A Multicomponent Stress Management Program for College Students

A t the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), an innovative stress management program has been implemented. Although stress management interventions of various types are found on college campuses (Carnahan, Tobin, & Uncapher, 1981; Kolko, 1980; Mallinckrodt, 1983; Romano, 1984), the RIT program relies exclusively on an experiential format. The program components were chosen as ones students could later pursue on their own or through campus courses, workshops, clubs, or activities. The program, which has been offered quarterly since 1982, began in response to expressed student needs. The program is co-sponsored by the Student Health Service and the College Counseling Service. The program leaders are a registered nurse, who is the health education coordinator at the Student Health Service, and a mental health counselor from the College Counseling Service. The goals of the program are (a) to help students understand the components of stress and how stress operates in their lives, and (b) to promote healthy methods of managing stress. The intent is to expose students to various stress management techniques with the understanding that individuals will ultimately choose different strategies based on their personalities and life-styles. The program is offered three times each academic year and there typically is a 10-person limit, although there have been as few as 4 students and as many as 13. Approximately 30 students participate each year. At the end of the program, students rate each component’s helpfulness in reducing their stress. Students are required to pay $10, which is refundable if they complete at least seven of the eight weekly 1-hour sessions. In 2 years, only five students have missed more than seven sessions. Each session is described below.