November 2004

Up for discussion: Coping with changes

Emil Rodolfa is director of Counseling and Psychological Services. (Debbie Aldridge/UC Davis)

Change can be both exciting and frightening. Either way, adjustment is a big challenge for students, whether they are first-quarter freshmen or seniors preparing to venture out into the world.

Parents can offer a steady hand during turbulent times by recognizing and responding to adjustment problems their children may encounter.

"In college, there are a whole lot of changes to make," says Emil Rodolfa, a licensed psychologist and director of campus Counseling and Psychological Services. "What students are trying to do is learn who they are, who they want to become and who they want to be with."

Signs of a problem

The stress of dealing with so many changes can have an effect on students. Rodolfa says possible indications of this include:

• withdrawal from family or friends;
• changes in the way a student typically interacts with others;
• drug use or an increase in the use of alcohol; and
• a sudden change in the student's close relationships.

Parents can help ease transitions by letting their student know that they are open to hearing about possible problems, Rodolfa says. Ways to initiate such discussions might include asking how your student feels about the decisions he or she has made, the friendships he or she has formed, plans being formulated for the future or the increasing responsibility of adulthood.

Rodolfa points out that parents can be reassured that students are already equipped with the basics to deal with change or they wouldn't have been successful enough in high school to be admitted to UC Davis.

"What this university does is challenge these students in ways they haven't been before, so now they need to learn new coping skills," he says.

Help is available

Counseling and Psychological Services can help students and their parents address a variety of challenges, from adjusting to change to dealing with depression. CAPS is staffed with about a dozen psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and professional counselors and more than 20 psychologist trainees.

Last year CAPS provided free service to more than 2,800 students -- or about 10 percent of the student body -- through one-on-one counseling, group therapy and psychiatric services. The campus service also offers educational programs, referrals and consultation to faculty, staff, students and parents.

CAPS staff members can help parents explore concerns they might have about their child's academic performance or adjustment to UC Davis. They are available for consultation at (530) 752-0871 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. every day the university is open.

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