“The title of this year’s NASPA Annual Conference was ‘LEAD- INNOVATE –TRANSFORM,’ and that is exactly what the coordinator of UCF’s Biofeedback Assisted Relaxation Training program, Pam Mills, is doing,” said Peter Mastroianni, assistant director for Wellness and Health Promotion Services.
Mills presented and reported the benefits and success of Biofeedback Assisted Relaxation Training program. For the past five years, she has been helping UCF students identify their body’s response to stress, learn the close connection between mind and body, and develop relaxation skills to control the fight or flight response.
In the 2012, National College Health Assessment, 19.3 percent of students nationally– 20.3 percent at UCF– reported that anxiety negatively affected their academic performance and nearly 30 percent reported that stress had done the same.
A study published in the Journal of College Student Development* reinforced the effectiveness of using biofeedback with college students reporting: “Results indicated that participants who received biofeedback training and counseling had greater reduction in anxiety symptoms than did participants who received counseling alone.”
Over the past five years more than 85 percent of students who completed UCF’s biofeedback program reported a decrease in stress symptoms, perceived stress levels and the ability to utilize the newly learned skills at times of need.
Recently, Mills presented “Use of Biofeedback Assisted Relaxation Training as an Aid to Veteran Student Success” at the annual VARC Conference.
Students can make appointments by calling 407-823-2924.
*Biofeedback and Counseling for Stress and Anxiety Among College Students. Ratanasiripong, P.; Sverduk, K.; Prince, J.; Hayashino, D. Journal of College Student Development, 2012; 53, 742-749.