New group brings mindfulness to students

by Addison Wright
edied by Jalen Beliveau

Junior Freya Cooney is researching ways to raise awareness about wellness and mental health on campus this semester.

Cooney, along with other counselors and faculty, has developed a mindfulness group on campus. The purpose of the group is to teach practical skills to help students build resilience and self-reliance.

“It can be really helpful with everyday stress and troubles which a lot of people have to deal with in college. It’s a technique used by many people including NBA athletes like Lebron James. I really think it could benefit a lot of students here at FPU,” said Cooney. 

The focus of the group will be on developing a powerful approach to observation, resilience, and healing.

FPU counselor Alan Sucharzewski, who helps run the group’s sessions, said, “I teach them basic mindfulness skills and techniques to help them become more aware of how they escalate and teach them ways of de-escalating themselves in terms of anxiety and stress.”

The first mindfulness session was February 4th and the group meets every week from 5-6 p.m. on Tuesday in the Monadnock Lounge.