UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Health and Counseling Center

Counseling Groups Available for Students 

The Counseling Center offers students four group options to enhance mental health and wellbeing. Don’t hesitate to tell students about the group offerings and to contact the Counseling Center to sign up for services or learn more about the groups. 

Coping Skills Group: This group meets weekly on Thursdays from 3 p.m.–4 p.m. on a drop-in basis. This group is designed to help Pilots develop and advance their coping skillsets and promote effective behaviors for dealing with school stress, relationship difficulties, and the regulation of complex emotions through mindfulness and evidence-based coping strategies. 

Interpersonal Trauma Group: This group meets weekly on Tuesdays from 3 p.m.–4:15 p.m. on a drop-in basis. This group is designed to help students receive support and care after experiencing interpersonal trauma and/or violence. Sometimes, after an interpersonally traumatic incident, it can help to find a safe and supportive environment to discuss and begin to process what has happened to begin the journey toward healing. While this is a drop-in group, feel free to book a counseling consult session to discuss with an individual therapist if the group would be right for you. 

Queer Support Group: Identifying as LGBTQIA+ is difficult enough as it is and can be made even more so with the compounded stressors of college life. This group is a space where members of the queer community can gather to receive support and be in community with other queer folks. It meets on Tuesdays from 4 p.m.–5:15 p.m. on a drop-in basis and is co-facilitated by queer-identified clinicians. 

Core Group Therapy: This group meets weekly from 3 p.m.–4:15 p.m. and is open to new group members at the beginning of each semester. The purpose of this group is to create a space for members to practice vulnerability by sharing their struggles, giving and receiving feedback, and helping each other to practice emotional openness. Core group members may be struggling with a range of concerns, from depression or anxiety, difficulties with family and friendships to questions about identity and life direction. If interested, please contact the Counseling Center to discuss with a therapist if this group may be right for you. 

BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ Support and Resources

Please find information on support and resources available (on-campus and off-campus) for our LGBTQIA2S+ and BIPOC community on the Health and Counseling Services web site. For questions or more info, contact HCC at hcc@up.edu, x7134.

Our Diversity Center also promotes diversity and inclusion programs (DIP) to engage and educate students and our UP community on issues, topics, and events related to diversity and inclusion. For questions or more info, contact our Diversity Center at oiedi@up.edu.

Health and Counseling Center—Summer Hours

As we head into summer, the Health and Counseling Center (HCC) will be open on a limited schedule. Most appointments will be in person over the summer, although telehealth is still available when appropriate. 

May 2022—Students should call to make appointments Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Primary care appointments will be available four days per week. We are not seeing students on a walk-in basis. Counseling appointments will be available Monday through Friday. Same-day crisis appointments are available for those students who meet the criteria listed on our counseling website.

AFTER HOURS—Please visit our after-hours primary care website for a list of medical services available to students. Students needing to speak with the Pilot Helpline on-call-counselor can call the HCC at (503)943-7134 and choose option three to get connected from anywhere at any time.

For more information, please visit the HCC website: https://www.up.edu/healthcenter/index.html.

UP Community of Care, March 5

Everyone is welcome to a Community of Care virtual gathering on Friday, March 5, at 1 p.m.  This will have leaders of the Health and Counseling Center, Care Team, Active Minds, and more to provide resources about the mechanisms in place for the emotional and physical care of our community.  Please click this link to fill out this brief form here to RSVP and receive the calendar invite and/or stay tuned about our future offerings.  

Student Flu Shot Clinic: Tuesday, October 27

Please help spread the word that the Health and Counseling Center and UP School of Nursing will be hosting a flu shot clinic for students on Tuesday, October 27, from 1-4 p.m., on the Chiles Center patio. Flu shots cost $20 or are free for students with coverage under Pacific Source student health insurance. Students can pay cash or charge the amount to their student account.

The Health Center encourages all students, as well as employees and other community members, to get their annual flu shot this year. Getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever during 2020-2021 to protect yourself and the people around you from flu, and to help reduce the strain on healthcare systems responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students who are not able to attend this flu shot clinic, or who are located in their hometowns, can alternatively go to their local pharmacy or doctor’s office with their health insurance card to get an annual flu shot at no cost.

Fight the flu and protect your health & the health of our communities! Pilots Prevent.

Questions about the flu clinic or other services? Email HCC@up.edu or visit the HCC webpage.
Learn more about COVID-19 and the flu at Pilots Prevent webpage.

Coronavirus: UP Monitoring Outbreak, Minimizing Risks

Recent announcements issued by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) indicate that transmission of Coronavirus has continued to spread and will likely affect the United States, however the immediate health risk to the general US public remains low. We encourage students, faculty, and staff traveling for spring break to closely monitor travel advisories through the CDC and State Department.  The following travel notices are already in effect:

  • Level 3 (avoid all nonessential travel): China, South Korea
  • Level 2 (practice enhanced precautions):  Iran, Italy, Japan
  • Level 1 (practice usual precautions): Hong Kong
  • Other Destinations with Risk of Community Spread: Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand

Oregon health authorities announced over the weekend of February 28-March 1 that a person who works at Forest Hills Elementary School in Lake Oswego had tested positively for the Coronavirus. One other Oregon case has been announced in Washington County.

