The Southern University Counseling Center has added an extra service to their office for this semester to better help students cope with stress related issues.
The ‘Serenity Room,’ which was once the counseling center’s reading room, has been transformed into a relaxing, therapeutic setting for students to relax and unwind from a long day.
ValaRay Irvin, director of the counseling center, also the creator of this project, says she wanted to transform the room into something useful so that students will utilize their services fully.
“We created the ‘Serenity’ room to give students another option to address stress,” said Irvin.
The Serenity Room includes a fully reclined massaging chair that massages from neck to calves, soothing sounds of relaxing music, a soothing aroma of a lavender candle burning and a soothing waterfall.
Students will be able to enjoy a full back and leg massage of 15 preset minutes in the massaging chair while relaxing to calm waters trickling down over rocks.
Once students enter the room, the lights are dimmed, the candle is lit and the water begins to flow to help calm the mood of the room.
Only requirements students will have is to show their student IDs upon arriving to their appointments.
“We are going to be trying to be as flexible so as many students can be able to utilize it as possible,” said Irvin.
Irvin stated that the items that were selected were to set the décor and the feeling of relief and environment.
Irvin says there are still some things she would like to add such as a rug and more calming colors, such as blues and etc.
“I would like to add a biofeedback machine,” said Irvin, “but that’s just a budgetary issue.”
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the biofeedback treatment is a technique in which people are trained to improve their health by using signals from their own bodies.
Psychologists use biofeedback machines to help tense and anxious clients to learn to relax. Other specialists in many different fields use biofeedback to help their patients cope with pain.
According to Irvin once students have finished their sessions, they will be asked sanitize the chair for personal hygiene purposes.
Irvin stated that students would be able to call the counseling center, or walk-in, to schedule an appointment to use the room as a service.
Due to late arrival of all furnishings, the Serenity room will not be available for students until this Friday, February 10.
Hours of operation are from 8 A.M- 5 P.M., so students will have a full nine hours of relaxion.
To make appointments for services of the counseling center, students are urged to call and make appointments at 771-2480.
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UCC Serenity Room creates relaxation
February 7, 2012
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