The Psychological Services and Research Centre will start the new year with a campaign aimed at helping students develop and maintain healthy relationships, emphasizing relationship satisfaction, boundaries, communication patterns, and the role of technology in modern relationships.

The project is part of the centre’s accredited academic program, which supports clinical training for graduate psychology students under the direction of faculty advisors. 

Doctoral candidates Jean Kim and Fiona Dyshniku will run the program under the direction of clinical supervisor Annette Dufresne, funded by a grant from UWindsor’s Women’s Campus Safety Initiative.

“We want to help students to understand that healthy relationships are a right,” says Kim.

A workshop Wednesday, January 28, will provide a forum for discussion and education. Free and open to all students, it will run 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in room 265A, Chrysler Hall South.

The two graduates students will also facilitate a free six-week group therapy program for pre-screened students beginning February 24, focused on using emotions as a guide towards achieving and maintaining healthy relationships. To register, e-mail healthyrelationships1@gmail.com.

“The topic of healthy relationships is particularly pertinent to women on university campuses and provides an ideal learning opportunity for graduate students at the centre,” says Dr. Dufresne. “Surveys have shown that four out of five female undergraduate students on Canadian campuses report having been the victim of violence in a dating relationship, with more than 80 percent of campus rapes committed by someone the victim knows. Our students are not only fulfilling their academic requirements, they are providing a much-needed service to the campus community.”

The Peer Support Centre, which offers a safe and inclusive space for students to drop in and talk with a supportive peer, will staff a table the CAW Student Centre on January 28 encouraging passersby to write down their thoughts on relationships as part of a “Post-It” activity. The exercise is intended for students to share both their positive and negative relationship experiences so others can see that they are not alone in their concerns.