Monday, April 1, 1996
By Karen Duryea
Daily Bruin Staff
In August 1995, Karen Foster arrived in Los Angeles to work at
UCLA as a psychology intern. Hailing from Atlanta, Ga., Foster took
note of the excessive community violence in her new hometown.
"Atlanta had its share of stressful events, but Los Angeles is
an even bigger city," Foster said.
Hearing students describe their violent ordeals day after day
made Foster realize that violence is a prevalent problem for UCLA
students. Along with her interest in working with conflict, Foster
was attracted to the idea of forming a new support group for UCLA’s
Student Psychological Services, scheduled to begin in this
quarter.
"Coping With Community Violence" will address the needs of UCLA
students who have experienced violent situations either locally or
internationally.
Foster and staff psychologist Tracy Shaw will co-facilitate the
new support group, which is provided free of charge to registered
students. The group’s main purpose is to help UCLA students cope in
the aftermath of a traumatic event.
Events such as robbery at gun point or carjacking are classified
by the psychologists as violent ordeals that could seriously affect
one’s life. Just witnessing such an event, or having it happen to a
close friend or family member could be traumatic, Shaw and Foster
said.
The psychologists explained that UCLA students have experienced
a broad spectrum of violent events, ranging from witnessing the
robbery of a convenience store to being forced to leave family
members behind in times of war.
"In addition to local violence, we also recognize that there is
an international problem," Foster said. "These are not just
individuals from inner cities, but also students coming from other
countries where they have had to leave their homes to escape
death."
Wars and fighting are serious problems abroad, and due to the
diversity of students here at UCLA, Foster said these problems are
a reality for students from such countries as Vietnam and Iran.
Yet, no matter what the specific event, Shaw and Foster agreed
that symptoms resulting from community and international violence
are often similar. Post-traumatic stress, causing flashbacks and
extreme anxiety, or anger, frustration and numbing can result from
experiencing a violent ordeal. These symptoms can result in poor
concentration, affecting a student’s academic ability, Shaw
said.
Foster said that students can also feel isolated after a violent
event. This feeling may be intensified if others who were present
at the event have recovered.
"Some students may feel crazy, especially when others have moved
on and they are still struggling with it. Different people have
different reactions and temperaments," Foster said.
For this reason, Foster and Shaw believed that a group approach
will be an effective method in helping afflicted
students.Surrounding the victims with peers who understand what
they are feeling will help alleviate their alienation.
"Groups have been found to be the most effective," Foster said,
"It helps to contain their emotional reactions and symptoms and
helps them to work through them."
Student Psychological Services gauges student mental needs
through both formal surveys and informally through feedback on
campus, said Dr. Hal Pruett, director of Student Psychological
Services.
By monitoring repeated themes that students bring to the center
when looking for psychological health, such as coping with stress
or eating disorders, campus psychologists can see what important
mental needs they should treat.
"Sometimes it’s trial and error," Pruett said, "Sometimes we
don’t know until we set up the support group. Also, it depends what
expertise we have on staff. If need arises, it may be that we don’t
have the expertise on it."
Students have the opportunity to make suggestions to Student
Psychological Services regarding groups they feel need to be
offered, Shaw said.
The first step in creating a support group is performing a
"needs assessment," Foster said. By recognizing student needs and
collaborating with other departments, such as the Academic
Advancement Program, that assesses student needs, Student
Psychological Services gathers information on problems that require
attention on campus, psychologists said.
For instance, Foster said if a victim is experiencing insomnia,
their first instinct may be to approach Student Health Services,
when in fact their insomnia may be a result of the aftermath of a
violent encounter. Student Health can then refer the student to
seek counseling at Student Psychological Services.
Foster said there is no administrative decision, beyond
availability of room space, that censors what the psychologists
feel are useful groups. Once a group is established the next step
is to recruit group members through advertising. When students
respond, they are confidentially screened, in this case to
determine what specific traumatic events or symptoms are
common.
"We just try to bring a group together. The 30-minute screening
is a prerequisite to see that the group is an appropriate service
and an appropriate match for the students," Foster said. "What we
are finding is that people want a group setting, even changing
other things in their schedule to accommodate one."
Currently, the group consists of four members, but Shaw and
Foster say that they’d like to see four or five more members join
the group, which is scheduled to begin on April 10, meeting weekly
for 11Ž2 hours.
The style of the group will be like a forum, where members talk
to one another, helping them through the coping stages. "The
purpose of a group is to work through stressful life events," Shaw
said, "to feel like healthy individuals."
For more info about the service or to obtain information about
joining a counseling group, contact Student Psychological Services
at (310) 825-0768.Comments to webmaster@db.asucla.ucla.edu