The ETSU Counseling Center hosted its second Story Swap event this week on Monday, Nov 14. The theme for this event was resilience, and participants were encouraged to share their own stories of overcoming hardships and obstacles in their responses.
Cynthia Millhorn, a graduate assistant for the Counseling Center, said that Story Swap is designed to be a healing outlet for students looking to control their own narrative.
“When we take the act of storytelling or communication and bring it into the counseling world, it’s often identified as narrative therapy,” Millhorn said.
Participants who attended the event were not required to share their responses to the prompt; however, all were asked to sit in the story circle and listen to those who wanted to share their stories with the group.
“Everyone is welcome to this space. We go through some grounding exercises, and then we have a story prompt. If you are there, you have to hold space for the people with you and be respectful. We only offer affirmative feedback, but this helps people take ownership of their personal stories,” Millhorn said .
Although there are no additional Story Swap dates scheduled for the near future, the Counseling Center still wants to encourage students to participate in other similar events that are upcoming this semester. For those interested, the ETSU Storytelling program will present another ‘Story Slam’ event on Nov. 21, at The Down Home, located at 300 W. Main Street in Johnson City.
The Counseling Center also encourages students to take advantage of the services they offer on campus and online.
“Mental health resources are typically extremely expensive, so the fact that you have these resources that are free and available to you is a really good reason to at least check it out. Of course everyone feels nervous about trying new things, but we have a very inclusive staff and kind counselors who will be there for you,” Millhorn stated.
For more information, please visit the Counseling Center’s website at https://www.etsu.ed/students/counseling/ or follow their Instagram account @etsucounselingcenter.
