Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 19

Don and Nancy
Lubbers discuss
their son's death
and the memorial
fund they
established in
his name.
(Amanda Pitts)

They do not cast blame or feel angry at
Andy for taking his life; Nancy said his
endurance was broken.
"It was impossible for him to rid
himself of that deep, dark pain," she said.
They continue to process their grief.
Don said, for him, it's like a weather front.
"It blows in and you're feeling sad, and
then it passes for a while," he said.
At Andy's memorial service, Caroline
spoke about finding a journal of Andy's
with a note that said, "I wish I could
detach myself from this brain of mine."
She closed her eulogy by offering others in
attendance the peace that Andy received.

"In the end, he did find a way to detach
himself from that complicated brain of
his. As we use words like grief, sorrow
and loss, let's balance them with relief,
freedom and peace. And, let us deny any
feelings of anger or guilt.
"When I lie awake at night, swallowed
by sorrow, a clipped movie reel of
memories plays in my head. Luckily, the
memories that come to me most easily
have been all the happiest times that I
had with Andy. I hope it will be the
same for you."

COUNSELING CENTER VISITS INCREASE
Amber Roberts is the director of
the University Counseling Center
at Grand Valley. She and the
other 16 clinical staff members
are busy leading individual
counseling sessions and 25
different group therapy sessions,
plus handling emergency calls
and visits.
Roberts said over the past
two years, there has been a
30 percent increase in the
number of student visits to
the Counseling Center. She
attributed some of that increase
to a rise in help-seeking
behaviors. And some students
find the transition to college
incredibly difficult.
"Families need to talk about
mental health," Roberts said.
"Make it an OK conversation. Say,
'College is going to be hard, if you
need help, what will you do?'"
She said it's important for
students to find a sense of
community when they arrive
on campus.

"It's all about finding a
connection with other students,
faculty or staff. It's your own
community that gives you a
sense of home," Roberts said.
Common signs of depression
include not finding anything
enjoyable, sleeping too much
or too little, and being easily
frustrated. Experiencing one or
two of those symptoms for short
periods of time is normal, she
said; when multiple symptoms
linger for long periods of time,
it's time to seek help.
"If those signs are recognized
early, we can be pretty successful
in treating someone," Roberts said.

University Counseling Center
gvsu.edu/counsel/

FUND HONORS SON'S MEMORY

19

F E AT U R E S


http://www.gvsu.edu/counsel/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017

West Side story
Knowledge for all
Hopes and dreams for a better future
Fund honors son's memory
Athletics
Q&A
Off the Path
Research
Arts
Campus News Briefs
Alumni Giving
Alumni Profile
Alumni News Briefs
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 1
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 2
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 3
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - West Side story
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 5
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 6
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 7
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Knowledge for all
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 9
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 10
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 11
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 12
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Hopes and dreams for a better future
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 14
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 15
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Fund honors son's memory
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 17
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 18
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 19
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 20
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 21
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Athletics
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 23
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Q&A
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 25
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Off the Path
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 27
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Research
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 29
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Arts
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 31
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 32
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Campus News Briefs
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 34
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 35
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 36
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 37
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Alumni Giving
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 39
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Alumni Profile
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 41
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Alumni News Briefs
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 43
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 44
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 45
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 46
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 47
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 48
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