March 15, 2005

For GW Community, Help is a Phone Call Away

“It’s just been one of those weeks.” “It’s this weather.” “There just aren’t enough hours in the day.” Whatever the explanation, persistent sorrow, anxiety, or fatigue could be symptoms of something more serious than a stressful semester or the winter blues.

According to the National Advisory Mental Health Council, anyone — regardless of age, gender, race, or socioeconomic status — can suffer from depression and more than 19 million Americans experience some form of depression every year.
Members of the GW community who are experiencing family, career, or emotional problems are encouraged to contact the Faculty / Employee Assistance Program (FEAP).

GW’s free and confidential counseling and referral service offers help for a range of concerns such as troubled marriages, divorce, death, illness and problems with children or parents; financial troubles; behavioral problems like substance abuse, compulsive gambling, and eating disorders; workplace issues such as on-the-job stress and problems with co-workers; as well as emotional distress.

The program was founded in 1987 by Dr. Lee Smith, and since that time she has helped thousands of GW employees work through their problems. Those successes, according to Smith, center on her firm commitment to patients’ privacy. Her one regret is that while many employees actively seek out the service, some wait too long to call for her services, reluctant to reach out for help.

“People should be reminded that we’re here and it works,” said Smith. “I’ve helped people through anything that a person could possibly be concerned about. It’s good that people feel they can come, and this is a safe place where they can talk about whatever they’re concerned about. They can talk honestly and frankly and not be concerned about confidentiality.”

Smith provides short-term counseling, and added that often merely identifying a problem or airing concerns is all that’s needed for a person to gain a better perspective on a problem. If short-term counseling isn’t the appropriate remedy, she will refer faculty or staff to whatever specialized services, centers, or agencies are most suitable. With more than 20 years of clinical, research, and teaching experience, Smith is acquainted with a host of resources in the area including psychiatrists and psychologists, rehabilitation centers, and in- and out-patient services, and she is adept at matching the best resource to her client’s needs.

The most crucial step in the healing process, however, is picking up the phone and making an appointment. After that Smith is there to help identify problems and determine a course of action.

For more information about FEAP, or to make an appointment, employees may call 676-2002.

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu