Helicopter parents, Generation Me, Millennials, Emerging adulthood–all are terms used to capture trends of students in higher education.

Rosemary Simmons, the director for the University of Washington Bothell Counseling Center, will explore changes that have influenced today’s college students and how students cope. The talk will be from 8:30-10:30 a.m. on Monday, October 5, in the Old Main Room of the Bone Student Center.

Reservations are needed online by October 1. RSVP here.

Higher education professionals are on the frontlines responding to socio-cultural changes in society, family, technology, and education for the students they teach, serve, and supervise. Simmons’ talk will provide a framework to explain professionals’ perceptions of college students, and share a paradigm of how to effectively respond to the needs of today’s student.

Simmons, who previously worked at the Southern Illinois University Counseling Center for over 25 years, has provided counseling to thousands of college students. Her teaching and training focus on the effects of interpersonal relationships and socio-cultural changes on the developmental growth of young adults.

She has consulted with universities to review and assess living and learning environments and implications for student, staff, and faculty development. Simmons has also trained thousands of undergraduate resident assistants, peer mentors, staff, and faculty on such topics as recognizing the signs of emotional distress, crisis response and referral, and de-stigmatizing emotional distress and mental illness.

Simmons holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wartburg College, and a master’s and Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Southern Illinois University.