Any UP employees with children at Forest Hills Elementary School should work from home – or use sick time and stay at home – until Thursday, March 5, per the school’s guidance. Please do the same if  you’ve been in contact with anyone from the school.

As needed, employees should follow UP’s sick time policies. The sick time policy for staff is available at: www.up.edu/hr/benefits/sick-time-and-vacation.html

If you have health/medical related questions, please contact your health care practitioner. Staff with Kaiser health insurance can call the KP Nurse Hotline at 1-800-813-2000.

The University continues to closely monitor this outbreak and has taken steps to reduce the risk of community member exposure to the Coronavirus. A University-run program scheduled to travel to South Korea and Japan over spring break has been redirected elsewhere. The University has contacted faculty and students who are currently abroad and advised them on precautions they should take to minimize the risk of exposure. Currently, there are no plans to cancel spring or summer 2020 study abroad programs.

The Health and Counseling Center continues to screen all students seeking medical and counseling services for symptoms consistent with Coronavirus. Finally, multiple groups across campus will continue to monitor the outbreak and determine any additional steps the University should take to reduce the risk of community member exposure.

Additional information on this outbreak is provided below:

  • The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) have declared a global health emergency; and international governments are taking decisive action in response.   The CDC website is being updated frequently with information about Coronavirus as more becomes known.
  • Symptoms of Coronavirus include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.  They can surface up to 14 days after exposure.
  • Anyone experiencing symptoms consistent with Coronavirus should contact their healthcare provider.  Current UP students should contact the campus Health and Counseling Center (HCC) at x7134.  After hours, students can access ProvRN or Providence Express Care Virtual to reach a healthcare provider for immediate assessment. Instructions for accessing these services are available on the HCC website using this link.
  • Precautions to decrease the transmission of Coronavirus are like those for preventing the spread of other respiratory illnesses, including colds and flu. Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough; wash your hands frequently; and stay home if you are ill. As noted above, the HCC is taking additional precautions with patients, including providing masks to students with symptoms of respiratory illness or fever; and screening all students seeking medical and counseling services upon check-in for risk of exposure to Coronavirus. If any students exhibit a history or symptoms consistent with Coronavirus, we will work with the Oregon Health Authority and the CDC to care for the student and UP campus.

Again, our guidance for now focuses on caution and prevention. For further information or questions, please contact any of the following resources:

 

 

Faculty & Staff Green Dot Training, June 12

All faculty and staff are invited to join the Health and Counseling Center for Green Dot Training on Wednesday, June 12, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Terrace Room. This training will introduce the basic elements of Green Dot, focusing specifically on the vital role University employees play in establishing and reinforcing the culture that students and colleagues exist within. This training is designed to help employees understand the expanded definition of “bystander” and to equip all employees to integrate their jobs with key behaviors that establish two norms: (1) power-based personal violence won’t be tolerated, (2) everyone does their part to keep the UP community free from violence and fear of violence.

Please register by contacting Megan Cohara, Health and Counseling Center, at coharam@up.edu or x8125.

UP Named First Forward Institution by Center for First Generation Student Success

The University of Portland has been honored as a First Forward institution by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Center for First Generation Student Success, according to Matt Daily, Health and Counseling Center. The First Forward designation recognizes institutions of higher education who have demonstrated a commitment to improving experiences and advancing outcomes of first-generation college students. Selected institutions receive professional development, community-building  experiences, and a first look at the Center’s research and resources.

Daily notes that UP is one of three schools in the Pacific Northwest to be selected (UW and WSU), and the only private/Catholic school. UP is also the only school (2 or 4 year) of the 91 total schools in the state of Oregon to receive the honor.

Selected institutions will send representatives to the First Forward Workshop to be held in Orlando in June and will participate in monthly phone calls, virtual professional development, goal setting, blog development, annual reporting, and more. After two successful years in the program, institutions are eligible to apply for the Advisory leadership designation.

For more information, contact Daily at x7895 or daily@up.edu.

Faculty & Staff Green Dot Training, March 6

All faculty and staff are invited to attend a Green Dot training session on Wednesday, March 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120.

This training introduces the basic elements of Green Dot, focusing specifically on the vital role employees play in establishing and reinforcing the culture in which students and colleagues live and work. This program is designed to help employees understand the expanded definition of “bystander” and to equip all University employees to integrate within their current job functions key behaviors that establish two norms:

  1. Power-based personal violence won’t be tolerated
  2. Everyone does their part to keep the campus community free from violence and fear of violence.

To register, please email Megan Cohara at coharam@up.edu.

 

Bystander Intervention Training, Nov. 11

Green Dot is hosting the next Bystander Intervention Training for students on Saturday, November 11, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to Tiger Simpson, Health and Counseling Center. Nominations are being collected for student leaders to attend the training and help UP decrease violence in its community. This link connects to a nomination form which only takes about 30 seconds to fill out, and there is an option to remain anonymous if desired.

Each nomination goes a long way in ensuring that the University community is free of violence, and also creates lasting change to ensure future Pilots enter into a community where violence is not tolerated.

For more information contact Simpson at x8125 or simpsont@up.edu.