Brian Petersen took over as the new director of Ithaca College’s Center for Counseling and Psychological Services last September. He sat down with The Sophie Fund to discuss his position and plans.
TSF: How do you describe your job?
Brian Petersen: I supervise all of our programs and interventions with students as well as work with our counselors to help them enact our model of care. I also represent the Counseling Center on campus-wide task force and committee projects related to Mental Health and Wellness on campus.
TSF: What led you to Ithaca College?
Brian Petersen: I was the associate director for the Counseling Center at Pace University in New York City. I managed the day-to-day provision of intake and outreach services and participated in our pre-doctoral internship program in Health Psychology as a clinical supervisor. I worked there for 12 years. Ithaca offers me an opportunity to continue working in a university/college counseling role. I wanted to work at a smaller school due to the focus on creating a coherent community and Ithaca College has that reputation. I am originally from Brockport, New York, so I also am happy to have the opportunity to return to central-western New York.
TSF: Do you have specific interests?
Brian Petersen: I am interested in working with performing artists on their personal relationship to/experience of their craft and how that intersects with their identity. I am committed to suicide prevention and education. I also have an interest in parapsychology. My doctoral dissertation was on interviewing people about their experiences of the paranormal in the context of grief and bereavement. I really enjoy working with young adults on the creation of existential meaning in life.
TSF: What is your favorite thing about CAPS?
Brian Petersen: We have a very talented and creative staff who are committed to helping students achieve both their personal and academic goals. It is nice to work with colleagues who truly care about what they do.
TSF: What is your least favorite thing, or what you most want to improve?
Brian Petersen: Our services are in high demand and not all students can be seen for long-term therapy. We offer a wide range of services and interventions including Let’s Talk, our Toolbox Skills groups, group therapy, and coping skills education, and we try to match clients with the best solution to what they want to work on. For students that want long-term therapy, that can be frustrating though we will help to find a referral off-campus to a therapist with whom they can work for the full time they are at Ithaca.
TSF: Where do you see CAPS going in the future?
Brian Petersen: We are currently in the process of integrating more with healthcare services at Ithaca College. The goal is to allow students to experience holistic care of both physical and mental health needs. I would also like to increase our visibility on campus through a year-long schedule of outreach events. We are happy to work with faculty/staff/students on specific outreach projects related to mental health and overall wellness, especially around the issue of self-care.
TSF: What is your opinion about the current mental health situation in the Ithaca College community?
Brian Petersen: I think students at Ithaca are hard-working and this can create a lot of pressure to perform. With that comes stress and anxiety, two of the main reasons that students utilize our services. We also see students who are having difficulty transitioning to college and early negative experiences can create a lot of self-doubt. We see approximately 20 percent of the student body for some form of intervention each year and this is a substantial number of students. I do find that more and more students are coming to college with a high degree of knowledge and experience with mental health treatment and they are often very informed consumers of our services.
TSF: What is the importance of mental health?
Brian Petersen: I think our mental health is the foundation through which we create meaning and connection in life. When we feel mentally healthy, we have the courage to engage with life. When we struggle, we disengage and then isolate.
TSF: Anything you’re working on right now that you can share?
Brian Petersen: I would like to create a more sustained outreach focus on suicide prevention and education so that all members of the Ithaca College community can notice and assist others who are feeling hopeless and disconnected. Very small interventions can yield life-saving results.
TSF: What do you think Ithaca College could do to help the stigma that still exists on this campus?
Brian Petersen: I appreciate an interview like this as it allows me to be public about what CAPS and the university are doing to prioritize mental wellness. I feel that the administration at Ithaca College is truly committed to creating a community that destigmatizes mental illness or distress. The President [Shirley M. Collado] has spoken openly about her commitment and I think that has a real impact on allowing others to openly acknowledge and talk about difficult topics. I, personally, hope to reach out to students who feel marginalized or categorized at Ithaca College and I hope to meet with student groups and leaders over the spring semester. I just started at Ithaca College in September and I feel I am steadily gaining the knowledge and connections I need to begin to be proactive with this goal.
—By Meredith Nash
Meredith Nash is a senior Writing major at Ithaca College and an intern at The Sophie Fund
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