Karen Hofmann Archives | University of Central Florida News Central Florida Research, Arts, Technology, Student Life and College News, Stories and More Tue, 01 Oct 2019 13:38:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /wp-content/blogs.dir/20/files/2019/05/cropped-logo-150x150.png Karen Hofmann Archives | University of Central Florida News 32 32 How to Reduce Stress /news/how-to-reduce-stress/ Mon, 15 Apr 2019 13:00:17 +0000 /news/?p=81989 Final exams. Research papers. Can you find any peace at this time of year? Oh yes. Yes, you can. Here 麻豆精品 S檚 how.

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You would never know it by listening to Karen Hofmann 麻豆精品 S檚 calm voice that April is one of the busiest times on her calendar. As the director of , she is mentally in the shoes of other people all year. Her staff of 50 counselors and support staff will experience the gamut, from homesickness to failed relationships to this: end-of-semester stress.

麻豆精品 S淭here 麻豆精品 S檚 certainly a sharp increase in walk-ins this time of year, 麻豆精品 S Hofmann says gently on a busy Monday afternoon.

To someone as positive as Hofmann, the traffic at CAPS is a reason to be encouraged. It means students are opening up about what they perceive as a crisis. The counselors listen. And they listen. Only when there 麻豆精品 S檚 a long pause will they offer the following valuable tips.

(Here 麻豆精品 S檚 a bonus tip: Save these because you don 麻豆精品 S檛 have to be a student at the end of a semester to benefit from them. They might even change your life.)

  1. Move.
    It 麻豆精品 S檚 impossible to be relaxed and stressed at the same time. So one of the best things to do is to fatigue your body. Take a walk. Ride your bike. Work out. It will physically relieve your stress and, in recovery, replace it with relaxation.

 

  1. Eat colorful foods.
    This does not mean pizza, gummy bears and 5-Hour Energy. Carrots and kale and fruits are examples of foods that are dense in nutrients. They actually help you focus properly. Junk foods only speed up a downward spiral.

  1. Write down your to-do 麻豆精品 S檚.
    A big factor with anxiety is the feeling 麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 going to forget to do something. 麻豆精品 S Putting it on paper is therapeutic. It eases your mind because you 麻豆精品 S檙e ensuring that you won 麻豆精品 S檛 forget, which allows you to relax. You 麻豆精品 S檒l sleep better, too.

  1. Speaking of sleep …
    It 麻豆精品 S檚 common for students to try and function on minimal sleep. This is one of the worst things you can do. Lack of sleep means everything else on this list suffers 麻豆精品 S exercise, nutrition, positive thinking, all of it falls apart. However, if you quiet your mind and commit to rest, you 麻豆精品 S檒l be less prone to emotional swings.

 

  1. Be creative.
    We all have an artistic side 麻豆精品 S it 麻豆精品 S檚 literally the right side of your brain. Sing. Dance. Paint. Play an instrument. Doing anything creative will mentally give a break to the analytical side of your brain 麻豆精品 S the left side. It needs rest, just like the rest of you does.

  1. Control your thoughts.
    It 麻豆精品 S檚 easy for your thoughts to take over your mind. Fortunately, it isn 麻豆精品 S檛 as difficult as you think to take back control. You have to intentionally eliminate negative thoughts. Say 麻豆精品 S渟top 麻豆精品 S to yourself, out loud, as many times as necessary. Replace those thoughts by purposefully thinking of what you 麻豆精品 S檙e grateful for 麻豆精品 S little things like comfortable shoes and butterflies to the bigger picture like a beautiful sunset and friends and family. You can also try prayer and meditation and calming music, which push negativity aside.

  1. Get organized.
    By uncluttering your room and your head, you can think more clearly. Do not look at all of your responsibilities en masse. Take that to-do list you wrote down and complete tasks one bite at a time. The smaller the bites, the easier it will be to manage your entire plate.

 

  1. Connect with a friend or family member or a group.
    It 麻豆精品 S檚 best to disconnect from social media and the inherent pressures that come with it, like the fear of missing out (FOMO). Instead, fully connect with people you can laugh with and who will share encouragement. We 麻豆精品 S檙e all wired for relationships, which are among the best antidotes to stress.

  1. Spend time with an animal.
    There 麻豆精品 S檚 a reason why Paws-a-Tively Stress Free and Purrfectly Stress Free (hosted by CAPS at their office on campus) are such popular events. Dogs and cats are happy 麻豆精品 S and the mood is contagious.

  1. Communicate your concerns.
    Be proactive when you feel stressed or, worse, at a dead end. Explain your situation. Ask what your professor suggests you do. He or she might appreciate you being honest and initiating the conversation. You never know what might result from it.

Above all, consider talking with a professional. Just make a call to CAPS. There 麻豆精品 S檚 even an after-hour crisis hotline. Call 407-823-2811 and press 麻豆精品 S5 麻豆精品 S or visit听.

Always remember this: if you feel anxiety in any way, you 麻豆精品 S檙e not alone.

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Giving Back, Giving Hope: UCF Counselor Helps Victims of Hurricane Joaquin /news/giving-back-giving-hope-ucf-counselor-helps-victims-of-hurricane-joaquin/ Thu, 22 Oct 2015 17:22:10 +0000 /news/?p=68839 Tamalia Hanchell saw the devastation that Hurricane Joaquin left behind.
Tamalia Hanchell saw the devastation that Hurricane Joaquin left behind.

When Hurricane Joaquin completely wrecked several islands in the southern Bahamas, volunteers jumped into action and traveled to the hardest-hit areas. One of those heroic volunteers was a UCF Knight 麻豆精品 S Tamalia Hanchell.

As residents became angry and stressed over the lack of basic supplies, Hanchell, a psychologist in the Office of Counseling and Psychological Services, was there to provide emotional support, psychological first aid and resources related to coping after a natural disaster, and how to gain support after such a trauma.

Reflecting on her visit, Hanchell stated, 麻豆精品 S淣o amount of pictures or videos could have adequately described or prepared me for what I saw in the southern islands of the Bahamas post Hurricane Joaquin. 麻豆精品 S

Over the two days, Hanchell met and debriefed 20 people individually, in groups, and with their family members from Crooked Island, Long Island and Acklins. Each survivor willingly shared their stories of their experiences from the devastating hurricane. She encouraged them to continue to reach out for resources. It will take time to rebuild what Joaquin destroyed, as well as to heal the emotional trauma residents suffered.

麻豆精品 S淥ne of the values molded into me by my family, my faith and the Bahamian culture is the personal responsibility to help others in need, 麻豆精品 S said Hanchell. 麻豆精品 S淭his value is an essential part of the very fabric of my being, which ultimately led me to the field of psychology. It has created an intense urgency to return to my beloved country to offer assistance and give back. 麻豆精品 S

Hanchell thanks Karen听Hofmann and Chris Hanes,听her听supervisors from the Office of Counseling and Psychological Services,听for their support.

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UT–20151008_140615 Tamalia Hanchell saw the devastation that Hurricane Joaquin left behind.
UCF Panel Calls for End to Relationship Violence /news/ucf-panel-calls-for-end-to-relationship-violence/ Fri, 09 Oct 2015 19:02:33 +0000 /news/?p=68534 As part of its annual observance of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, UCF hosted a forum Wednesday, Oct. 7, to honor the lives of domestic-violence victims and promote healthy relationships. The event, NO MORE: An Intentional Conversation to End Relationship Violence, was sponsored by UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 United Way Campaign.

麻豆精品 S淩elationship violence is an issue relevant to ourselves, our families and friends, and our community, 麻豆精品 S said Tee Rogers, coordinator of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 United Way Campaign. 麻豆精品 S淚t is crucial to the health of our university and community to have intentional conversations and to support solution-focused community resources. 麻豆精品 S

According to a survey by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, one in four women and one in seven men have been the victims of physical violence by an intimate partner.

Moderated by Karen Hofmann, director of UCF Counseling and Psychological Services, the expert panelists addressed questions from their unique perspectives. The panel included Michael Freeman, counselor and professor; Adam Pritchard, professor of sociology; Bibi Brown, crisis specialist with United Way 2-1-1; Katelyn Busowski, domestic-violence survivor, advocate and UCF student; and Christine Mouton, director of UCF Victim Services.

In addition to the panel discussion, Heart of Florida United Way, UCF CARES, UCF Victim Services, domestic-violence survivor and author Debra Perleberg, Harbor House of Central Florida, Help Now of Osceola, and SafeHouse of Seminole provided resources to prevent domestic violence.

Additional events are planned for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in the Clothesline Project, a national effort to give survivors of domestic abuse an opportunity to speak out against domestic violence by decorating a T-shirt. T-shirts are free and can be decorated from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays during campus Market Day. The shirts will be hung inside the Student Union throughout October.

If you have been involved in intimate-partner violence and would like to speak with an advocate, you can reach one 24/7 by calling 407-823-1200. For ongoing counseling and support, contact UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Counseling and Psychological Services at 407-823-2811.

During October, UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 United Way Campaign raises funds for health and human service programs that provide critical care and assistance.

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Psychological Association Accredits Counseling Center Program /news/psychological-association-accredits-counseling-center-program/ Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:19:37 +0000 /news/?p=31746 The Pre-doctoral Training Program at University of Central Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 Counseling Center has been accredited by the American Psychological Association for the first time. The Counseling Center was accredited for seven years, which is the maximum time before the reaccreditation process would need to be redone.

The training program is under the direction of Karen Hofmann, who also is an associate director at the Counseling Center. The training program began in 2006 and graduates two doctoral students each year. A third intern will be added this fall.

The program also has an interdisciplinary pre-master 麻豆精品 S檚 internship for students completing their master 麻豆精品 S檚 degrees in mental health counseling, social work or clinical psychology.

The UCF master 麻豆精品 S檚 internship began in 1998 and has graduated 63 students.

Being accreditation by the APA means the center can attract high-quality staff and pre-doctoral interns from top graduate schools to provide exceptional mental-health care to UCF students.

The American Psychological Association 麻豆精品 S檚 Commission on Accreditation was established to evaluate doctoral internships in professional psychology to stay in accordance with criteria and procedures for excellence in training.

 

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