The Olympic College Counseling department offers a variety of free workshops and classes each quarter with sessions specifically designed to meet the needs of students, staff, faculty and the community it serves.
According to OC Counselor John Babbo, these workshops and classes are offered in addition to the regular services the counseling department provides to the OC community, which include advising, career counseling, personal counseling and related duties.
The workshop themes are based off of the perceived needs of the students and the community, and are also driven by the input received from individuals that have attended the workshops. The Counseling Web site said the workshops and classes can be described as a good way to work on specific issues in a comfortable group setting.
According to program assistant Karen Scoggins, the most popular workshop offered is Test Anxiety. Other common workshops available each quarter include Knowing Yourself and Your Limits and How to Handle Stress, Exploring your Personality and Applying for Graduation.
The Counseling department also offers special workshops on occasion. This quarter students can attend Chemicals and College: How Substances can Affect Success.
Women’s Programs also offers classes and workshops through the counseling department to help the OC community with life challenges and transitions. Titles include Transition Times and the Practical Aspects of Divorce.
The workshops and classes are offered on all three branch campuses. There is a maximum enrollment of 15.
Scoggins said her office is trying to get the word out more, especially to the branch campuses where enrollment hasn’t been as high as they would like.
“We want to get it out to the community more because these are free and open to everyone,” said Scoggins.
According to Babbo, these workshops are offered by request as well. Staff and faculty members can call and ask for a workshop to be held directly in their class.
Babbo said they are regularly asked to due Test Anxiety or Stress Management workshops in the math department and they have done personality and Test Anxiety workshops in the nursing department as well.
Babbo said since the community is part of OC, these services also extend out towards individuals and businesses in the community.
“We have been called from the community many of times to give them to civic groups and community groups,” said Babbo, “but they are always free, because the community is part of us.”
For a complete list of times and dates of classes and workshops offered this quarter the OC community can refer to the quarterly class schedule.
To reserve a spot in a scheduled workshop or to request a special visit, interested parties can call Karen Scoggins at (360) 475-7530 and provide their name and telephone number.
“All of our workshops are free,” said Babbo. “They are for specific topics we have collected over the years from the need of the students on campus, and things the community might call in, if we don’t (offer a workshop) then we will create the workshop as needed. But it is based on need.”
According to Scoggins individuals attending the workshops have an opportunity to evaluate the workshop and make any suggestions. She said the overall feedback has been “pretty positive.”
“They are open to everyone. Personally, I wish that I could get it out there more, because I know there are a lot of students that don’t know about it,” said Scoggins.
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