Counseling Center's Annette Smith Visits Journalism Class

Have you ever felt nobody understands you? Have you felt conflicted and uncertain post-pandemic? Has your mental health made life hard to navigate? Has your coursework gotten too overwhelming, and you don’t know where to turn? 

Look no further.

The Wellness Center, the “yellow house” on Grand Avenue behind Brotherton Hall, provides beneficial services- medical (downstairs) and counseling (upstairs)- for Centenary students and it’s open Monday– Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. 

Additionally, an answering service staffed with trained mental health professionals is available 24/7 at (908)-852-1400 ext. 2125, which sends a report to The Counseling Center for follow-up. For medical concerns, call (908)-852-1400 ext. 2209. 

Services are free because student’s insurance is prepaid at the start of the school year, so students don’t have to worry about additional costs. 

Mental Health and Students

“Mental health doesn’t work on a 9-5, Monday-Friday schedule. We help you on your mental health journey, which is different for everybody,” said Annette Smith, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and the assistant director of The Counseling Center. 

The Center is a safe space for students. The therapists understand how stressful school and home life can be and how, in some situations, school may cause less anxiety than family. 

All discussions are confidential and anonymous unless the student provides written consent for the release of the information or they are hurting themselves or others. 

In addition, The Center helps students in other ways, such as assisting those with food insecurity find free meal swipes and locate the Food Pantry (first floor of the Ferry Building, tucked in the left corner). 

Therapists can also provide emotional support and help them with particularly difficult situations, like talking to the Dean, for example, if they need to make a report. 

“We have no agenda; we advocate for students and will tell you your options and then support you in your decisions,” said Smith.

Mental Health and COVID

“There are no long- term studies; not a lot of research on COVID because it hasn’t been long- term yet,” according to Smith.

“Yet, we do know, after the pandemic, people became more anxious and depressed. They also have more medical concerns,” said Smith. 

“We became anxious about things that never concerned us before. Young people had illnesses that were not expected in the young,” said Smith. One example is a disease called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), with which people experience chronic rapid heart rate. 

Smith defined anxiety as the “fear of the unknown.” This has altered so many people's daily lives. used to go out to grocery stores and restaurants, but now, many use Instacart and DoorDash instead.

“If you were anxious, societal norms kept you engaged,” Smith observed. “You used to be expected to do it because everyone else was, like going to a concert. COVID gave you permission to stop being engaged. This became the ‘new normal.’” The more people do something, the more comfortable they become; so conversely, the less people go out, the less comfortable they are with it.

COVID most certainly impacted education and work. Students weren’t used to moving through a building all day, causing them to be more tired than ever before.

They were exhausted! 

“We stopped moving from point A to point B; walking the halls in high school, to the bus. We worked from home. We didn’t ‘move’ to commute to jobs or take the stairs. We didn’t do this for two long years. That’s why we are so tired, so exhausted,” said Smith. 

“I have a friend who is a second-grade teacher,” added Smith. “Second graders who had never been ‘in’ school before, did not know how to act, had no attention span and were exhausted.” These second graders needed naps during the school day. 

“I think my biggest takeaway from this speaker was just how big the impact COVID had on mental health,” said student-journalist Ella Barnett. “Growing up in a small, rural town at the height of COVID made myself and a lot of people feel like we were the only ones struggling. Learning about the larger impact, especially on little kids, was eye-opening.”

The Center’s therapy sessions, according to Smith, can help students with personal growth post-pandemic. 

“Our goal is that your mental health should not stop you from doing what you want to do,” said Smith. 

Mental Health as a Spectrum

“Neuroplasticity (the science behind brain chemistry) means you can change your brain chemistry. Trauma changes brain chemistry, but it is reversible,” said Smith. “I find [neuroplasticity] so hopeful. Maybe it is not a cure, but you have the ability to change or influence your brain.”

Treatment of mental health is a spectrum, according to Smith. Some conditions require medication, while others can only be treated with therapy. Other conditions may require a combination of therapy and meds. 

For example, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can only be treated with therapy. Meds will not help. Anxiety may require a combination, while schizophrenia can only be treated with medication. It’s important to remember that medication doesn’t cure; it helps a person manage, according to Smith. 

Therapy helps patients see the bigger picture with help from a therapist. Smith gave some interesting examples. If a student has trouble in large crowds, such as the cafeteria, they are encouraged to eat with a friend. The themes are general, but the solutions are individual. 

What may help one person may not help another. Some people like gardening to relax, while others hate it. However, there are benefits to being outside. “Being outside is, like, a natural antidepressant,” said Smith. She also described studies that suggest reading or coloring– not just exercise– can help.

Students may also seek therapy for behavioral problems, which can sometimes be explained by a blood test for low vitamin B-12 or D-3 levels. Low vitamin levels may cause symptoms similar to depression. “It doesn’t hurt to rule things out,” according to Smith.

“Everything affects your mental health; some positive and some negative,” she said. 

Childhood experiences may also put students at risk for mental health concerns, suicide, mental illness, substance abuse, and learning disabilities. According to Smith, people with autism may struggle to make friends, become lonely, and be misunderstood by their peers and society. People with dyslexia may feel they don’t belong. They’re smart, but their grades don’t reflect it. Others more susceptible to the impact of mental health issues are women, people of the LGBTQIA+ community, and people of color. 

“Anxiety doesn’t go away by itself,” said Smith. “We all grow and change and have the opportunity to change things in our lives. Some figure it out on their own, some use a therapist, and some never do.” 

Mental Health and Student Athletes

“Some students may look down on peers for going to the Wellness Center, such as athletes,” said student-journalist Callista McKeon. 

There is a lot of stigma attached to athletes and mental health. However, mental health concerns are a major problem in sports, and not enough athletes seek help. Athletes are also at higher risk for suicide, according to Smith. 

Many major athletes– Usain Bolt, Serena Williams, Michael Phelps, and Simone Biles– are vocal about their mental health. Smith discussed an impactful book by author George Mumford, “The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance.” Mumford has personally worked with major league sports teams and is highly recommended by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. 

Annette Smith’s Personal Story

Captain Annette Smith, United States Marine Corps (USMC), completed six years as a logistics officer before transferring back to civilian life.

“I wanted to do cool shit,” said Smith. She loved adventure and her career as a Marine. However, when her daughter was one year old, she was offered a chance to do a six-month float in the Mediterranean and decided she couldn’t do this with a young child. 

“I hated corporate and didn’t want a desk job. I wanted to do fun, adrenalin-pumping things,” said Smith.

Her daughter changed her priorities and she left the Marines to pursue her dreams just a few weeks before 9/11. 

Smith was inspired by a Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Crisis Center (DASACC) event to pursue a career in psychology and got her master’s in counseling psychology from Centenary. This was unusual for a former Marine, as most go into law enforcement or management, she said. However, “hearing a guest speaker—a female state trooper—talk about a domestic violence response team sounded pretty cool to me,” said Smith.

“Your career trajectory will not be a straight line. Circumstances change. You won’t do the same thing for 38 years because you will be different at age 38 than you were at age 28,” according to Smith.

Students are encouraged to seek help from The Wellness Center for mental health or medical needs. Even if they just need someone to talk to about school or family, they can book an appointment any time during normal business hours. But because mental health doesn’t work on a schedule, students may also call at any time.