Kelly Clougher, Counselor, Clinical Services and Outreach Coordinator, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
1. Please describe your role on campus.
I am a Licensed Psychologist and serve as the Clinical Services and Outreach Coordinator at the Medical Student Counseling Center (MSCC) in Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine. I work with medical and Physician Assistant students providing psychotherapy, consultation, and outreach programming to support their mental health. I am trained as a generalist but have specialty in treating eating disorders and body dissatisfaction. I have a passion for helping students from marginalized communities.
2. How do you lead and interface with mental health and well-being on your campus?
One aspect of working on campus that I love is the variety of ways I use my skills as a psychologist. One hour I provide individual therapy, the next hour I supervise a colleague, and the next hour I engage in strategic thinking in a working group. In these roles and as a leader I use my core values of connection, collaboration, and inclusivity to guide my work. I want the people I work with to know they matter – their voices matter and their experiences matter.
3. Would you share a story where you were concerned about something or someone, and the steps you took that either helped and/or left you considering how you would do it differently?
Over the course of my tenure, I have had the opportunity to be a staff advisor to student organizations. One student leader I was advising suddenly became unresponsive to emails, text messages, and phone calls. I was concerned about her well-being, as this was out of character. I reached out to other leadership within the organization and learned they also were not able to connect with the student and shared concerns about her well-being.
After more unanswered emails and phone calls, I contacted the student’s parent. The parent had just talked to the student the previous day, which gave me comfort. The student texted me later that day and confirmed they were okay. I expressed my appreciation that she let me know and welcomed her to reach out if she needed anything. I never received a response and have not seen her since. Although I never learned what led to her departure from the organization, or if my decision to call her parent caused a rupture, I was relieved she was safe. I remain curious about her well-being and grieve the loss of a relationship I cherished. I continue to think highly of her and hope she found ways to share her strengths with others.
4. Could you tell us about one high point and one low point in your work?
High Point: There are many high points in my work because every day I feel honored to offer students a safe place to share their concerns and struggles. I feel grateful I can provide students a place to share their stories, deepen their self-understanding, and find new approaches to managing their mental health. These moments I get to share with students are rewarding.
Low Point: The negative impacts of systemic inequities. For example, a college student who presents with a severe eating disorder and needs a higher level of care but cannot access it due to insufficient insurance coverage. Or, when a mental health provider at a campus counseling center experiences burnout trying to meet unrealistic demands such as high caseloads, walk-in crisis hours and still being available to provide outreach in the evenings or weekends.
5. Is there something which you would like to normalize for others, where they may think they cannot share it?
Struggling with body image is a typical experience. It is easy to compare your body to others, or your previous shape from a younger you. We are also susceptible to sociocultural influences such as media images, fashion trends, and gender-based appearance expectations. Although feeling positive about your body all the time is an unfair expectation, having a negative body image impacts mental health.
I encourage folx to accept you may not feel positive about your body all the time but you can engage in body respect. This includes appreciating what your body does for you (e.g., legs carry you up a flight of stairs, arms allow you to hug a loved one), not using alcohol or drugs, getting a massage, wearing comfortable clothes, fueling your body with your favorite meal, or removing weight-based comments in conversations.
3 Self-Care Strategies George Swears By
- Make time to laugh every day. This may mean sharing a funny story, using humor in relational interactions, or watching/listening to something that elicits laughter. Whenever I need a laugh I go to my family who tell the best stories or watch a YouTube video of Ellen DeGeneres scaring people on her show.
- Enjoy the small things. Even on our toughest days there are gifts around us. Practicing gratitude for the small things helps me to notice and appreciate the moments that give me pride, comfort, warmth, or beauty.
- Practice self-care intentionally. People can identify their self-care practices, but for true effectiveness one must be able to engage in self-reflection and intentionally use the strategy that will meet the need. For example, when feeling anxious or restless going for a run is likely going to be my best self-care strategy, but if feeling sad or lonely spending quality time with loved ones would be my choice.