Southwest College faculty member Picolya McCall-Robinson’s background as a licensed psychologist and trained technician in mental health has not only assisted her students prepare for careers in the field but has had the added benefit of helping her look for signs of stress in her students and their family members so she can teach them ways to help them deal with issues created by the pandemic.

“2020 was a new kind of year for some,” McCall-Robinson noted. “This year brought much good but for some the year brought much sadness, despair and loss. In the past, we were annoyed about traffic, but now we’re seeing real stress and depression that are difficult to cope with, and many people are not going to therapy.”

“As a trained technician in mental health, I’ve looked for signs of stress, anxiety and depression in my students and educated them on ways to check for those same signs in their family members to find ways to help them,” she continued. “Many are feeling that they haven’t used their time the way they had hoped, have not completed their goals to work out, eat less or start a business. Others have struggled with stress, anxiety or cabin fever from being stuck at home.”

Since 2000, McCall-Robinson has worked in the mental health field to assist people in prisons and state hospitals and those dealing with substance abuse. Three years ago, she began teaching courses at Southwest College in psychology, chemical dependency and life span and development. She also teaches a dual enrollment course for high school students and offers live webinars to her students on various mental health topics.