The group therapy sessions offered at Cerritos College are a useful resource for students who may need support.

Students suffering from anxiety, depression or stress can attend the free and confidential support groups offered at the Student Health and Wellness Center.

The group therapy sessions provide a place to not only share student experiences but to teach each other healthy coping mechanisms.

Having vocal support and encouragement from peers, hearing how they may have been in similar situations and furthermore seeing how they have handled adversity may bring hope and make a difference.

Mental illness is often stigmatized and misunderstood; therefore, having a safe place where a student can express his or her emotions is beneficial.

Anxiety disorders affect 40 million adults in the United States, making it the most common mental illness in the nation.

According to a study enlisted by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, about one-third of people suffering from anxiety disorders receive treatment and this costs the U.S. more than $42 billion a year.

Centers for Disease Control estimate that nine percent of people in the U.S report occasional depression, while 3.4 percent report major depression. Depression is more common in adults ages 25 to 44.

Therapy sessions in California, on average, run up to about $100 per one-hour session, something that not everyone who is looking for assistance is able to pay.

Although group therapy seems less personal than a one-on-one session with a therapist, group meetings can assist students who need the support from fellow schoolmates.

Some college students feel the pressure of a full schedule, carry the weight of two jobs and others may also have to carry all of the aforementioned duties plus children to care for, all while maintaining a good grade point average.

Maintaining a good GPA is already stressful enough for single, unemployed students and overachievers who pack on extracurricular activities.

In reality, students trying to tackle their eleven-page art history paper or studying for the big statistics exam can be plagued by life situations causing them to struggle and its important to stress that they are not alone.

For these moments, students at Cerritos College can have the comfort of knowing that a support system, free of judgment, is readily available and just a phone call away.