Texas Tech Offers Counseling In Response To ‘Current Political Climate’

The Student Counseling Center (SCC) at Texas Tech University wants to help students cope with the current political climate by offering tips, resources and counseling, according to Campus Reform.

“The world today can feel complex, overwhelming, and even scary,” the front page of the center’s website states. “The current political climate has recently been characterized by anger, divisiveness, and a lack of mutual understanding, and many of our students have been directly impacted by recent political decisions in ways that have left them questioning the safety of themselves and those that they love.” The website adds that the counseling center raises its voices against the “violence, prejudice, and discrimination” seen in society today.

The center continues, claiming: “discrimination and prejudice do not always take the forms of overt violence,” and that having to deal with “more subtle microaggressions” is also a “painful reality” for many students. Additionally, they encourages any student  “impacted by oppression” to speak with counselors and to take advantage of their resources that they believe “can be helpful in creating understanding, promoting healing, and fostering inclusivity.”

Some of the center’s resources include:

• “101 Ways to Take Care of Yourself when the World Feels Overwhelming”
• “Curriculum for White Americans to Educate Themselves on Race and Racism”
• “Self-Care in Times of Social Unrest”
• “12 Ways to Be a White Ally to Black People”

Despite the guide’s controversial nature, the Dean of Students at Texas Tech, Matt Gregory, defended the SCC initiative: “The Student Counseling Center added specific language on the SCC website as a result of the emergence of student concerns surrounding perceived racial tension on a national level and immigration status,” Gregory told Campus Reform. “More broadly, the intent is to provide information and resources for all students to help process societal issues and address the potential for psychological effects.”