Vol. 1, No. 6 | October 2020 - Health & Wellness Center Newsletter

Dear BMC,

I’ve been thinking a great deal about Adrienne Maree Brown’s book Emergent Strategy. In it, she encourages readers to reflect on the role community plays in our ability to thrive. Brown asks, “do you understand that your quality of life and your survival are tied to how authentic and generous the connections are between you and the people and place you live with and in?”

In the face of challenges and adversity, our commitment to care - for self and our communities must not falter. Self-care while important, is insufficient alone. We also need community care, particularly in our fight to center anti-racism and to dismantle systemic oppressions. It is my hope that we will continue to cultivate a community that encourages and supports us to radically turn to each other with care, recognizing that our interdependence has never been more essential to our wellbeing.

Warmly,
Reggie Jones, Associate Dean of Health & Wellness

Counseling Services Statement

We, the staff of BMC Health and Wellness Counseling Services, are writing to express our solidarity with the members of the community who have shared their grief and rage in response to cultures of anti-blackness at Bryn Mawr and Haverford and the ongoing violence against Black people in our broader community and world.

We know that Black students are navigating a demanding college experience while also bearing the enormous, unjust burden of surviving violent marginalization on personal, interpersonal, systemic, and cultural levels. That is not something anyone should have to experience, and arguably nearly impossible to survive alone. The counseling center aims to be a space that prioritizes validating and politicizing students’ experiences of anti-blackness, and centering the support, healing, and overall wellbeing of students experiencing oppression.

We believe that anti-racism is not a destination, and we want to reiterate our commitment to centering anti-racism as we reflect on and improve our practice, support students, create programming, and advocate for changes within our community. In service of this commitment, we are engaged in ongoing processes of diversifying our staff, evaluating and increasing our cultural humility, and centering anti-racist perspectives as we deepen our skills and train new clinicians.

In response to the increased need for support that this moment presents, we are holding several spaces to help students care for themselves and each other.

On Thursday Nov. 5th from 2:30 - 4pm, counselors Katherine Evering-Rowe and Aury Garcia will be holding a drop-in space for students who wish to process feelings related to Walter Wallace Jr's murder and the current racial climate on and off campus.
Each Friday from 2-3pm, we are partnering with PENSBY and The Career and Civic Engagement Center to co-host Breathing Space, a supportive place for Black-identified students to come together to share, vent, and care for one another.
Later this semester, we will be offering Befriending your Nervous System: A Polyvagal Theory Workshop, a recurring workshop on working with our nervous systems to help take care of ourselves in stressful times.

Please visit the Counseling Services website for more details and additional resources for accessing support on and off campus. We also invite members of the community to let us know how else we can show up in this moment. Please reach out to any of our staff to share ideas for groups, workshops, or other offerings you would like to see us provide.

In solidarity,

Counseling Services Staff

You are your safest sex partner

Limiting contact with others limits the chance of infection. Masturbate, use toys. Just be sure to wash your hands or any sex toys for at least 20 seconds before and after with soap and water.

Monitor before making out

Only engage in intimate activities like kissing or sex if both parties are feeling well. Do not engage in sexual activity with anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or who has tested postive. Remember that even if you or your partner test negative, it means that you were probably were not infected at the time your sample was collected. However, that does not mean you will not get sick. It is possible that you were very early in your infection when your sample was collected and that you could test positive later. Additionally, most young adults can carry the virus without experiencing any symptoms. This is why monitoring your symptoms daily and regular testing is important.

Selective kissing

Kissing can easily pass COVID-19. Avoid kissing anyone who is not part of your small circle of contacts and do not engage in kissing if you or your partner are ill.

Use condoms

Condoms and dental dams can reduce contact with saliva or feces, especially during oral and anal sex in addition to preventing transmission of STIs including HIV.

Wash your hands

Washing up before and after sex is more important than ever. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

Stay close without being close

Consensual virtual connections over the phone or on web platforms can be ways to interact socially and sexually without exchanging fluids.

Spice it up

Use this time to liven up your sex life while staying safe! Though wearing a mask while having sex might not be your thing, it is a good way to add a layer of protection, especially since heavy breathing can spread the virus further.

Think Twice

Rimming, or any sexual activity that involves putting your mouth on the anus, might spread COVID-19. Virus in feces may enter your mouth and potentially cause an infection. Consider pressing pause for now.

Consent

Most importantly - all partners involved in any type of sexual activity must agree to that activity.