things. But it is. I think sometimes it can be taboo for guys to talk about these things because they don't. You know, it's the common. You know, you want to show strength. You don't want to be vulnerable.
And I think it's in a weird way, like it. It is showing strength to be vulnerable. And I think slowly that that kind of idea starting to get around to young men is that it's like, it's okay to talk about things that are getting you down. And sometimes, you know, you can't go through it all on your own. Oftentimes you can never go through it.
[00:03:52] Speaker D: All on your own.
[00:03:53] Speaker B: So I think it is something that's been more taboo. But as you know, our understanding of mental health increases, the awareness for it increases as well.
[00:04:03] Speaker C: Right, Right. What do you think?
[00:04:04] Speaker D: There's definitely more awareness now around the subject.
I saw a pretty powerful video last, I guess, the end of last year. It was Jalen Milroe talking about the way he was brought up and kind of his process. His dad was in the military, pretty tough on him.
And, you know, when you're taking a role like he had and getting so much criticism, it was easy for him to fall, you know, and not maybe not have as great mental health as he thought he had, you know, and that's something he has to felt like he needed to keep quiet. He quickly learned that all that's doing is, you know, just gonna hurt you.
So I think. I mean, like you were saying, it does. In my mind, I'd be saying, like, do I really want to get help? But in the reality of things like, I mean, there's no reason not to get help. You don't want something to come out of it worse than it should be.
[00:04:57] Speaker C: Do you think that guys here on campus are open to talking about mental health with each other or in close groups or, again, kind of folks that they trust? Or is it still something that's difficult?
[00:05:18] Speaker D: I mean, I personally, I think it's. Until I took this stance, I'm doing this right now, I would have told you, yes, it's difficult. I'd feel comfortable talking to a smaller group of guys that I've known for a long time.
But when you really start thinking about it, you know, it's honestly probably better to have a bigger group, you know, random people, because they may be going through the same exact thing that you're going through, and you don't know who you could touch with that.
[00:05:44] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. And you were nodding.
[00:05:46] Speaker B: I'll echo that point. I mean, I think, you know, it is.
I think there is something comforting about sharing with a large group of people. That it's like, weirdly like, you know, kind of like letting it be known, like things you're going through. I mean, like Brooke said, if you are willing to share in front of a large group of people, someone who's going through something similar is also willing to share. And then you find a commonality and you find someone, you know you're not alone. Even if you feel like you're the only one going through something, you know you're not.
So I think that's just. It is. There's something comforting. It's scary to do, but I mean, when you share in front of a lot of people about something going on, it is.
There's growth in that and there is a lot of, weirdly, there's a lot of security.
[00:06:38] Speaker C: Sure, sure. And, you know, gosh, Edward, I'm glad you mentioned that. I think it's one of the central points to part of why we developed this podcast is to not only talk about the issues that college men face related to mental health, but also to provide, you know, an affirmation of the message that you're not alone, that there are many other college men who may experience the same kinds of things that, that each one of us do or each one of us has. And how can we learn from each other in terms of how not only to get support, but how to cope, how to manage, how to build our own resilience. So I'm looking forward to this episode today.
[00:07:25] Speaker B: Yeah. So we're going to take a quick break, real quick, and when we get back, we're going to introduce our guest today. And I'm really excited. Stay tuned.
[00:07:51] Speaker E: Wvuafm, Tuscaloosa.
[00:07:54] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 34838.
If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:08:35] Speaker C: Welcome back, Everybody, to the Bama Balance's first segment. And I'm happy to introduce Dr. Greg Vanderwaal, who's our executive director for our counseling center and executive director for our collegiate recovery and Intervention services.
Good afternoon. Hey, how are you?
[00:08:51] Speaker E: Hey. Good. Glad to be here. Thanks for inviting me. It's good to be able to sit down and talk about this. Yeah.
[00:08:57] Speaker C: How's the beginning of the semester gone for you?
[00:08:59] Speaker E: It's gone. Well, it's gets busy right away and doesn't seem to slow down, but I like it that way.
[00:09:07] Speaker C: It takes off in quite a flash with over 40 some thousand students here.
[00:09:12] Speaker E: Now they descend. It feels like you go from this serene summer environment to the chaos of the fall semester with snap of a finger.
[00:09:22] Speaker C: I know, it goes by incredibly fast. Can you tell us just a little bit about, again, your role, who you are, your background, and then some of the services at the counseling center and at Collegiate Recovery?
