Jubilee House Offers Positive Change For Students’ Lives

Front porch of the Jubilee House. Media by Noah Thuma.

Perhaps one of the most overlooked facets of the Greenville community is the Jubilee House, a counseling center located a short walk away from the Greenville University campus. Jubilee House works for the community around Greenville as well as students who attend Greenville University. Students are able to have up to six free sessions of counseling, and if deemed necessary or beneficial for a client to continue counseling, the school will make arrangements for future sessions to remain free of charge to the student.

One of the forms of counseling that is offered on a weekly basis is group counseling, which is held with an open invitation to anyone who wishes to attend. No matter their history of mental health, students can seek counseling regardless if they need consistent help for a long-term issue, or just a quiet day of solace among other individuals who are seeking to be open and loving with each other in a private environment. Note that these group sessions do not factor into the sessions whose costs are covered through the school.

Chart giving a quick breakdown of DBT. Media by madinamerica.com.

One of these group sessions was attended to get an inside look on what the Jubilee House does for students. Group sessions typically start with the group convening over a generalized question or technique that comes from the DBT handbook. DBT, also known as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, is a method of therapy that focuses on real-life applications to help clients solve problems when they occur, as opposed to traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which typically focuses on getting the client to talk through their issues instead.

This particular session focused around building personal “survival kits.” It consisted of everything from material comfort items, such as blankets and controllers, to more vague thoughts such as ideas and actions, like driving around aimlessly listening to music, or going for a walk to relieve stress. After working through the exercise with the counselor, Allison Lanter, for which she had prepared her own personal kit, the group split into smaller groups and worked through similar exercises together, building kits of material items, kits of skills, and then a kit of nothing but items and skills that we can keep on our person. Everyone had a different story to tell through their coping methods. They ranged from carrying a Gamecube controller around with them when away from home, to keeping a small journal to jot down thoughts, to something as simple as a coffee mug – and naturally, everyone included keeping their pets as close to them as possible.

Garren Shelley sat down for an interview following the counseling session. Garren has been attending counseling services with Jubilee House since October 2018, and as a result, has many insights and lots of information on what the facility can offer to prospective clients. You can listen to that interview below.

Interview with Garren Shelley. Media by Noah Thuma.

Whether you are looking for long-term help with a personal problem, or just an afternoon to unwind with fellow students on common issues (as well as a wonderful dog named Scout), don’t be afraid to look into the Jubilee House.

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