Tag Archives: university

Millennials

Posted by: Trudi Wyatt on January 18, 2016 1:29 pm

Increasingly in my practice in Toronto’s Financial District, some of my “baby boomer” clients, roughly defined as individuals aged 51 to 69 years old (1), are noticing and wondering about the possible differences between them and “millennials,” roughly defined as individuals aged 18 to 34 years old (2). For example, do millennials and baby boomers have different perspectives on taking time off work for mental health, and/or on working overtime.

Coincidentally, I have also recently noticed 2 magazine articles related to these questions, so I have created this blog post to explore them a little further.

The first, Millennials at Work (2), suggests that in addition to money, millennials also assign high importance to workplace flexibility, being coached/mentored, and autonomy, as well as to collaboration with rather than competition between colleagues.

The second, Healthy Minds (3), cites an increased demand for mental health services at the University of Toronto (U of T), such as a tripling of mental health presenting as a disability at Accessibility Services, as well as a general increased rate of mental illness among university-aged individuals. Healthy Minds focuses on an October 2015 U of T report that included a list of recommendations to address mental health on campus, and that generally encouraged the whole university community to embrace support of students’ mental health needs. Among the recommendation themes were calls to:

  • Promote prevention/resilience by promoting sleep, nutrition, exercise, social life, and strengths.
  • Promote peer support.
  • Locate counsellors right in day-to-day environments, so as to improve accessibility and confidentiality.
  • Provide quick access to a psychiatrist if needed.
  • Tap into community resources outside of the university, though the article points out that “’We do offer health services, but we do not see ourselves as health-care providers… We are an educational institution… We can’t do it all ourselves.”

In conclusion, perhaps the answer is yes, that millennials are different–that they are for example more aware of their mental health and resilience needs than previous generations. If so, then hopefully this translates into a healthier and happier future!!

Sources

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_boomers (accessed 10Jan2016)
  2. http://www.financereference.com/learn/baby-boomer  (accessible link)
  3. Millennials at Work (https://www.cultureamp.com/zine/010-millennials.html), in CareerWise 22Dec2015 (https://contactpoint.ca/careerwisesecure/2015/12/employability-vs-employment-millenials-at-work-employment-challenges-for-syrian-refugees/) cited in CERIC (Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling) email 22Dec2015.
  4. U of T Magazine, Winter 2016, pp.26-31, Healthy Minds: As U of T responds to a rise in mental health needs on campus, a powerful source of help emerges: students themselves. By Cynthia Macdonald.

Trudi Wyatt, MA, RP, CCC is a Registered Psychotherapist and Canadian Certified Counsellor in Private Practice in downtown Toronto. She has been practising for almost 7 years and currently works with individual adults on a variety of life challenges such as depression, anxiety, anger, trauma issues, and career choices.




*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Choosing a university program

Posted by: Mike Peirce on August 24, 2015 3:10 pm

classroom-824120_1280

Over the past month, I have spent a great deal of time reviewing Canadian university programs as I updated the material for the 2015-16 edition of “For Grads Only”. This publication is near and dear to my heart as I believe it is a useful tool for students beginning their search for their ideal university and program. During my research, the program searches on the University Canada website made me think about what a student goes through as they decide their course of action for university application. Did you know that if you simply search for Bachelor degree programs taught in English in Canada, there are almost 6,400 possibilities to consider? There is no wonder students are often overwhelmed by deciding what to study. The importance of this decision can never be underestimated as a student needs to know what the program they will enroll in before they can decide which university to apply to. After all, if the university doesn’t teach the program, no sense in going there. Over the years, I have realised that students researching undergraduate university degree programs fall into one of three groups: 1) those who know what they want to study, 2) those who have some idea and 3) those who haven’t a clue. The neat thing is I believe there is no problem being in any one of these three categories. The process of choosing just needs to be adjusted a little. Continue reading




*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Musings of a Conference Junkie

Posted by: Stephanie Burley on June 2, 2015 8:28 am

June 2, 2015

Self-care has become a hot topic within the realm of counselling, and rightfully so. As counsellors we are witness to an incredible amount of pain, loss, trauma, and a myriad of other emotions. In order to forge a positive therapeutic alliance with our clients it is important that we as counsellors are in a place of wellness so that we can bring our own strength into the counselling relationship to assist our clients by asking those hard questions, and listening without judgement. In my own experience I find that I often don’t know that I need to indulge in self-care until I finally do it. Once immersed in a self-care activity it becomes strikingly apparent that, boy, did I need it! Last week I had the privilege of spending three and a half days at the CCPA National Annual Conference in Niagara Falls. It might sound odd to equate attending a busy, mentally taxing conference with self-care, but I can assure you that is exactly what it was. This is an interesting point to consider – self-care needs to be tailored to the individual. Not everyone will find the same activities rejuvenating or restful.

Currently I am working as a Career Counsellor in an Ontario university. Although I have seen some attitude change, I believe that there is a belief that career counselling is different from personal counselling. I’ve heard colleagues in non-counselling roles indicate that career counselling was the “light” side of counselling. I suppose in some instances this may be true. However, as a career counsellor I can attest to the fact that the clients that join me in my office are often experiencing emotions linked to loss, grief, disappointment, confusion, frustration and shame. Over the past several months I have seen students – both at the undergraduate and graduate level – arriving in my office and sharing stories of financial crises, marital separation, heniagara-falls-113525_640alth concerns, stress and anxiety, familial pressure to succeed, and suicidal ideation. The number of instances where I have asked the student sitting in front of me “are you planning on harming yourself?” is now so high I’ve lost track. The idea that career counselling is “light” counselling does not align with the experience I have had throughout my career.

Continue reading




*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

University Decisions: Quality Versus Reputation

Posted by: Mike Peirce on May 28, 2015 2:00 am

I recently attended the Ontario Universities “Dialogue” conference at McMaster University and heard many of the same discussions raised…. mark inflation, credit factories, use of additional information forms… and then a counsellor asked a question I hadn’t heard in a long time. It was a relevant question but it took me back a little. “What is the retention rate of 1st year students going into 2nd year?” Many of the universities couldn’t answer off hand but for those interested, the information is readily available on the Council of Ontario Universities under the Common University Data page: http://www.cou.on.ca/facts-figures/cudo. There are numerous excellent sources of information about our post-secondary institutions which we need to encourage students and parents to use in their research. The question also reminded me of how often I run into parents and students who are asking the question “Who has the best reputation for….?”

books-768426_640 Continue reading




*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA