Counseling Services launches new video series with advice for ‘making the most of where you are’

The new video message from Mark Eades, counselor/group coordinator with Counseling Services, is the first in a series of videos offering advice about positive coping mechanisms for students, faculty and staff.

Counselor and Group Coordinator Mark Eades

As the Elon community practices social distancing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, Counseling Services is reminding students, faculty and staff about the importance of prioritizing mental health and wellness during this period.

In an effort to promote mental wellness, Counseling Services has launched a series of videos to offer advice for positive coping mechanisms during these uncertain times. In the first video installment, Counselor and Group Coordinator Mark Eades encourages viewers to make the most of their situations.

“If all I’m doing is thinking about what I can’t do where we’re at, it’s hard to really imagine what I can do with the things that I have, with the people I have in the space where I am,” Eades said.

Eades promotes a “strength mindset” that focuses on the positives in one’s situation as opposed to a “deficit mindset” that focuses on the negatives.

Watch the entire video here:

For more information about coping during the COVID-19 pandemic, visit the Counseling Services “COVID-19 and Your Mental Health” webpage, which offers several online tools to help you get through this time.

Counseling Services has staff members dedicated to offering services remotely while many students, faculty and staff are away from campus. During Elon’s altered schedule, the office will assist the campus community through a variety of services, depending on the needs of each individual.

Regardless of location, students with urgent mental health needs can contact the Crisis Counselor On Call, 24/7, by calling Campus Safety and Police at 336-278-5555. There are also several referral programs for students in search of other counseling services:

Counseling Services also offers access to Therapy Assistance Online (TAO), an online resource that can be used to provide psycho-educational and skill-based learning around anxiety, mindfulness and other mental health topics. Elon students have 24/7 access to TAO using an Elon email address.