Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
AYoga for Stress Management Program (YSMP) that served as a complementary alternative therapy resource
was successfully implemented at a midsize, predominantly undergraduate university. It v/as offered in addition to traditional treatments for student mental health. Counselors, Residence Life staff, and faculty found
that the program v/as useful for their students/clients, who reported many benefits from participation.
Participants in thisYSMP included students and faculty/staff. Logistics of setting up aYSMP are outlined.
he innovative practice program of focus is a Yoga for Stress Management Program (YSMP), first implemented in the fall of 2001. The
program has been used since then as a complementary alternative
therapy designed to help students cope with stress (Long, Huntley & Ernst,
2001; Rubin & Feeney, 1986). This program was developed and has been
used with the intention of providing preventive, psychotherapeutic, and
developmental assistance to students (Keeling, 2005). In this article, I introduce the concept of a YSMP, consider therapeutic uses of yoga, and
describe the basic logistics of creating and implementing such a program.
181
Logistics
Publicizing the YSMP
The most effective methods for publicizing the program for students were
referral by counselors and Residence Life staff, invitation by fiiends, and the
use offiyers.Using an electronic mailing list was the best method of advertising
the program among faculty and staff, who were periodically e-mailed announcements about the YSMP during the semester. Students were given flyers to
share with fiiends who might also find the program useful. Many faculty members who received the announcement via an electronic mailing list were willing
to announce the YSMP in classes. Flyers were provided to all instructors of First
Year Experiencefi-eshmanorientation courses, increasing awareness of not only
the YSMP but also the university counseling center's resources in general. As
the facilitating therapist, I made many campus presentations to counseling center personnel, to faculty/staff groups, and to registered student organiza-
182
tions. Student Health Services was given flyers and posted them each semester.
Residence Life staff were given flyers each semester.
Participants
Both students and faculty/staff were included as program participants. This
was done in the hope of increasing interest in the program and increasing the
number of participants. In addition, it was hoped that faculty/staff might act as
mentors and role models for students by using the YSMP to manage their own
stress. Although faculty and staff do not receive counseling services at the
university counseling center, the administration determined that there was no
conflict of interest in allowing interested faculty/staff to attend the group because individuals were not expected to disclose personal information during
YSMP sessions. An unexpected multigenerational effect was noted. Students
found it encouraging to see faculty of various ages achieve, or struggle to
achieve, the yoga postures, much hke the students themselves. They also enjoyed getting to know the faculty and staff as "real people."
Participants indicated a variety of motivations for attending the YSMP, including relief from stress associated with being a student, a desire to learn and
experience a new exercise, invitation by friends (social or recreational motivation), referral by counselors and other campus professionals, or trying to overcome the negative impact of stress (academic or social struggles) on one's
college career. Goals that participants stated they hoped to achieve by attending the YSMP included relaxation, stress relief, desired increase in energy,
improvedflexibility,mental focus, health and fitness, greater body awareness,
gaining peace and patience, having fun, and attempting to establish a routine.
Location and Scheduling
A local campus ministry had an especially pleasant open space for gatherings
and was asked for a loan of the room to the counseling center for the group
meetings. The campus ministry did not choose to charge for the room
because the YSMP was a service offered to students free of charge. Other
campus rooms have been used at times but were not available on a regular
basis. When trying to fmd a place to hold group meetings, both on-campus
and off-campus locations (within walking distance) can be considered.
A number of scheduling options were attempted at the beginning of the program. The Thursday morning (8 a.m.), once-a-week program showed the best
attendance compared with a twice-weekly program. Many participants said they
preferred a late-in-the-week schedule because it helped them decompress stress
accumulated earlier in the week, and many wanted to de-stress before the weekend. A schedule of two sessions per week was also tried with one session at 8
a.m. on Mondays and one session at noon on Thursdays. This program became
spottily attended on both days. Attendance at the noon session dropped because
people felt more rushed than they did in the Monday morning session and be-
183
cause more noon classes are now being offered by the university. Students,
faculty, and staff have frequently requested a night program.
Finding the YSMP Facilitator
Some university counseling centers may not have a staff member who is
trained in yoga or interested in facilitating a YSMP. One way of procuring
a qualified person to facilitate such a program is by co-opting a yoga-trained
member of the university health or athletic facility who may already lead a
yoga class. Counselors could then collaborate with the athletic/physical
education professional, sharing stress-management concepts and developing affirmations (or using existing affirmation materials) appropriate for
promoting mindfulness and relaxation. Affirmations would be used during
asana practice and breath/mindfulness portions of the sessions. Attendance
at yoga seminars by yoga-interested faculty or extending invitations for
professional development to yoga experts to make presentations at the
university may be ways of finding a YSMP facilitator and ultimately encouraging buy-in from the counseling staff once they may have experienced
some yoga and learned something about it. Community yoga centers and
health clubs may also be considered as resources for finding individuals
specifically trained in teaching yoga with whom counseling staff can consult
or collaborate in developing a YSMP.
