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SCHOOL CLOSINGS

PSYCHOLOGY

Brain cancer patient raises $80K for her neurosurgeon at University of Michigan

Christina Costa takes a picture with her neurosurgeon, Dr. Wajd Al-Holou ahead of her surgery in September 2020. We found a mass in your brain,’” Costa recalls them telling her. She said her neurosurgeon, U-M alumnus Dr. Wajd Al-Holou, left an immediate impression on her. She began selling T-shirts on Instagram at the end of 2020 with a plan to surprise Dr. Al-Holou in January with the funds. “It was so incredible.”AdAfter raising $40,000 on her own, the donor matched each dollar raised and she presented Dr. Al-Holou with a gift of just over $81,000 in January.

Annual U-M Depression on College Campuses Conference goes virtual

ANN ARBOR – This year’s Depression on College Campuses Conference at the University of Michigan will take place virtually on March 9 and 10. With the theme Addressing the Dual Pandemic: The Impact of COVID-19 and Racial Injustice on College Student Mental Health, the event focused on mental health on college campuses aims to highlight challenges students currently face. AdThe conference will present new research findings, programs and and policies that focus on the mental health of college students in the context of current event. Each year, attendees consist of a diverse group, including students, psychiatrists and psychologists, parents, academic advisors, counselors, health educators and more. Certified or Master Certified Health Education Specialists can receive up to 8.5 Category I contact education hours for attending the event.

U-M: Parent depression, stress caused by pandemic had negative impact on kids’ schooling

Most of the parents said that their children learned online from home, using school-provided electronic resources, educational apps and social media. Roughly 35% of parents reported that their children’s behavior changed since the pandemic began, including feelings of sadness, loneliness and depression. Daily schedule disruptions and a lack of access to free and reduced-price meals from school were significant stressors, parents reported. “Research suggests that, unfortunately, the high levels of stress, anxiety and depression among parents remained high through the summer and early fall. Co-authors on the study are U-M doctoral student in psychology and social work, Kaitlin Ward and U-M undergraduate research assistants Kasey Downing and Olivia Chang.

U-M psychologist gives tips on managing holiday stress

Losing loved ones, staying at home to protect others from contracting the virus and experiencing unemployment have made people feel less festive this holiday season. These things were designed to contribute to a festive holiday, but they can be exhausting and push us over the limit. Maybe use any extra time off of work to catch up on sleep rather than adding holiday tasks to the list. It’s a good time to rebalance expectations and openly discuss what you most value and can still enjoy this holiday. Overall, we have to remember that, at its core, this is a season for giving and for giving thanks.

‘Refocus on what really matters’: COVID-19 has caused major life changes for many

DETROIT – With the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, life as we knew it is gone, and with it a possible change in why we complain. Dr. Donna Rockwell, clinical psychologist, said when there is a major life change, we look at things differently. “Things like running late or not picking up something at the grocery store you wanted to or you forgot the dry cleaning, you know, little sort of petty things like that, lose their emphasis, and we refocus on what really matters," Rockwell said. “I think it’s really important in life that we do get the opportunity to re-perspectivise what is valuable to us, what’s meaningful to us and what matters. We could just go along our entire lives just doing errands and checking things off the list, but at the end of a lifetime that’s not what really matters.