[00:09:36] Speaker E: Absolutely. So I'm a clinical psychologist by training. I did my graduate school work here at the University of Alabama and started working at the counseling center shortly after I finished there. So I've been at UA in some capacity since the year 2005, but been at the counseling center for about 12 and a half years at this point.
Been the director for about six.
Some of the services that we offer. The counseling center offers counseling services, so therapy for all students, that can be individual therapy, group therapy.
We do couples counseling, and we also do a lot of single session appointments.
Sometimes people are a little reticent to sign up for ongoing counseling at first, and they may want to just try it out so they can schedule one of those single session appointments, talk to somebody, and it's a no strings attached, one and done thing.
But sometimes that helps them determine. Yeah, this is a good resource that I should take advantage of. And they continue on at the counseling center and then at Collegiate Recover, we also offer a wide spectrum of services for students who are struggling with substance use or other addictions. And we have clinical services to help people reduce their substance intake or eliminate that or continue to support them when they're abstinent from substances, even all the way to the other side of the spectrum with our collegiate recovery community, which is a community for students who are in active recovery.
[00:11:11] Speaker C: It's amazing how much as the campus has grown, it's amazing how many students have continued to seek out those services. And I know that those services at the counseling center certainly increased year to year.
[00:11:27] Speaker E: Yes, it's Been a pretty steady growth. And some of that's been with the additional support given by the university, recognizing the need that's there. And so we're glad to be able to serve more students, provide more counseling resources, and students are taking advantage of it.
[00:11:44] Speaker C: Yeah. Can you say a little something about the. I guess, the more recent initiatives, which I guess is more now a program, the embedded.
[00:11:52] Speaker E: So one thing we launched about a year and a half coming up on two years ago, is an embedded therapist initiative where we're positioning therapists within specific departments or colleges across campus, and they're there as part of the counseling center. They're offering very similar, if not the same services that we offer at the main center.
But it's an opportunity to be more visible, to create additional entry points for students.
Our embedded therapists are working hard to build relationships within their colleges or departments to where the faculty and staff know who they are, know how to point students in that direction and get them connected. And so it's creating a lot of. A lot more bridges for students to get connected to services.
And it also really serves the mission of trying to normalize the idea that we can talk about mental health, that paying attention to your mental health is an important thing for everybody.
Not just when you're struggling, but every day is an effort to maintain your mental health. And we do things every day to help us do that.
[00:13:03] Speaker C: You know, we've talked often about this notion that seeking help for mental health or seeking mental health support is a strength and not a weakness. And how do you think of that? And Brooks and Edward, how do you guys think about that?
[00:13:20] Speaker E: Yeah.
I don't think of it as kind of opposites. Like, you either have the strength when you do it, or it's a weakness if you can't think of it more as building a skill. Right. This idea that I can recognize when I don't have the right skills or the right approaches here to help me in this instance, and I can reach out and ask somebody and build those skills through that help seeking. That's a skill that we all develop over time. And there are many things I think we can think of in our lives where we have asked for help and we learn things and with the effort to be able to do it on our own. Right. Coming to counseling is not something that's necessarily a lifelong thing. Right. Sometimes you can go there, you can work towards your goals, build your skills, and get back out there and live your life.
So I think of it like building a skill or a new skill. Like if you were an elite athlete. Right. And you wanted. Wanted to do the best you possibly could for your game. Sometimes you have to reach out to those coaches or trainers, the people that know a lot about that, and they might help you see things in a different way or try something new that gets you further towards your goal.
[00:14:34] Speaker C: For guys here on campus. Edward and Brooks, I guess I'm kind of wondering what is.
What's changed, if anything at all related to college men's outlook or perspective on seeking help for counseling or for mental health.
[00:14:55] Speaker D: I think just since I've been here, it's become more aware a thing.
You realize that guys may not. And I think the big thing with guys is, you know, sometimes we get in our own head saying, are we. Because we go get help? You know, we're such dedicated people to trying to live life on our own. And that doesn't need to be the case all the time. I love the reference you just made about great athletes coming. To my mind, I'm sitting here thinking, tom Brady, debatably, greatest quarterback of all time.
He still has a quarterback coach.
[00:15:28] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:15:30] Speaker D: So sometimes you need those people. And I can encourage anybody that I could ever talk to, you know, please seek out for help.