Program Considerations
The YSMP is not entirely different from general yoga classes that are held
at fitness facilities or yoga centers. One does not necessarily have to have a
problem with stress to attend because yoga has a preventive as well as a
reparative focus. The YSMP differs from general yoga because the affirmations
used during asana, guided meditation, and relaxation are infused with typical examples of age- and stage-appropriate case considerations. The YSMP
capitalizes on openness, relaxation, and teachable moments created by the
yoga practice. Some examples of issues that can be infused into yoga
affirmations are body/self acceptance issues, feeling overwhelmed, social
judging and being judged by others, finding balance between activity and
stillness, overcoming feelings of anxiety or depression, instilling hope, motivation, increasing one's ability to focus the mind, and beliefs about confidence or empowerment over a situation in one's life. Other more specific
stress-management principles include awareness of physiological changes when
anxious, breathing or muscle tension awareness, consciously letting go of
control, becoming aware of beliefs and releasing unwanted thoughts, instilling the belief that thoughts control emotions, and increasing awareness of
supportive or unsupportive self-talk. Metaphors are frequently used by yoga
teachers during guided meditation exercises to help provide a framework for
understanding the self For example, a yoga teacher may teach students to
184
Conclusion
The YSMP can be considered as an innovative approach for addressing student stress problems and increasing the diversity of services offered by university counseling centers. A student who is reluctant to seek traditional
counseling may see this type of therapy as an acceptable alternative. Barriers
(e.g., shame for seeking help) and stereotypes held by some students about
seeking mental health services can be overcome by offering such an alternative type of therapy service. Yoga tends to be viewed as an enjoyable way to
cope with stress.
This counseling center program has become a favorite among students and
faculty who wish to manage stress in a natural and alternative fashion. However, at least three considerations need to be made prior to beginning such a
program. First, buy-in from counseling staff is crucial for a program to be
successful. Also, because this type of program may be considered a departure
from traditional counseling center services, informing the campus community
of the potential benefits of such a program and garnering interest and support
185
References
Jensen, P. S., & Kenny, D. T. (2004). The effects of yoga on the attention and behavior of
boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Journal of Attention Disorders, 7, 205-216.
Keehng, R. P. (2005, November). Prevention in higher education: What is college health
about? Student Health Spectrum, 3-8.
Kitzrow, M. A. (2003). The mental health needs of today's college students: Challenges and
recommendations. NASPA Journal, 40, 167-181.
Levine, A., & Cureton, S. (1998a). What we know about today's college students. About
Campus, 3{\), 4-9.
Levine, A., & Cureton, S. (1998b). When hope and fear collide: A portrait of today's college
student. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Long, L., Huntley, A., & Ernst, E. (2001). Which complementary and alternative therapies
benefit which conditions? A survey of the opinions of 223 professional organizations. Complementary TherapiesinMedicine, 9,178-185.
186
Malathi, A., Damodaran, A., Shah, N., Patil, N., & Maratha, S. (2000). Effect of yogic practices on subjective well being. Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 44, 204-206.
Mishra, M., &Sinha, K. R. (2001). Effect of yogic practices on depression snd anxiety. Journal
ofProjective Psychology and Mental Health, 8,22,-27.
National Institute of Mental Health. (2005). Depression: What every woman should know.
Retrieved August 18, 2006, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/depwomenknows.cfm
Naveen, K. V., Nagrathna, R., Nagendra, H. R., & Telles, S. (1997). Yoga breathing through
a particular nostril increases spatial memory scores without lateralized effects. Psychological
Reports, 81, 555-561.
Nespor, K. (1993). Twelve years of experience with yoga in psychiatry. International Journal
of Psychosomaties, 40(1-4), 105-107.
Ram, R. (2005, November). Self management of exeess tension for total health seminar. Seminar sponsored by the Indian Yoga Institute, Bangalore, India, and presented at Central
Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant.
Rubin, D. C , & Feeney, C. (1986). A multicomponent stress management program for college students. Journal of Counseling & Development, 64, 531.
Sharkin, B. S. (1997). Increasing severity of presenting problems in college counseling centers: A closer look. Journal of Counseling & Development, 75, 275-281.
Sharkin, B. S. (2004). College counseling and student retention: Research fmdings and implications for counseling centers. Journal ofCollege Counseling, 7, 99-108.
Sinha, A. K. (1984). Eastern and Western psychotherapies. Indian PsyehologiealReview, 27(\4), 1-16.
West, J., Otte, C , Geher, K., Johnson, J., & Mohr, D. C. (2004). Effects of Hatha yoga and
African dance on perceived stress, affect, and salivary cortisol. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 28, 114-118.
Wilson, S., Mason, T., & Ewing, M. (1997). Evaluating the impact of receiving university-based counseling services on student retention. Journal of Counseling Psychology,
44, 316-320.
Yee, R., & Zolotow, N. (2002). Toga: The poetry of the body. New York: St. Martin's Griffin.
187