Wellness Wave Wisdom

By Michael Truong. Michael is Health Services’ new clinical case manager, connecting students to Health Services related resources in the community. Michael is an Associate Clinical Social Worker and proud North County San Diego native who attained his Master’s of Social Work (MSW) at California State University San Marcos. As a second-generation Vietnamese-American, Michael's personal journey as a child of refugees during the Vietnamese diaspora has enriched his perspective with cultural humility, fostering inclusivity, and emphasizing the inherent dignity and worth of every individual. With over 3 years of hands-on case management experience in San Diego County's Child & Family Well-Being Department, Michael served as an Emergency Response Social Worker. In this role, he assessed safety, responded to crises, and facilitated connections to a plethora of community resources for families in need. Whenever a person experiences any form of crime, violence, and/or abuse, it i...

  By Tammah Watts, LMFT Tammah is a licensed therapist trained in Mindfulness-Based Meditation, who provides individual, relationship, and family counseling, and is certified as a SMART Recovery Facilitator, Domestic Violence Advocate, and Clinical Trauma Professional. --------- The turn of the calendar ushers in a new semester often symbolizes a fresh start and the opportunity for positive change. For many, the New Year is a time of reflection and goal-setting with a renewed sense of hope. This sentiment is particularly poignant for those who are on a journey of recovery from addiction. Recovery is a multifaceted process and broadly speaking, it includes your mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. Incorporating these as a vital part of your self care can be very beneficial for your success academically as well. As you develop your schedule for this semester, consider adding the SMART RECOVERY -informed meeting held weekly online to your plans. It is for MiraCosta Students Only a...

By Kim Marquardt, RN MSN This blog post is from the Nurse Kim archives of myth busting. I want to share some "alternative" or maybe just lesser known health and wellness viewpoints for you to chew on. *These posts are not intended as official medical advice. They ARE meant to be fun, informative, and thought provoking, hopefully sparking an interest for you to do your own research (you can start with the links I provide!) and discover the marvels of the human body, and how it can function at its optimal performance level if we understand how it works and interacts with our environment and our diet. I have a passion for health and wellness through lifestyle and nutrition and have done thousands of hours of research in addition to being a registered nurse for 23 years. I have done A LOT of self-experimentation in and around diet, lifestyle, body care, and supplementation and have spent a lot of time looking into the science behind it all (or lack thereof!). Check back weekly fo...

  By Kim Marquardt, RN MSN This blog post is from the Nurse Kim archives of myth busting. I want to share some "alternative" or maybe just lesser known health and wellness viewpoints for you to chew on. *These posts are not intended as official medical advice. They ARE meant to be fun, informative, and thought provoking, hopefully sparking an interest for you to do your own research (you can start with the links I provide!) and discover the marvels of the human body, and how it can function at its optimal performance level if we understand how it works and interacts with our environment and our diet. I have a passion for health and wellness through lifestyle and nutrition and have done thousands of hours of research in addition to being a registered nurse for 23 years. I have done A LOT of self-experimentation in and around diet, lifestyle, body care, and supplementation and have spent a lot of time looking into the science behind it all (or lack thereof!). Check back weekly ...

Anjou Parekh (she) is a licensed professional clinical counselor and works as a mental health counselor within Health Services at MiraCosta College. She holds a Master of Health Sciences in International Health, as well as a Master of Science in Counseling. She assists students facing a wide range of issues, including trauma, grief and loss, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and other life transitions. Anjou is passionate about trauma-informed care, which is an approach to providing services and support that acknowledges the impact of trauma on people's lives. What is Trauma? Trauma refers to our response to a distressing event(s) that is beyond our ability to cope or understand. Traumatic events can include physical or emotional abuse, natural disasters, accidents, violence, and other situations that threaten our physical or psychological well-being. Traumatic events can also be less severe, such as ongoing stressors or events that are not necessarily life-threatening; ho...

  Health Services is looking to add a few fast learners to our amazing Peer Educator team! The majority of the Health Services Peer Educator team are continuing in their positions in the spring semester, but we are open to adding a few highly motivated, independent team players. Are you outgoing and a self-starter? Do you like to collaborate and work well with others? Do you want to help other MiraCosta College students while gaining skills for a future career in the mental health or health field? If so, please consider applying here . Top applicants will be invited to interview on Monday, 11/27/23. Here is our timeline: Google form application will close on 11/22/23 Interviews on 11/27, sometime between 2pm and 3:30pm Selected Peers informed by the end of that week Onboarding with HR must start in December and be completed by 1/5/24 Catch up training will be approximately 4 hours spread over 1/8/24-1/19/24 (training is paid time) Regular work hours will start 1/22/24 Req...

MiraCosta College Health Services Peer Educators serve as a bridge between students and the counselors and providers in Health Services. In this scene, a student shares about losing her mother to a drug overdose and learns about resources. If you are a currently enrolled MiraCosta College student and would like to either talk about your own drug or alcohol use or how to use of someone close to you has impacted you, our counselors can help. Please call 760-795-6675 to make an appointment or visit our webpage . Script written by: Keith Filmed and edited by: Julianne Cast: Student: Ana & Peer Educator: Wrex