Counseling Center Groups are a great way to connect with others and receive support during these times of isolation.
If you are interested in joining one or more of the groups, please email counseling@csi.cuny.edu. You can join a group at any point in the semester. The groups appear in alphabetical order.
Autism Spectrum Skills Group
This group is designed specifically for students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Group members will gain a better understanding of how to interact with people and manage relationships, and strategies to adapt to change in routine and life transitions (i.e., transitioning into and out of college, internship, or work settings). The group will also focus on managing stress and anxiety in one’s day-to-day life, as well as in social situations.
Group members will learn how to read social cues, understand body language, how to initiate conversations, and how to develop new friendships/relationships by building their independence and self-advocacy skills.
Time: Thursdays, 2:30pm to 4:00pm, beginning Feb. 11.
BIPOC Mental Health Matters
This is a group for students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) who are navigating our current complex and difficult racial climate. This group will provide a space to come together weekly to foster community. The group will serve to openly engage in dialogues about the lived experience of being a person of color on and off this campus. This group aims to empower students and help them recognize that there are others who share similar experiences. The focus of this group is on creating a space for BIPOC students to support one another around experiences of discrimination/oppression/racism, and gain wisdom and energy from each other. Additionally, topics such as anxiety, depression, family and relationship issues, academics, and/or other stressors may be discussed, as guided by group needs.
Time: Thursdays, 5:30pm to 7:00pm, beginning Feb. 11
Grief Group Counseling
Many people have lost loved ones, whether due to COVID, another illness, tragedy, or other circumstances. The COVID pandemic has kept people apart from loved ones in the hospital, postponed memorial services, and caused more despair by making it difficult to grieve. Losing a loved one at any time is distressing and some may have difficulty engaging in the grieving process for a variety of reasons. This group provides opportunities for sharing personal grief experiences while also receiving support from others who have lost a loved one. This group will help you to identify different ways you are experiencing your grief experience and develop personal approaches to addressing emotions.
Time: Tuesdays, 6:30pm to 7:30pm, beginning Feb. 9
Helping Professionals and First Responders Group
The pandemic has created unique challenges for those in the helping professions. Suffering has increased and the demand for services has gone beyond anything we have ever seen. People in the helping professions report feelings of exhaustion, compassion fatigue, helplessness, and trauma. For some, emotional support is lacking because others do not quite understand what those in the helping professions are experiencing. The purpose of this group is to provide a safe space to talk about experiences, get support from each other, and develop personal approaches to manage distress. This group is designed specifically for our students in the mental health programs, nursing, education, and any student who is serving in the helping professions or as a first responder.
Time: Tuesdays, 2:30pm to 4:00pm, beginning Feb. 9
International Student Support Group
This is an unstructured group in which members are welcome to bring any issues to the group that they feel are important. It is an opportunity for members to share thoughts and express feelings in a safe and confidential environment, while also providing encouragement, support, and feedback to others. This group is a place for international students to discuss and share their unique stressors and cross-cultural experiences, both on and off campus. The group may also explore issues about family support, loneliness, isolation, anxiety, and depression. The group’s needs will guide the discussion.
Time: Wednesdays, 5:00pm to 6:00pm, beginning Feb. 10
Macaulay Honor’s College CSI Student Therapy Group
This is an unstructured group in which members are welcome to bring any issues to the group they feel are important. It is an opportunity for members to share thoughts and express feelings in a safe and confidential environment, while also providing encouragement, support, and feedback to others. Macaulay students face unique pressures, and virtual learning has created additional challenges. The group’s needs will guide the discussion. Some common themes that may emerge are anxiety, depression, perfectionism, family issues and pressures, relationships, cultural expectations and stressors, and online disengagement and isolation. Members can deepen their own level of self-awareness, as well as learn how they relate to others.
Time: Tuesdays, 2:30pm to 4:00pm, beginning Feb. 9
Personal Growth Group
This is an unstructured group in which members are welcome to bring any issues to the group that they feel are important. It is an opportunity for members to share thoughts and express feelings in a safe and confidential environment, while also providing encouragement, support, and feedback to others. The focus is flexible and can change from week to week. Some common themes are family issues, relationships, stress management, self-care, academic stress, study strategies, cultural issues, and past events that clients find affect them now in any way and how members cope with depression, anxiety, and other stressful situations. Members can deepen their own level of self-awareness, as well as learn how they relate to others.
There will be three Personal Development Groups offered at the following times:
Mondays, 12:30pm to 2:00pm, beginning Feb. 8
Mondays, 2:30pm to 4:00pm, beginning Feb. 1
Thursdays, 2:30pm to 4:00pm, beginning Feb. 4
By Ann Booth, PsyD
