U and I Care Highlights the United Support Network (USN)
U and I Care Partners with United Support Network (USN) Heading link
U and I Care would like to share some information about a resource within the UIC Counseling Center called, the United Support Network (USN). USN is a community of peer-led support groups and consists of fun monthly social events for UIC students (both graduate and undergraduate levels) seeking to build a sense of connection around life’s experiences, from the challenging moments, to the uplifting, and everything in between. USN offers a safe space for students to relate to one another, strives to destigmatize mental health, promotes suicide prevention on campus, provides resources, and empowers students to make healthy choices in their academic lives using a support group setting. USN is headed by UIC students under the guidance of two Counseling Center faculty members. Group leaders are educated as paraprofessionals, and receive significant crisis intervention skills training prior to becoming facilitators. USN group leaders are not therapists, but are trained to refer students in need of more comprehensive, professional help if needed.
For more information, students can reach out to USN’s President, Charlotte Holley (cholle7@uic.edu) or Vice President, Hanna Ghalyoun (hghaly2@uic.edu). Groups are held weekly, and students can sign up by following this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdc68qkhSrgkWRzkbXJHVFgQw2HnOB8_IPd-mWEQ0nQfTHXrA/viewform.