It's worth it. And like you said, it doesn't have to be all life. Get back on track and get things rolling again and take off.
[00:15:46] Speaker B: Yeah. I think it, like, goes to show the importance of support systems and how people need other people to just to do life. And that's every aspect of it. And mental health is. Is one of the bigger parts of that, is you need to be able to have people you can lean on. You need to be able to have people that you can count on when you're not doing as well. And I mean, I think about it a lot, just having, you know, being at college and being able to find your people because there's so many people here that you are gonna fight. If you look in the places, if you look at, like, what you do, what you enjoy doing, and you look for the similar people, like you're gonna find your people and how easily they can understand you and how much of a benefit that is to have them in your corner. Just to get, like, to add on to the point of, like the quarterbacks coach, like, you need people in your corner who can help you along the way. I think about, like a roommate I had last year who was wise beyond his years. That helped me through multiple things. And we were technically the same age, but it was nice having a different perspective that was a little more grounded for me to grow from.
[00:17:07] Speaker E: You're exactly right. We are relational beings, and sometimes getting that perspective from somebody else, getting out of our own head and thinking about it differently can be so helpful.
And you can think of a therapist as being kind of the ultimate unbiased opinion. Right. It's somebody to bounce things off of. And they don't have skin in the game. They don't have an agenda other than helping you help yourself.
It can really be a powerful space to really look at things in a different way and get that social relationship and support.
[00:17:41] Speaker C: So you mentioned something that's really interesting, and that's the aspect of relation and how a person is in relationship with another person.
And historically, for men, that can be an awkward thing to be in relation with other men, much less others. But in terms of struggling to express, to have words for that relationship and engage in it in a way that's mutual and complementary. And so, you know, this notion of mental health as relational.
I was wondering if you could expand on that some more.
[00:18:24] Speaker E: Absolutely, yeah. I think one of the.
I think one of the most important things to understanding ourselves is being able to understand ourselves as we relate to other people.
And so we learn from other people. We learn from their perspectives and how they approach things, how we observe so much in other people. And if we're just kind of isolated and on our own, we don't get that opportunity to grow.
So I think it's absolutely a vital part of our mental health is to be in relationship with other people.
[00:19:04] Speaker C: So, Greg, over the years you've been here in your role as a staff psychologist at the counseling center, and then now as executive director, what trends have you seen throughout the years as it relates to our college men's mental health here on campus?
[00:19:21] Speaker E: It's a good question. I think the trends you see with men's mental health mirror like overall mental health.
I think we've seen a shift from things like depression being the top issue to much more of the anxiety piece.
I think for men in particular, the impact of substance use can't be ignored and can exacerbate a lot of mental health concerns.
And then recently, I think a huge piece has been isolation, feeling disconnected from other people, and how that can exacerbate other mental health concerns, how it can increase stress, increase anxiety, increase depression.
So I think that's been a trend that I've seen really, in the last five to 10 years.
That again, and not just for men, but for all of our students, men in particular.
[00:20:19] Speaker C: Have you found that our guys here on campus over the years have been. Been more or less open to seeking help, reaching out for counseling?
[00:20:32] Speaker E: It's a good question. I think, overall, the percentage of students that we serve at the counseling center are skewed towards female. Right. So that in and of itself, the men represented on campus are represented in the same proportion as those seeking services.
[00:20:51] Speaker C: At the counseling center.
[00:20:53] Speaker E: That being said, a lot of men come and seek services for mental health, but I think that right there just kind of does show that there might be a little bit more of a reticence to reach out for help in men. Right?
[00:21:07] Speaker C: Yeah. There's so much there related to help seeking and trends that we see here among our guys on campus that we can continue to. To unpack, continue to learn from and explore. And maybe we'll have some time in the next segment to do that. So stay tuned. This is the Bama Balance.
[00:21:44] Speaker E: Wvuafm, Tuscaloosa.
[00:21:46] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling, and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:22:27] Speaker D: What's up, guys? We're back.
This is Brooks, and as we were sitting here talking in the little bit of a break, we got Dr. Vanderwaal talking about a little bit about substance and how that kind of relates to men's mental health. And I know sitting right here at this school, it's so big on, you know, those Fridays and Saturdays. And, I mean, this is what we're about. It's college football season.
You know, we're known as being one of those bigger partying schools in America.
And I know I'm in Greek life, so is Edward, and I've got to see some stuff around that happens. And, you know, sitting here thinking, substances do play a huge role in your mental health, and those addictions can be crippling at times.
And Dr. Vanderbaugh, if you could just talk a little bit on what you think those do to you.
[00:23:18] Speaker E: Well, and I think the bottom line here is whenever you're using a substance, it's.
You can't do that without some sort of impact. Right. And so if you're struggling with something related to Your mental health, substance use, whether it's alcohol, marijuana, anything else is going to have an impact on that. And usually it's exacerbating the issue.
It's creating stressors, it's messing with your sleep, which messes with your ability to cope during the day, you know, with students who come in to seek help with the counseling center, it's a huge issue. Almost half report some experience with binge drinking in the last couple weeks. A lot of students report using other substances.
We always have to work really hard to tease apart what's going on when substances are part of the picture. And so it may not be the primary issue, it may not be the thing that's driving all the struggles, but it is certainly impactful. And it's hard to measure sometimes how much is due to one thing, how much is due to the substance use.
[00:24:25] Speaker D: Do you often think students use substance as a way to try to help themselves out of a problem?
[00:24:32] Speaker E: Very commonly I do think it is often looked at as a solution to a problem, and it's a solution that might be a short term immediate thing that probably exacerbates the problem. Long term is often how it goes. And so if, if that's something that you're turning to time and again to try to fix something in the moment, you're likely creating a pattern that is going to stick with you and maybe be more problematic down the road.
[00:25:02] Speaker B: How much of that. Are you about to say something?
[00:25:04] Speaker D: No. Okay.
[00:25:06] Speaker B: How much of that do you think? Because I know, like, you know, we're still, we're mostly grown as college students, but we're still kind of developing. Sometimes they're not. Sometimes we are. We're like, our brains are not fully developed. Like, do you think that, that, like, what are ways that impacts, like, brain development in terms of like, like you said, you mentioned, like, problems down the road is. I mean, I would imagine that, you know, it can create problems down the road because of the way that it changes our brain and how it functions.
[00:25:35] Speaker E: Yeah, absolutely. No, it can impact the way your brain develops.
It can create problematic patterns, habits that are very difficult to change once they're set.
But yes, even just kind of the neurobiology of how your brain functions is impacted by substances that are in your body. And so I don't have all the expertise to tell you all the little ways that that goes through, nor do I think we have the time today, but it's very true that it does.
And college students are at a developmental stage where they are figuring out kind of what Their relationship is with substances. And we're not sitting here saying that all substance use all the time, everywhere, is always a bad thing. But as we learn a new relationship with things, sometimes that can be rocky, right? We've got to figure out our limits.
And if we're in environments that aren't necessarily set up to help you find limits, that can also be a part of the struggle in addition to anything else.
So much of what our college students are going through related to their mental health are developmental things. Figuring out how to be on their own the first time, separate from the their family of origin, figure out all these new things that are in front of them by themselves.
In the midst of trying to figure out who you are and what you want to do with the rest of your life and what you value, what's important to you, all of that is part of the soup that's impacting mental health at this age.
[00:27:14] Speaker C: Right. I would dare to say, too, that the focus on mental health and men's mental health has also been increased over the years. And I know for me, you know, as an undergraduate, I had no language for mental health, period, much less what I was doing in school or my major. And I don't know if, you know, when I became aware of mental health issues, I don't know as an undergraduate, but.
Did you have that language, Greg, as an undergraduate?
[00:27:51] Speaker E: No. And I'm a little younger than you.
[00:27:54] Speaker C: Thank you for that.
[00:27:56] Speaker E: But it was still something that wasn't very high on the radar. And I do think we've made a lot of strides towards that.
I think men have always talked about mental health. They've just used different language to do that.
And so that's one of the biggest challenges is connecting that to what these services are available, offer until they're available.
[00:28:23] Speaker C: Well, I think it's really promising because I'd venture to say, Edward and Brooks, that men are now more aware of mental health issues than ever before, regardless of whether or not they may be raised reluctant or more willing to seek out services. It feels like the awareness is there, isn't it?
[00:28:46] Speaker B: I would say so, yeah. I mean, it's growing, right. I just think the more we talk about it, the more people will want to talk about it. I mean, you have to have people that, like, for instance, Brooks talked about Jalen Milroe speaking out. I'm sure that probably helped. A lot of people will feel comfortable because they see this, this football player, star quarterback for the best football program ever of all time, and he's talking about his struggles with mental health. And I think just seeing that can that people are more inclined to share because they're like, oh, this titan of a human being is going through the.
