Student Support Group
Started in 2022, the USC Aiken Student Support Group is an organization that gives college students the opportunity to express their emotions and relieve themselves of school pressures.
Co-leading therapists Samaya Brown and Sydney Strother, graduate students in the Applied Clinical Psychology program, began their positions in the Student Support Group during the current semester. They provide assistance to students by teaching them different coping strategies:
Effective communication
Effective interpersonal interaction
Effective self-respect
Effective distress tolerance
Effective mindfulness
Effective time management
Effective stress management
Enhancing coping mechanisms can decrease stress and worry. An aspect of effective communication they teach is listening, and the open forum of the Student Support Group allows students to develop this.
“The goal of the USC Aiken Student Support Group is to provide assistance to college students and remove the stigma associated with disorders like depression or other illnesses. It gives students a forum to discuss their emotions and the pressures of college in an open and sincere manner,” said Brown.
Meetings are held in person every Wednesday from 5:30 p.m.– 6:30 p.m. in the Penland building, room 205.
Students looking to reach out to the Student Support Group can contact Brown and Strother through their USC Aiken emails.