The WellCat Counseling Center will add a new group to its other small group offerings this October called Men’s Therapy Group: Strength Through Connection, meant to provide therapeutic support for male students. The goal is to create a venue where collaborative, vulnerable conversations can thrive.
About a year and a half ago, graduate students approached Chico State counselor Jesse Ramirez with the idea of creating better mental health support for male students. They were researching programs at other colleges and hoped that Chico State could create its own. At the time, Ramirez was the only male therapist working on campus.
He spent some time considering the different ways that support could be provided. When some of his colleagues told him they were seeing a high degree of need among male clients and that a support group might provide another helpful setting, Ramirez took on the responsibility of creating and eventually leading the small group.
Ramirez said that establishing a dynamic focused on vulnerability and support will be one of the challenges.
“How do we do that? Because many of us haven’t been taught how to do that,” he said.
He stressed the importance of creating an open atmosphere where everyone is welcome to speak about whatever topics they feel the need to discuss.
“I could go in there with an agenda of things we could talk about, but honestly it’s whatever comes up in that group,” Ramirez said. There will be some general rules and guidelines that should be followed, but emphasized that the primary obligation is to “respect other peoples’ opinions.”
Everything discussed will be kept confidential — those involved in any of the small groups will be asked to sign a form committing to confidentiality and stating that they won’t identify any other group members outside of their meetings, said program director Courtney Chambless.
The men’s group will consist of four to nine members. Much of the interest Ramirez has received so far has been in the form of referrals from his colleagues.
However, one does not need to have seen a therapist in a one-on-one setting to join the group. Like the other five small groups, the only requirement is that someone express interest to the counseling center so they can make an appointment to have a conversation with the group’s leader before attending their first meeting, Chambless said.
Students have until Oct. 6 to sign up for the men’s group. Meetings will be held on Tuesdays from 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. at the Cross-Cultural Leadership Center.
The Grief Support Group and the women’s group, Sisterhood Circle: A Safe Space for Empowerment and Connection, were both started in the last three years. The other three groups; Better Relationships, Neurodivergence Support, and Anxiety and Stress Management have all been offered for several years, according to Chambless.
Each group is led by a licensed counselor.
The WellCat Counseling Center is open from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, and from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The center is closed for one hour daily between noon and 1 p.m.
Anyone interested in more information, or to sign up for a group, should call the center at (530) 898-6345. Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis can call that number or 855-530-6802 and press option 2 to speak with a crisis counselor. The service is available 24/7.
Time and location of the different groups:
Anxiety and Stress Management Group — Friday 10:30 a.m. to noon in SSC 426
Better Relationships Group — Tuesday 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. in SSC 426
Grief Support Group — Wednesday 3 p.m. to 4:40 p.m. in SSC 426
Men’s Therapy Group: Strength Through Connection — Tuesday 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the CCLC
Neurodivergence Support Group — Monday 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in SSC 426
Sisterhood Circle: A Safe Space for Empowerment and Connection — Friday 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Estom Jamani 227P, 2nd floor of the Hub
Sean Shanks can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected]
