Becca Papian, M.S.W., Counselor, Des Moines Area Community College-Urban Campus
1. Please describe your role on campus.
I am a counselor at the DMACC-Urban Campus. I provide one-on-one mental health counseling services for students. In addition, I teach sections of The College Experience—a one-credit class for first-time DMACC students, as well as classes within the Human Services Department. I share information about basic counseling services and mental health through various classroom presentations. Most recently, alongside Shannon Peterson, at the DMACC-Ankeny campus, we started a 7-week workshop for students titled “Adulting 101,” where we cover topics such as: 1. What are cognitive distortions and how to combat them, 2. How and why to create a personal mission statement, and 3. What makes a good goal, and how to set and follow it through. Additionally, I am working on starting a chapter of the Green Bandana Project.
2. Share a story where you were concerned about something or someone, and the steps you took that either helped and/or left you perhaps considering how you would do it differently next time?
A recurring concern I have is whether I am doing enough when contacting students referred for counseling services when they decline to make use of what we offer. In Social Work, we believe in free will, and while I do believe that every single person could benefit from counseling or therapy, I remind myself it is up to the individual to make the decision to participate in services or not, regardless of what I feel they need (suicidal/homicidal ideations aside)
3. Could you tell us about one high point in your work and about one low point in your work?
A high point and a low point for me is seeing students at their worst. This is a low point, because as therapists/counselors/humans we never want to see people in pain. This is also a high point when I can escort people through these painful times to better ones and show them the progress they have made based on where they were.
4. Is there something which you would like to normalize for others, where they may think they cannot share it or think it is only their struggle?
It is truly ok to ask for help—no matter how big or small you feel that help you are asking for may be. Once you do, it gets easier each time. For me, it helps to remind myself how much people love to help others (and the benefits of doing so—altruistic or otherwise). If I can flip that, I tell myself that I might even be helping someone else by asking for them to help me!
3 Self-Care Strategies Becca Swears By
- Write a letter to your future self. I have students in each of my classes write a letter to their future selves, including how they feel now and what they want to accomplish over the semester. I make sure they include strong positive messaging. I save these and send them out 6 months later. It is awesome to hear what a boost these letters have been! This is a fun/different way to journal.
- Color. We know the science behind this, which can include more than just coloring. Remember being a kid and getting brand new crayons or markers at the beginning of the school year? You can still have that feeling as an adult and treat yourself to a new, fantastic pen and just doodle—or take some great notes in a meeting. 😊
- Find a mantra. Finding one or two phrases that you can repeat to yourself over and over when things are tough can have a huge impact on your mental health. For some, a mantra helps replace negative self-talk. For others, it is a way to increase self-esteem. This can be something as simple as “I am enough,” or “This is temporary,” or even “Enjoy this moment.”