[00:29:27] Speaker C: Same thing I am, right? Yes, exactly, exactly. I think now, as we've been talking about this, one of the things I have been thinking about is how to promote not just intervention for mental health issues, but also how do we promote prevention.
And I think the very fact that men are more able to at least talk about their awareness of mental health issues is a piece of prevention, don't you? Absolutely, yeah. I mean, in terms of, you know, some of the topics or just having the ability to say aloud that men have issues related to mental health, period. And what does that look like in college?
[00:30:24] Speaker E: I agree completely. And I love too how some of the ways we talked about it has shifted into a discussion about wellness and well being in addition to mental health or even kind of more antiquatedly mental illness.
When we looked at this as this is mental illness, it's either something you have or you don't have. It's very easy to just kind of exclude yourself from the conversation. Conversation, right. But your mental health is just like your physical health. It's something that we all have and interact with and maintain on a daily basis. You know, you exercise, you eat right, you get good sleep, take care of your health.
There are things we do the same to take care of our mental health too, and our overall well being. And as soon as we recognize that we're all on that mental health spectrum at some point and that we can shift based on what's going on, I think that makes it easier to talk about.
[00:31:20] Speaker C: I agree.
So when you were in college, Greg, as an undergraduate, how much of an awareness did you have related to mental health being a priority for you?
[00:31:32] Speaker E: Yeah, I don't remember anything about that.
[00:31:35] Speaker C: I don't either. I mean, honestly, there was nothing there. But. But for you and Brooks and Edward, what's your first awareness of making your mental health a priority?
[00:31:47] Speaker D: I've talked about it before, I believe, and Dr. Vanderoy, you may have a totally different opinion on this, but this is just me.
You know, when you're working out, when you're taking care of your own body, when you're not just being isolated, just yourself, when you're hanging out with friends and anything you can do to take your mind off of yourself.
[00:32:07] Speaker C: Right.
[00:32:08] Speaker D: I feel like that is such a big thing you can do as a college student.
Working out personally, you know, that is one of those things that takes your Mind off a lot. It's a stress reliever. If you need a break between class studying, that's a great thing to do. Getting proper sleep. I feel like all that just is a chain reaction like you said, to just help out your health and general. Along with that comes your mental health.
[00:32:35] Speaker E: I agree completely. And those two things are inexorably intertwined. Mental health and physical health. And yes, getting outside your own head and into other things that you're doing, investing in your life, your day to day choices, your relationships, all of that can be.
Again we talked about relationships before is a big part of maintaining your overall mental health and well being.
[00:33:02] Speaker C: How about for you, Edward?
[00:33:03] Speaker B: I think just it kind of goes down to, you know, our bodies and our minds are they all like. It has its. We have our needs like on like a physical and mental level.
And you know, like Brooke said, like working out, taking breaks, can getting good sleep. I mean, I think it's like if you think about it as almost like a car, like a car needs oil and needs gas and you need to clean it and you need to take care of it in so many different ways for it to run well.
We're no different. If anything, we're more complex than that just because.
[00:33:39] Speaker C: I would hope so.
[00:33:41] Speaker B: How intricate our minds work. So I think it just.
You need to, I think, understanding. I know for me personally it's like what are the cause, like when I'm feeling a certain way, what causes that and if it's negative, how do I either like alleviate that or get rid of it?
And that's just what it comes down to at the end of the day. It's that process of finding needs, filling needs, finding problems, solving problems.
And it's not easy. And having someone to help you along with it is important.
If anything, it is necessary. But it still takes a little bit of self discipline to do so.
[00:34:30] Speaker C: Right? Self discipline and kind of self reflection too, as you sort of illustrated there.
I feel hopeful that, you know, our college guys these days at least have that increased awareness and willingness to talk about. I think if this podcast has evidence of anything, it's that.
So I'm very hopeful about it.
[00:34:54] Speaker D: Well, this will be it for the end of this segment. We'll be back for the outro in a few minutes.
[00:35:17] Speaker E: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa this show is not a.
[00:35:20] Speaker A: Substitute for professional counseling. And no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:36:01] Speaker B: Welcome back to the last segment of episode 23 of the Bama Balance podcast. And I think one thing that I wanted to touch on, Dr. Vanderwaal, one thing you mentioned about when we were during the break, how we talked about kind of your body has needs and your body is. And your mind also has needs. And it's like human beings are these complex machines in a way of just different emotions and feelings and needs. And you talked about going to the mechanic as a way to describe therapy, and I just thought that was really cool. But maybe touch on that a little bit more.
