The Wellness Center’s new group, “Emotions in Motion,” had its first meeting Monday, Sept. 30.
The new group is being led by Wellness Center Counseling Intern Liane Karathra, a graduate student from Antioch University. This is Karathra’s second year at Keene State.
“It’s an ongoing therapy group that will meet from now until right before Thanksgiving and will allow people to connect with each other using conversation, art, and movement,” said Associate Director for Counseling Beth Aronson in an email statement to The Equinox. “It’s a great way to process the stresses of the semester in a fun way and get to know other students you might not otherwise meet.”
“There was [an] art therapy group that was run by another intern last year, and that had a pretty good response,” Karathra said. “So I was wondering if I could use similar creative art therapy modules, but also incorporate a lot of movement in it.”
“I felt that there were a lot of students who are dealing with a lot of anxiety, and it’s extremely common for students to go through that,” she added.
Karathra said she hopes the group will provide a way for students to release their negative emotions.
“I want to incorporate an understanding of self-care and self-awareness and self-expression,” she said. “Students can come in at any point in time. It’s quite flexible, at least for the first couple of weeks.”
Topics will include emotional regulation and body awareness, all explored through creative formats such as journaling and dance.
“I hope that they can understand a bit more of themselves,” Karathra said.
As a counseling intern, Karathra specializes in couple and family therapy. Karathra was born in India, but was raised in Saudi Arabia, and witnessed a lack of mental health resources in her home countries.
“There’s a lot of need for mental health from the countries that I come from, but there’s not a lot of mental health awareness [there],” she said. “And I grappled with a lot of those things growing up.”
Karathra, who said she had always loved dancing, decided to combine her love of dance and movement with her passion for mental health.
“I know what it’s like to have that anxiety, that fear, that stress,” she said. “Loneliness, isolation, all of these feelings are just extremely common.”
Karathra encouraged students who are struggling to reach out to the Wellness Center for help.
“Folks will always be there to support you,” she said. “It’s not scary, I promise, everybody’s out there to help you and be a support to you.”
Emily Sloane can be contacted at
esloane@kscequinox.com
