Support group geared toward grad students

The dissertation: It arrives at the end of every graduate student's curriculum and separates the potential doctoral students from the students who are considered "A.B.D." ' all but dissertation. \nIt is a grueling, lengthy assignment that leaves little to no time for extra-curricular activities, let alone any free time at all. Alli Glore, a graduate student, talks about the time restraints and responsibility it takes to commit to this frustrating task.\n"It is said that if a student works 10 hours a week solely on the dissertation, then it would take about two years to finish," Glore said. Graduate students are already under a great deal of stress at the onset of the project but the immense pressure that goes hand in hand with completing the final hurdle of graduate school may be more than a student can handle. \nThat is why Paul Toth, who has a Ph.D. in psychology and is a practicing psychologist at the IU Health Center, along with Glore, decided to start a dissertation support group.\nThe group meets from 1:30 - 3 p.m. Tuesdays on the fourth floor of the Health Center. The first two visits are free and every meeting thereafter is $7. Paul Toth made it clear that this group is open to a wide range of graduate students at every level.\n"The group is open to any student going through the dissertation process. Whether they have just finished exams and are contemplating a topic or if they are almost ready to submit their work," Toth said.\n"It is also important for students to understand that this is not group therapy; it is group support. We will leave it open for the group to help each other."\nThe group can be most helpful for students who feel they are alone during the process. Graduate student Mark Kline said a group such as this one is important for the process.\n"It can be valuable to many students as it is easy to become isolated during the dissertation process and to feel like you are the only person experiencing difficulty," Kline said. "Having others around who are going through the same thing can also provide a spur to continue working."\nThe motivation to actually "continue" working on the project is one of the main reasons graduate students feel so much stress. These are students who are accustomed to being on campus, having classes, deadlines, term papers and exams. When that is over, they are on their own to structure themselves. They have to propose, research, experiment and write something that will not only end their graduate program but allow them to contribute a significant amount of work to their field of study. Glore said it is this lack of structure and contact that may lead students to the support group.\n"I hardly have a reason to come to campus anymore," Glore said. "I work on my own and have little contact with other graduate students. Sometimes I feel very alone while working on such a frustrating task. I think the group will help bring local students together to give and get advice and feedback, and to relate to people who are going through exactly what they are."\nThe group is a place for students to gain peer support, set goals for themselves with regards to structuring time and to relieve stress. Paul Toth recommends the group for the overall bettering of a student's mental and physical health while coping with the many pressures of graduate school.\n"We will help students to understand the psychological definitions of stress and anxiety and where they come from," Toth said. We will also make sure that they are taking care of themselves by eating and sleeping well, in addition to maintaining some level of fun in their lives."\nGlore said this support group can and will achieve these goals and will be highly successful on this campus.\n"People won't resist coming to this one," Glore said. This service will not make people question their sanity or mental health; it will just help to better their overall general health and help people function better as students. This program has less of a stigma attached to it and is very user-friendly."\nAll graduate students need some type of student "family" to lean on when problems arise. Mark Kline already has an existing group such as this one. \n"I have an extensive network of fellow graduate students who are at the same point of study as I am. We meet regularly and discuss our progress as well as the highs and lows of graduate study," Kline said. \nThe creation of this new support group for graduate students is the perfect opportunity to form a type of graduate network and use a campus service beneficially.\nFor more information contact Paul Toth at CaPs (Counseling and Psychological Services) at the IU Health Center. The center is located at the corner of 10th Street and Jordan Avenue and is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The dissertation support group can be joined at anytime during the course of the year.