November Rising Star: Laura Stypulkoski, LPC, LPAT, ACS, ATRBC

Uwill’s Monthly Rising Star is a new program that acknowledges one counselor every month who has “shined bright” in support of Uwill in their first year at Uwill. Congratulations, Laura Stypulkoski, LPC, LPAT, ACS, ATRBC. Since joining the Uwill team, Laura  has completed over 100 sessions across New Jersey.

Check out our interview with Laura as she discussed learning about Uwill on a college campus, setting the tone early during sessions, and tips for students heading home for the holidays.

What excites you most about working with Uwill?
When I first learned about Uwill because I was doing some temporary work at a state college in in Ramapo, NJ. I really love working with college students specifically so learning that Uwill was specifically made as a free platform for students to receive therapeutic services was great. I was just really excited about the idea of shorter, 30-minute sessions. It’s appealing to a lot of college students and it’s kind of nice for me too. Getting to come on and meet the student where they are, keep it going, and be a lot of the first experiences of therapy for a lot of these college students.

Could you illustrate the importance of a student being able to use a platform like Uwill?
Before even getting into it I kind of assumed that a lot of college students might have either been in therapy for a good portion of their lives or a lot of them have never been in it before. Their schedules are stressful. I know how they are kind of pulled in a lot of directions academically, socially, and family. There’s so much going on for these college students now and so having something that’s really easily accessible for them and I think even just 30 minutes is like an easier sell for a lot of them. I think it has allowed a lot of students who may not access therapeutic services otherwise to actually use it. I definitely hear it all the time. They’re like, “I didn’t know where to start.” and it’s a great way to get them connected to something more if they need more and for a lot of them, it’s exactly what they need.

What aspect of your work would you say that you enjoy the most?
If we’re talking specifically about Uwill what I found that I enjoy the most is just the variety. Most of my students do come back week to week and I know them now and I’ve built a rapport and all of that. But I do also love when there’s somebody new on my calendar and I have no idea what to expect. I always have to have that hat on of “okay, am I going to have to manage a crisis right now?” which nobody loves but I kind of am ready to go with that potential of being able to approach the variety of all the different experiences, symptoms, situations that students are going through and being able to kind of like navigate it in. I like that variety of just kind of having to be on my toes of not knowing what to expect all the time.

What is the most important lesson that you’ve learned through your work?
I feel like the biggest part that I’ve learned is to set the space really intentionally and early on. When you’re in school to become a counselor and as you go through it and all of that, obviously the relationship is the relationship. The connection is number one. But I think specifically for Uwill it’s being able to set the space within the first like two or three minutes that this is safe. I’m here to hear what you need at the moment because I have learned a lot of the students who I see are scared. They’re nervous. “What does this mean? What is this like? I’ve never done this before.” So I feel like I’ve gotten good at noticing within the first minute or two what this person needs in the moment, whether they say it or whether I can hear it and how they’re approaching it. So I really try to set it up quickly.

Would you recommend working with Uwill to a colleague?
Yeah, I definitely would. I would recommend it. I think it’s great because I do feel like Uwill supports clinicians. I felt since the beginning if there was a student who needs more than what the platform can offer, I’ve always been able to quickly get access to their clinical team and get set up with understanding how the college approaches the students needs, and I feel like that’s been the overarching theme of we want to be here and meet the college students with what they need in the moment. Whether it be the Uwill team or getting them set up with services that can match what they need.

What advice do you have for students who may be returning home for the holidays that may be experiencing struggles at home?
Obviously when a lot of students return home they may not have their own space. Whether it be an actual physical space or even just mental space to take a breath, take a break. So just reminding them to find ways to take breaks when they can, however, they can take those breaks, pause, slow down, notice how they’re feeling and do check-ins with themselves. Use their resources because they can use Uwill if they’re at home, even if it’s working with a different therapist if they have to. Checking in with themselves and giving themselves space and practicing their self-care whenever they can.

To learn more about becoming a counselor with Uwill, click on the link below.

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