It is commonly said that women need women. Women are able to relate more and feel more confident to seek comfort and support from other women, and UVU has taken that to heart.
UVU Student Health Services held its first ever women’s support group meeting on Feb. 6, and will continue to hold one every Monday from 5-6:30 p.m. in room SC-221.
The need for a women’s group was brought up at a staff meeting by J.C. Graham, the Student Health Center’s program coordinator, in which she discussed the need with other departments including Equity, Women’s Success and Turning Point centers around campus.
The goal of the group is to help women work through and discuss any difficulties they’re currently facing
and receive encouragement and feedback.
The first meeting established ground rules of the group and emphasized the need for confidentiality, empathy and tolerance for one another.
In later meetings, if a certain issue seems prominent enough, the counselors will consider whether or not groups for specific issues need to be created. For now though, there seem to be experiences and issues women share that create a common understanding, such as body image, eating disorders, relationships, etc.
Women who attend will be asked to commit to attend a certain number of meetings. If someone wishes to leave the group, it is asked that they come to a meeting one last time so the rest of the group isn’t left wondering what happened.
Women interested in joining should call or meet with Laura E. Heaphy at ext. 7134 or Kersten H. “Tess” White at ext. 7012 beforehand to determine if group therapy would be beneficial.
By Alison Anderson
Staff Writer
