Mental Health

Student Health Promotion is here to help you with stress management techniques and mindfulness activities. It is equally important to understand when we are overwhelmed and may need assistance from counseling services. 

These signs include:

• Eating or sleeping too much or too little
• Pulling away from people and usual activities
• Having low or no energy
• Feeling numb or like nothing matters
• Having unexplained aches and pains
• Feeling helpless or hopeless
• Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
• Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared,
• Yelling or fighting with family and friends
• Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
• Having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head
• Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
• Thinking of harming yourself or others
• Inability to perform daily tasks like going to class or doing your schoolwork.

If you feel as though you are experiencing this symptoms and want to speak with a therapist, contact 802-440-4451 to schedule an appointment or email healthservices@bennington.edu.

Healthy Relationships

It is important to understand how to maintain a healthy relationship and to be aware of the signs of an unhealthy one.

Communication

Communication in relationships allows to you explain to someone what you are experiencing and what your needs are. The act of communicating not only helps to meet your needs, but it also helps you to be connected in your relationship.

Relationship Violence

• Anyone can find themselves in an abusive relationship. Abuse is not always physical, but may also be emotional or sexual.
• Abusers typically typically minimize their behavior and the impact that is has on the victim. They also generally blame their behavior on the victim’s behavior or some other reasons such as stress or having a bad day.   
• Abusers generally have low self esteem, and their behavior towards the victim is a way to feel powerful or in control.
• Often abusers seem like great people outside of the relationship, and can be pleasant and even charming between incidents of negative behavior.

Warning signs of abusers may include:

• Extreme jealousy
• Possessiveness
• Unpredictability  
• A bad temper
• Cruelty to animals
• Verbal abuse
• Controlling behavior
• Stereotypical beliefs in gender roles
• Forced sex or disregard for their partner’s willingness to have sex
• Sabotage of birth control or safer sex methods
• Isolation from friends and family.
• Control of what the victim wears
• Demeaning comments in public or in private
• Embarrassing the victim in front of others
• Checking up on the victim  

Violence, either sexual, emotional or physical, may be a violation of our sexual misconduct policies. Most staff and faculty on campus are required to report this to the Title IX Coordinator. The Director of Student Health Promotion is a CONFIDENTIAL resource which means that you can contact her and discuss what has happened and she will be able to give you information or offer you resources even if you do not want to report the incident. Speaking with her doesn’t trigger a report, unless that is what you want. She is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week during term to support students who have experienced sexual violence, dating violence, or stalking at 802-440-4444 (talk or text). She can accompany you through all aspects of reporting (if this is desired), including emergency room visits, interviews with campus safety (or the police) and Title IX investigations.