Stressbusters combats campus anxiety
The campus organization offers backrubs as a way to relieve stress.
Published Feb. 16, 2010
The Stressbusters program is entering its third week at MU as a part of the Student Health Center's programs for reducing stress.
After a promotional group of 18 students went through the first training, they helped recruit and screen more applicants bringing the total number of Stressbusters at MU to about 50, Director of Health Promotions Terry Wilson said.
"They are health ambassadors of the Student Health Center, and they also give a free backrub, which is really wonderful stress reduction intervention," Wilson said.
This is a good program not only because it is student to student, but also because it targets stress, Wilson said.
"Students are stressed, we know that," Wilson said. "Our data shows that stress is the number one factor impacting academic performance, so we are looking at ways to enhance what we offer students."
Student coordinator Courtney McLain said founder of Stressbusters Jordan Friedman, Wilson and the licensed massage therapist for MU train the students.
"They are trained by professional, licensed massage therapists, but they are not considered massage therapists," Wilson said. "It's a five to seven minute backrub."
According to Stressbusters' Web site, the backrubs Stressbusters are trained to give are proven by a University of Illinois study to reduce anxiety, heart rate, blood pressure and depression.
Stressbusters only go out in groups to public places and follow a procedure for gaining consent to touch clients before administering a backrub, Wilson said.
They inform the client of the intent and procedure of a backrub, receive consent and then use only techniques learned during training, the Stressbusters Web site states.
They do not have any larger goals beyond getting their numbers up and their name known on campus, McLain said.
"We wanted to originally get 40 to 60, but right now we are kind of with the more the merrier because the Stressbusters that we have right now, the volunteers, are phenomenal," McLain said.
Stressbusters has undergone two training sessions and had six events.
"We did Mizzou After Dark on Friday night, and we ended up giving 84 people backrubs," McLain said. "So this program is really launching off."
Stressbusters is looking forward to hosting multiple events in the near future, McLain said.
"We want to have fun, we want to get them bonded and get them talking about stress and effective stress management strategies and go from there," Wilson said.
Wilson said Stressbusters is just one of many programs designed to give students skills to handle stress throughout their lives.
"Stress never really goes away," Wilson said. "It's just how you manage it."