On Campus Resources
Utica University Counseling Center
Health and Wellness Center: Utica University
Life is tough, but so are you. Here in the Counseling Center, we understand that. University is a special time in one's life and as exciting as it may be, it can be stressful and challenging. We can be faced with unforeseen circumstances and/ or disappointments that create significant barriers and impact our mental health. We are here to support and provide you with the support you need to handle difficult times and improve your overall well being.
College is meant to be fun! Let us help you make the best of your experience!
Helpful Apps
- Finch Self-Care A self-care pet app that helps you feel prepared and positive, one day at a time.
- Habitica A gamification app to help you manage your mental heath!
- Calm "Our app puts the tools to feel better in your back pocket, with personalized content to manage stress and anxiety, get better sleep, and feel more present in your life."
- Worry Watch Guided Anxiety Journal
E-Books
Physical Books
Organizations
- Anxiety and Depression Association of America ADAA’s promise is to raise awareness about the impact of mental health on physical health, to find new treatments, and one day prevent and cure anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and co-occurring disorders.
- The Anxiety Resource Center ADAA’s promise is to raise awareness about the impact of mental health on physical health, to find new treatments, and one day prevent and cure anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and co-occurring disorders.
- Mental Health Is Health "“Mental Health is Health” is an MTV Entertainment Group initiative rooted in the reality that we all have mental health and need to take care of it like we do our physical health. The initiative aims to normalize conversation, create a connection to resources and inspire action on mental health."
- NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Their Vision: "NAMI envisions a world where all people affected by mental illness live healthy, fulfilling lives supported by a community that cares." Their Mission: "NAMI provides advocacy, education, support, and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives."
- NIMH: National Institute of Mental Health The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders. NIMH is one of the 27 Institutes and Centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest biomedical research agency in the world. NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
- The Trevor Project "is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1998. Focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth, they offer a toll-free telephone number where confidential assistance is provided by trained counselors."
Stress Awareness Month created to increase public awareness and provide resources on stress, has been observed every April since 1992. The Stress Management Society has been leading this initiative for over twenty years.
#LeadWithLove—the theme for 2025: is a powerful message aligning with the principles of Unconditional Positive Regard. This theme encourages us to view/act with kindness, compassion, and acceptance, no matter the challenges.
Stress is super common. It is your body's reaction to feeling overwhelmed or out of control. It's like a fight-or-flight response to everyday challenges.
Two kinds of stress:
- Short-term stress (acute): Feels intense but fades fast.
- Long-term stress (chronic): Sticks around due to ongoing issues. This can be tougher on your mind and body.
Signs to Watch For:
- Feeling fried, withdrawn, forgetful, or irritable?
- Trouble sleeping/relaxing or changes in appetite?
- Body tense? Headaches, stomachaches?
Remember, you're not alone. Take care of yourself and don't be afraid to ask for help!
The Stress Management Society's Individual Stress Test
Mindfulness & Meditation
Here are some mindfulness strategies to adopt into your daily practice:
- Do Nothing for Two Minutes
The company Calm created this website to encourage people to do nothing for two minutes while listening to the sound of ocean waves. The timer will reset if you move your mouse or click anything on the screen.
- Exhaler
This website helps you practice breathing methods for relaxation like the square method.
- Bullet Journaling
This type of journaling has an easy system for managing to-dos.
- Free Yoga
Over 500 free at-home yoga videos.
Take a Break with Activities!
Here are some activities you can use to take a break- It's important to take breaks and give yourself time to just be!
Videos
Podcasts & Spotify Playlists
- Hally Healthcast Hally Healthcast is the monthly wellness podcast from Hally® health.
- Perfect Stress "Ever felt like you pushed yourself so much that it actually affected your health, either physically or mentally? "
- Brown Girl Self-Care "Join Bre, aka The Self-Care Pusher from Southern California, as she shares life experiences, weighs in on current events, amps up her wellness/health habits and finds clean(ish) products to try all for the sake of taking her physical, spiritual and emotional well-being to the next level and (hopefully) inspiring other women of color to do so as well. It's time to become obsessed with our self-care!"
- Goodnight, World! "With a whole world to explore, it's no surprise that bedtimes can be a challenge for curious little ones. In this new series from Headspace Studios and Sesame Street, listeners can join Alan and our friends from Sesame Street on an amazing adventure in their imaginations. Along the way they’ll learn how to calm their minds and bodies down for better sleep."
- Headspace Sleepcasts "Sleep by Headspace has introduced sleepcasts — audio content designed specifically to create the right conditions for healthy, restful sleep. Each one transports you to a different sleepy environment, to add a little happily-ever-after to your bedtime routine. Like the sound of that?"
- Heart Wisdom with Jack Kornfield "The Jack Kornfield Heart Wisdom hour celebrates Jack’s ability to mash up his long established Buddhist practices with many other mystical traditions, revealing the poignancy of life’s predicaments and the path to finding freedom from self-interest, self-judgment and unhappiness."
- The Morning Ritual "The Morning Ritual is a meditation podcast intended to do just that. Each episode includes a centering meditation to bring more ease, balance, and joy into your mornings, and ultimately into your lives. Please note, you don’t have to be a morning person or a meditator!"
- Self Care IRL "his podcast will inspire you to take life by the horns and enjoy the ride despite your traumas or circumstances. Sharing the most intimate parts of herself with you"
- Can't Afford Therapy "Be a fly on the wall as Josh "Fazefunk," Antoinette (Around The Way Curls), and SaVon (The Need to Know Podcast) hold conversations about mindfulness, self-compassion, trauma, and more. While being vulnerable and allowing each other to open up about each of their individual life paths, this trio will get you thinking about therapy and the universal experience of being human, with all the joy and pain that it entails. Whether you can afford therapy or not, these conversations will make you question how well you know yourself and are in touch with your mental health"
- Latinx Therapy "Break the stigma of mental health as it relates to the Latinx community. Learn self-help techniques, how to support ourselves or those around us that struggle with mental illnesses and create cultural competency for other providers working with the Latinx population."
- Therappuccino " 46 episodes My name is Bisma Anwar and I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor from New York. Let's talk about self care, coffee, validation, empathy, and all things related to therapy."
- Therapy for Black Girls "The Therapy for Black Girls podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible version of ourselves."
- Therapy Thoughts Podcast "a podcast that features interviews with therapists and other mental health professionals about a wide range of topics related to mental health. This podcast is perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about therapy sessions and how they can help people with mental illness."
- Not Another Anxiety Show "A podcast for all: from the always anxious to the occasionally overwhelmed to the painfully panicked. Join your host Kelli Walker – registered nurse, Certified Health and Wellness Coach, and former agoraphobe – on an anxiety adventure."
- Owning It: The Anxiety Podcast "This practical and relaxed series explores everything from what anxiety is and why it happens to us, how our brains work and why it's actually very normal to the various tools and techniques necessary for owning it. Author Caroline Foran shares her story, along with some expert input, in an attempt to help you show your anxiety who's boss. Most importantly, this is a series that tackles the reality of anxiety from a refreshing and relatable perspective."
- The Dark Place "The Dark Place is a podcast hosted by Joel Kutz, where everyday people share stories about depression, anxiety, trauma, mental illness, and any pain that feels too taboo to talk about elsewhere. This is not therapy. It's just an open, non-judgemental space that hopes to show that if you're struggling, you're not alone."
- The Mental Illness Happy Hour "A weekly online podcast that interviews comedians, artists, friends, and the occasional doctor. Each episode explores mental illness, trauma, addiction and negative thinking."
