With
more than 6,000 first-year students expected to arrive soon for the fall term,
Florida State University, Tallahassee, is deploying a new online tool to assist
them in reducing stress and adjusting to the campus. Called the Student
Resilience Project, it was developed by the Institute for Family Violence
Studies at the school’s College of Social Work.
As
part of the project, all incoming freshmen and transfer students receive mandatory
training through animations, TED Talk-style audio presentations by faculty
members and mental-health providers, and videos of current FSU students
recounting their own first-year issues and how they dealt with them. The project
website also offers audios for mindful meditation and music therapy, along with
journaling tips and connections to university and community trauma resources.
Recognizing
that the transition to higher ed and new surroundings can be very stressful for
some students, the project’s aim is to guide new arrivals in building on their
existing strengths and promote strategies for resilience and coping with that
adjustment and the frustration, stress, and feelings of loss or grief that may
accompany it.
“Unmanaged
stress responses can interfere with student success in college and cause
long-term negative consequences,” Karen Oehme, director of the Institute for
Family Violence Studies, said in a release.
