Instruction of Lute Telehealth - TimelyCare

Hey all - it's Rei! It is finally almost the end of this semester, and I would like to congratulate everyone on a well-done semester. School work can be excessively hard and you all know how stressful these moments are. I am sure that all of you have looked for a therapist or doctor who can see you immediately due to mental instability or other sudden physical abnormalities or anxiety during such school life. Contacting and making appointments with health care providers other than the PLU Health Center can be challenging and tough, especially for international students. So today, I would like to share the information about PLU's online health care services to everyone who is looking for medical and mental support without stressing out about making those challenging steps. 

Lute Telehealth / TimelyCare

"When it's not an emergency but you need medical or mental health support, just visit anytime, from anywhere."

Lute Telehealth is a resource for PLU students that expands access to mental health and medical care by providing HIPAA compliant access to online or phone-based services 24/7/365. 

Key Features: 

- It provides free, on-demand access to licensed mental health providers, nurse practitioners, and related services from your cell phone or computer at a location of your choice. 

- You may meet with the same counselor up to 12 times per year (counseling appointments).

- Unlimited 24/7 on-demand access to medical care and mental health support (via TalkNow).

- Fees may be incurred if a prescription is needed or if you are referred to another medical provider from outside the campus. 

- Psychiatric (by referral only) and health coaching visits are also available with no charge.

It is important to make an account for this service as soon as possible because you never when the things will happen! Please follow these steps that I will mention below to successfully make an appointment with this service anytime when you need medical/mental help. 

Step 1: Go to this link to get started! 

Once you click the link above, you should be seeing the TimelyCare's website like this, when set up your account and get it started, make sure you put your PLU email address that ends with plu.edu. 

Step 2: Input your General Information

The information you will be putting should be the general information of yourself such as your name, date of birth, graduation year, etc. 

*As for the Physical Address section, if you are living on-campus, your address would be 12180 Park Ave S. Tacoma, WA 98447, which is the general physical address of PLU. You could also put 1010 122nd St S, Tacoma, WA 98447, as the address if that's easier for you!

Step 3: Add your Medical Information

After putting all of your general information, your next step will be inputting your medical information. You could also skip this part if you want to complete this at a later time. 

Step 4: Make an appointment! 

All done with setting up your account! Your home page should look like this. In order to make an appointment with your choice of provider, Click "Get Care," and select each section that is applicable to you to find the best provider to meet with virtually. 

After you click the provider, you can see the person's open date/time and check their availability, you can finally make an appointment with them! 

And that is all you have to do in order to use this service! I hope this information helps and please let us know at iss@plu.edu if you have any questions or concerns regarding this Lute Telehealth. I wish you the best luck on your finals if you have and have a wonderful summer! 

-Rei 

3 Quick Tips to Take Care of Your Mental Health

 Hi everyone! 

October is filled with lots of fun, including fall weather, pumpkin patches, and Halloween. But, October also has Mental Health Awareness week, which is more important than anything mentioned above. Up to 44% of college students experience depression and anxiety, which is why I wanted to write about mental health care in this week's post. 

Set aside time for self-care 

I know college can be stressful, and sometimes time feels scarce. But, you should always prioritize your self-care over other things. Self-care comes in a lot of different forms and is different for everyone; for some, it might be taking a long shower, and for others, it might be going to the gym. Whatever it is, you should try and set aside at least 30 minutes a day for anything that helps your mind settle. 

Don't take on too much 

Continuing on the same note as the last point - Balancing a lot of extracurricular activities like clubs and sports might be possible, but sometimes it's not the best alternative. As students, we typically have 3-4 classes, homework, a part-time job and multiple activities going on in our life to the point where we do not have enough time for ourselves, or even sleep. Try your best to find a balance, and if you can't, then you are definitely taking on too much. 

Use your resources

College campuses know that their students are prone to depression and anxiety, and they are also aware that college students are the ones who probably take the least care of their mental health. There are always campus resources to get help. PLU has multiple resources for us, including counseling sessions, a crisis hotline, and Lute Telehealth, where you can speak to professionals. Lute telehealth offers both on-demand counseling and scheduled therapy sessions - on-demand has unlimited sessions, and scheduled therapy offers 12 free sessions per semester which equal out to about one session per week. Find your resources from PLU's counseling, health & wellness services here. 

The PLU health center also offers happy lamps for students who feel signs of seasonal depression. A happy lamp mimics outdoor light, which is especially helpful here in Washington where it gets dark and gloomy around this time. For information on how to get a hold of a happy lamp, reach out to the PLU Health Center. 

That's all for today folks - take care of yourself! 

- Silje

Take a breath, to relieve your stress

Hey everyone, it's Rei!

We are nearing the end of school! I hope the semester has been going well so far with all of you! This is the time of the year where we are all feeling dead or are looking forward to finals. As a student who has experienced three final weeks here, I would like to share a bit of advice with you all that has worked for me in the past.

1. Don't Procrastinate

Without a doubt, my first advice should be about Procrastination. Procrastinating on studying is quite natural and common in college life. Some students (often upper-class students) brag about staying up all night, others go into "panic mode," etc. Some people get it right, others don't. But the harsh reality is that procrastination leads to not as satisfying scores. Rushing to work on a procrastinated assignment or study guide right before the due date is one of the most stressful activities in the world. Keep in mind that time is limited, so start everything as early as possible! Nothing is too early to start.

2. Write stuff down

An ideal aspect for a successful college student has a list of tasks to complete. By writing everything down, you transfer what has been weighing on your mind onto paper. Seeing what needs to be done physically helps you keep track of it; creating a to-do list allows you to actively cross off each item as you complete it. I personally feel so good when I finished my task and draw a check mark every time ✅.

3. Get some fresh air

As a college student, there are so many things you have to do that it is easy to get jaded quickly. Time seems to flow like sand. At such times, just getting up and taking a walk or feeling the warmth of the sun can help you clear your mind of what is in front of you. A breath of fresh air can help you resolve to take another breath and return to what you are working on or studying with a clear mind and fresh eyes. I like to go for a walk on campus with my friends! 

4. Study outside!

Staying indoors increases the stress and frustration of final exams. Especially during these busy final exam times, it's time to change up where you study! I like to study at a cafe, therefore here are some recommendations of some of my favorite places to study where it's not too loud and has some good food and beverages!

• ONIT cafe @Federal way
• Coffee Kitchen @Lakewood
• Garfield 208 @Parkland 

These are just a few considerations to keep in mind during the last week of school! Finish strong!

Until next time,

--Rei