[00:36:37] Speaker E: Sure. I think it's a good analogy to think about reaching out for help and support with your mental health can be like taking your car to the mechanic in that there may be some things you know how to do at home.
You can check your air tire or your tire pressure or might even be able to change your oil or a battery. But there are things that need to be done on your car that you might need a professional to do. And I think the cool thing about therapy is that's like going to the mechanic, but you also get to kind of get out of the car and watch what they're doing and hopefully learn some stuff for yourself. So there's more and more you can handle and take care of at home on your own.
But everybody needs that. And everybody can encounter things with their mental health where they need somebody else's perspective, opinion, skills that could benefit them. And so just like we do with the mechanic, I think it's a helpful analogy that kind of normalizes that help.
[00:37:34] Speaker C: Seeking behavior and it's building that ability, I think, also to be aware, developing that skill, to be aware of your needs. How do you find the language to communicate that?
And who do you trust? And how can you lean on others to help support and even process some of that awareness?
[00:38:00] Speaker E: Right, that's right. Sometimes it is developing those basic, that basic language. How do I characterize what I'm going through? How can I talk about it?
That's the first step towards understanding and insight for sure.
[00:38:13] Speaker C: You know, it's been an interesting conversation, I think, because a lot of what we've talked about are not just the services and some of the trends and topics related to men's mental health, but Also, I think this notion of developing that awareness and you know, I think that's where it starts.
If men can, can develop that sense of being aware of how they're feeling and developing the language around that, they may then be able to more effectively communicate some of their needs and develop those kinds of relationship skills with others that they may need help from or that they can rely on for help.
[00:39:06] Speaker E: That's right. And beyond that, things that they can use going forward that really will contribute to their success in any endeavor they're leaning into.
[00:39:17] Speaker C: Right.
I would venture to say that some of the things that have happened to our college men in the past, and some of them have been very, very dire and very sad, very tragic.
I would suspect that for a number of those instances that part of what they were going through was born out of a sense of isolation, not having maybe the words or the ability to communicate what they were going through.
And maybe the reticence also, even though they may have had some self awareness, the reticence to then have that ability to seek help.
[00:40:13] Speaker E: That's right.
[00:40:15] Speaker C: Because I think that there's so many. We do have so many resources on campus and gosh, we must talk about those resources from day one at orientation throughout the year.
[00:40:29] Speaker D: Dr. Vanderwaal, on top of that, as a freshman coming in, I would have had absolutely no clue where to find these services, how that works. Can you just give us a brief overview of if somebody wants to seek out help, how exactly they do that?
[00:40:42] Speaker E: Absolutely. There are a couple easy ways to get connected with the counseling center. One, just, just so you know, where we're located, we're over by the east edge apartments and the law school on that kind of southeast corner of campus.
The east edge apartment. Shuttle from the main bus hub drops off right in front of our building.
The best way to get in touch with us is either to call our office.
We have a website, counseling sl, ua, edu.
You can find all the information you need need about our services.
Calling us is the best way to get in touch with us. There is also a way on our website to schedule those. I mentioned those single session appointments.
We do some single session appointments called let's talk. And it's just a 20, 25 minute phone conversation with a therapist. You can schedule those online through our website as well.
But if you call, you'll get one of our great front desk people. Super nice people. I know calling folks is not necessarily something we all are as comfortable doing now, but. And they'll help you get set up with whatever you Need.
[00:41:47] Speaker C: That's awesome.
[00:41:48] Speaker D: Thank you for that.
[00:41:49] Speaker C: And the services are confidential?
[00:41:51] Speaker E: Yes.
[00:41:52] Speaker C: Can you talk a little about.
[00:41:54] Speaker E: All our services are confidential. So within our clinic, so we don't share information with the university, even the fact that you're coming to see us is maintained as confidential. So we want people to know that if you're coming to talk to somebody here, we've got trained professionals and everything is. We keep things private, keep things confidential.
[00:42:13] Speaker C: And I know there have been some mention of fees for individual counseling. Can you talk a little bit about what those are and some of the considerations for students around that?
[00:42:26] Speaker E: Absolutely. So the only service we offer that has a fee attached to it is individual counseling. And so if you come in, you meet with somebody, and we determine being a counseling center client would be the best approach for you. Those individual counseling sessions are $15 and it's billed discreetly to your student account.
But we don't want that $15 to be a barrier. So if that's something you're concerned about, you can bring that up with your therapist when you first meet with them. And we have ways of helping and make sure that that's not.
Not something that gets in the way of you coming. And regardless of what services you're engaging with our center, the first contact you'll have with our office is always free.
So we very much don't want that to be something that gets in the way of people asking for help.
[00:43:15] Speaker C: And has that fee always been $15?
[00:43:19] Speaker E: As far as I know. I think even back in the 90s. So this may be the one thing inflation has not touched.
[00:43:24] Speaker C: Right, right.
[00:43:25] Speaker E: Is the fee for our services. But we've been very grateful that we've been able to maintain it at that level for so long.
[00:43:32] Speaker C: That is pretty remarkable. Tell us a little bit too about the. There's a new internship program you've got.
[00:43:37] Speaker E: Yes, we have a number of graduate students that do train in our center. I think that's a huge important part of our mission.
And one of that is a new psychologist internship program. So we've got three full time interns working at our center. Great people relate really well to our college students.
Yeah, we're really excited about it.
[00:43:57] Speaker C: It's grown a lot since my first year here in 2017. It's been remarkable how much the services have grown. The support for the counseling center has grown and just a number of initiatives that have come from the counseling center. Including tidying and suicide.
[00:44:17] Speaker E: That's right.
[00:44:17] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:44:18] Speaker E: We've been very grateful for the support. And so much of that has come from student support, the support of our sga, a lot of student groups who have really advocated for themselves in bringing more and more mental health resources to campus.
[00:44:32] Speaker C: Right, right. Greg, thanks so much for being here.
[00:44:35] Speaker B: Yeah. Again, just thank you. We appreciate you.
[00:44:38] Speaker E: I'm glad to be here.
[00:44:39] Speaker B: This has been fun, giving up some of your time to come help educate about a lot of not only the resources, but just the thought process behind mental health. And before we go, this is being recorded before the Florida State game. It might come out after, but we are still going to give our score predictions. So we'll start with Dr. Perez and then we'll go to me, even Brooks, then Dr.
Vanderwaal. But Dr. Perez, what are your score prediction for the Florida State.
[00:45:08] Speaker C: My score prediction, I've just revised it. My score prediction.
42 14. Roll tie.
[00:45:17] Speaker B: 42 14. Okay.
I myself am a little less optimistic about our offense.
I think our defense only gives up one touchdown late, but I think we only scored 34. So I'm going to go 34, 13 as the final score broke.
[00:45:36] Speaker D: Totally different. Early, often hard. 45, 9.
[00:45:40] Speaker C: Look at you.
[00:45:41] Speaker D: Look at you.
[00:45:42] Speaker C: So, Edward, don't you think that defense allows our offense to score more often?
[00:45:48] Speaker B: Oh, I agree. I just, I think there'll be some ironing out of the Kings.
[00:45:52] Speaker E: I agree. I agree with that. I'm, you know, I always hedge my bets. I am a therapist, but yeah, I'm gonna, I'm gonna say it's kind of close up into the third quarter, but I'm gonna go 27, 10. Oh, we pull away late.
[00:46:08] Speaker B: I do know this, though.
[00:46:09] Speaker D: I'll take any of it.
[00:46:12] Speaker C: Anyway.
That's a call.
[00:46:16] Speaker B: But I do know it's going to be a bad day for Tommy Castellanos, Portuguese quarterback, that's for sure. But thank you every everyone, so much for tuning in. This is the BAMA balance. Real story stories about college men's mental health. I'm Edward Fountain.
[00:46:30] Speaker D: I'm Brooks Barbary.
[00:46:31] Speaker C: And I'm Dr. Tony Perez.
[00:46:33] Speaker B: And we'll see you all next week.
[00:46:51] Speaker E: WVUAFM, Tuscaloosa.
[00:46:54] Speaker A: This show was not intended as a substitute for professional counseling. Further, the views, views, opinions and conclusions expressed by the show hosts or their guests are their own and not necessarily those of the University of Alabama, its officers or trustees. Any views, opinions or conclusions shared on the show do not create a relationship between the host or any guest and any listener. And such a relationship should never be inferred. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, please contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective county crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
