Freshmen Transitions
While starting college may feel like an exciting change, we may still react with worry and concern about what lies ahead. We may experience a sense of loss as a result of leaving friends behind and being away from family at the time we need them the most. In times of transition, we may also experience insecurity and feel as though we have to prove ourselves academically and with new friends. So many changes can be overwhelming and impact us negatively if left unaddressed. In times of stressful transitions, we may also find ourselves using coping skills that could cause us more distress in the future. Some of these coping skills may include: abusing alcohol or drugs; eating issues such as restricting, overeating, or binging and purging; isolation; self-critical behavior; or acting out with roommates, friends, or partners. Some of these behaviors could impact your ability to make the most of your college experience.
If you are looking for strategies for making the most of your college experience and setting yourself up for success, you can request a Freshman Success Workshop in your hall.
For more information, contact CAPS at (858) 534-3755.
Written by Christina Castro, Ph.D.
Resources on My Wellness Page
Want to calculate your body mass index (BMI)? 
Or know how many fruits and veggies you should get each day according to your activity level?
Or know how many calories you should consume each day?
All of these questions and more can be answered on the Wellness Center website
, in the My Wellness Tab.
There is also specific wellness information for graduate students, undergrads, student leaders, and study abroad students.
Check it out!
Or know how many fruits and veggies you should get each day according to your activity level?
Or know how many calories you should consume each day?
All of these questions and more can be answered on the Wellness Center website
, in the My Wellness Tab.There is also specific wellness information for graduate students, undergrads, student leaders, and study abroad students.
Check it out!
Welcome to UCSD CAPS!
Reina Juarez, PhD
Welcome to UCSD Counseling and Psychological Services!
We are delighted to be of service to you.
Please, become familiar with who we are and our offerings. We serve as a resource and sustaining system to empower students to work on personal development and academic goals. We also support the faculty, staff, and families invested in students’ success.
Take advantage of UCSD’s opportunities for intellectual achievement and evolution as a whole person. We also encourage you to visit with us in person.
May your endeavors be fructiferous, revitalizing, and gratifying. May mental health be your greatest wealth. And may we be partners building healthy, sharing, thriving and life-long learning communities. Please visit our site regularly for updated information! caps.ucsd.edu
Self-Psychology 101
Reina Juarez, PhD
Self-Psychology 101
When I learned about Self-Psychology, the doors to know myself, people, and the world opened up with a bright perspective.
This way of conceptualizing human beings and the world in which we evolve has given me a heart within psychology with the strength of empathy, which I use daily in my personal life and my work with students, colleagues, and the university community. For instance,
when we use empathy we see the world from the “other person’s perspective,” facilitating understanding and serving as antidote to many self-defeating emotions such as anger, envy, jealousy, and hate. Empathy can also be used toward one’s self to uproot self-depreciation, self-alienation, and self-hate.Self Psychology talks about our need for “self objects” to get to know ourselves and self-regulate. In the beginning, self-objects are our caregivers and that stuffed-animal, food, toy, or blanket that gave us comfort. As we grow up, all of us continue to need self-objects and their nature changes as we change. Some are internalized such as the ability to love one’s self, while others continue to exert their influence from the outside. Music, art, partners, friends, books, mentors, nature, meditation … all of them can serve as self-objects that help us self-sooth and feel connected with positive forces in our lives.
I support the life-long quest of surrounding ourselves with self-empowering self-objects to be truly alive, wise, compassionate, loving, generative, creative, generous, joyful, healthy, and full of vitality!!!! There is no need to put up with toxic people and environments.
As we become self-efficient we can select our self-objects, including the people we want close to us, the places where we want to live and work, and give meaning, purpose, and plenitude to our lives. There is so much more to Self-Psychology. I hope we can talk more about it soon.
Alcohol and College
Jerry Phelps, PhDAlcohol and College
Is alcohol a big part of college life?
Well, it may surprise you to know that most UCSD students don’t drink alcohol to excess. In fact, 72% of UCSD students report that they drink 0, 1, 2 or 3 drinks when they are at party.
When I was a college student at UC Berkeley, there was a lot more drinking. Now, alcohol use has decreased. Don’t get me wrong, many students do drink, but if they do, most do it responsibly. Those who don’t moderate have a lower GPA and are less likely to graduate.
So, if you think that you have to drink alcohol to fit in, remember this – Most UCSD students don’t abuse alcohol.
So, what do you do for healthy fun?
Well, I enjoy surfing, listening to music and making or eating food with friends. At UCSD there are lots of intramural sports, a wide variety of clubs and student organizations and many, really cool and interesting people.
So, hang with the winners and have fun without drinking. If you want to check out how your alcohol use compares to other UCSD students, take the online test called UCSD e-Chug. If you have a problem with alcohol or want to talk to someone about it, visit the CAPS website.