Live Life to the Fullest

To encourage students and the community to adopt a balanced lifestyle of health and happiness, UTAR’s Department of Student Affairs Counselling Guidance Unit organised the Counselling Wellness Week (CWW) 2014 with the theme “Live Life to the fullest”on 9-13 June at Kampar Campus and 11-12 June at KL Campus.

“By using “Live life to the fullest” as the theme for CWW this year, we want the students to embrace four elements that make up the full meaning of life which are Live, Love, Laugh and Learn,” said UTAR Registered and Licensed Counsellor Philip Chua Kiaw Huat.

The event aimed to promote physical, mental, and spiritual awareness among students and the community besides highlighting and informing them of various services provided by the Counselling and Guidance Unit.

The activities for the CWW week at the KL Campus included an exhibition and health talks. The Main Organising Committee, comprising student officials and student volunteers helped to co-ordinate the exhibition booths which showcased nutrition & health issues such as Body-Mass-Index (BMI), acupressure, spiritual wellbeing methods such as Heart Chakra Meditation, Song Bowl Therapy, and relaxation techniques such Mind Games, “Speak Out” Emotional Expression activity, and Suicide Ideation & Prevention signature campaign.

First time joining CWW committee board, Year Two Physics student Aaron Hong Kai Jeat who was in charge of the Suicide Ideation & Prevention (SIP) booth said, “CWW’s biggest objective is to increase students’ awareness on the importance of physical and mental health. SIP is therefore their opportunity to probe into their own mental health state by sitting for a special test we are offering.”

Hong, also a member of the Peer Helping Programme explained that their exhibition helped students to better understand pre-suicidal depressive symptoms and to adopt a more pro-active attitude towards staying positive and seeking counselling and help from peers, friends and families.

Another first-time event helper, Year three Chemical Engineering student Hei Chun Kit was full of enthusiasm while explaining about nutrition and measuring BMI for his friends. “A lot of university students assumed that they are capable of withstanding pressure of a student life. That is why we want to highlight the importance of practising healthy daily habits as they will affect our physical and emotional wellbeing, leading to poor academic performance,” told Hei adding that good sleeping habits is an important aspect most students care less about.

Complementing the booth activities were a series of health talks by Yakult Co. Ltd and National Kidney Foundation (NKF). Students and staff also had the opportunity to go for NKF health screening covering BMI measurement, glucose, cholesterol, and kidney test, and consultation with immediate result at a special price.

NKF Project Executive (Team Leader) Norhafatini Azizi lauded Counselling and Guidance Unit of UTAR, KL campus for its initiative in organising CWW. “We received good responses from the students. At least they are more alert about their own health and can seek for further test if needed,” said Norhafatini as she advised students to plan their meals and stay active to have a balanced lifestyle.

To Year 1 Mechanical Engineering student Chan Loong Goa who came for both days of the event, the programme was vey informative and fun. He even encouraged UTAR students to join activities held by students’ clubs and the university as it is a ‘healthy’ stress-releasing platform.

UTAR Counselling Guidance Unit is a unit under DSA which focused on nurturing the personal well-being of students with emphasis on positive emotional and career development via the counseling services and self development programmes. CWW is one of the major self-improvement programmes in the campus for students and would be conducted at Sg Long Campus on 18-19 June, PC and PD Block PJ Campus on 25 and 26 June respectively.

At the registrations counter

Student testing the Singing Bowl at the booth

Emotive messages written by students were hung at the ‘Speak Out’ Emotion Expression Booth

Hong (right) at the SIP booth

A student trying out massaging tools at the acupressure booth

NKF officer conducting blood test on a student

NKF speaker Desmond Tan demonstrating a fitness exercise

Chua (centre) and Seah with the CWW 2014 committee members in a group photo

Chua and his colleague Seah giving their thumb-ups to CWW 2014