June 2004

Up for discussion: End-of-year stressors

	Emil Rodolfa is director of the Counseling Center. (Debbie Aldridge/UC Davis)

While most students look forward to the upcoming break, the final month of the quarter can easily turn spring fever into pre-summer stress.

"It is a stressful time," says Emil Rodolfa, a licensed psychologist and director of the campus Counseling Center. "I think transitions are just stressful in general."

Final exams, summer travel plans, moving back home or in with new roommates, working, attending summer school -- all can add up to end-of-the-year anxiety.

Rodolfa says it's important to check in occasionally to let your child know you are there to listen to his or her concerns. "Parents just need to make sure they've made an open invitation for students to call if they need something or just want to talk," he says.

Changing parent-child relationship

If your student has been away for most of the year, you may discover upon his or her return that the parent-child relationship has changed. Students who have grown accustomed to the freedom and responsibility of living independently may feel a bit of regression when they head home for the summer, Rodolfa says.

Approaching your student as an adult, Rodolfa says, may be a better way to set household boundaries than a "my-way-or-the-highway" method.

At the same time, students may expect things at home to be exactly as they left them. Your child may find it hard to immediately adjust to changes to the house -- like the conversion of his or her bedroom into a guest room. Again, encouraging an open discussion is the best way to address those issues, Rodolfa says.

Because of summer school, internships or summer employment, many students will remain in Davis during the break. The Counseling Center will be fully staffed throughout the summer, offering services to help students care for their mental well-being and to counsel students one-on-one if needed.

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