5 minute read
Dr Christopher Siuta
Christopher Siuta, Ph.D., LMHC, moved into his office at St. Joseph’s Hall a little more than a year ago, in January 2020. It was there that he was welcomed to Hilbert
College as the new Director of Counseling, Health & Wellness.
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SERENDIPITY:
Dr. Christopher Siuta, LMHC is led to Hilbert at just the right time
Dr . Siuta earned his Ph .D . in Sports Psychology in 2007, attending graduate school full time in Capella University’s accredited online doctoral program while also working full time both as a private clinician and as a professor at St . Bonaventure University .
Joining the Hilbert College staff was the realization of a longtime goal to transition his career to a fully clinical role . For Hilbert College, he could not have made that move at a better time .
“Over the last 20 years I had done quite a bit of counseling with college students, so I’m very familiar with this population, the issues they deal with, and how diagnoses present,” he said . What Chris was not familiar with was dealing with the outbreak of a pandemic .
He does, however, credit his career with training him to remain flexible— key to navigating the year 2020, as defined by COVID-19. “In the counseling world, nothing is as it appears to be,” he said . “There’s always change and always diversity, so you have to be quick on your feet and make decisions that create balance . ”
Dealing with COVID-19 as both a clinician and the person tasked with managing the Hilbert College campus response to the pandemic has certainly tested Chris’s flexibility. It was his experience, vision for Hilbert, and goal to “be there for the care,” which aligns with the Franciscan values of caring for others, that put Chris at an advantage .
Campus-wide Health and Wellbeing
While the students are Dr . Siuta’s number one priority, he quickly recognized that anyone who is part of campus life was being stretched by the practical challenges and personal strains posed by the pandemic . One-third of Hilbert College’s 800 students live on campus and the balance are commuters, but the entire student body had to quickly adjust to remote learning in March . A second, planned campus transition to remote learning began just before Thanksgiving and lasted until the beginning of the Spring semester on January 25 .
While the initial shift to remote learning posed a challenge for many students, Dr . Siuta’s personal experience earning his Ph .D . within
that model uniquely positioned him to empathize .
Across disciplines, there was an extreme level of apprehension, anxiety, and worry . The stakes have naturally been higher for Hilbert students who plan to go on to careers as first responders and other types of frontline workers .
According to the Office of Counseling, Health & Wellness, in 2020 Hilbert College experienced a 25% increase over the previous year in individuals seeking counseling . That increase owes to an uptick in both one-time and repeat visits, requiring a deliberate focus on the mental health and wellbeing of everyone in the Hilbert family .
“There were a lot of intrinsic motivation factors affecting the students who came to us for counseling; lots of apathy and lots of just going through the motions. In fact, everybody—students, faculty, and staff—was in that place of just… waiting,” Dr . Siuta said . “We helped and are still helping, everybody .”
Previously, Hilbert College counseling or health services did not work with with faculty or staff members, but COVID-19 forced a shift in focus . “If we are taking care of everyone, the trickle down will be positive for students,” reasoned Dr . Siuta . He has been able to meet the demand for counseling, both safely inperson and remotely, with the help of student interns, one each from University at Buffalo and Canisius College .
Mental health care was Dr . Siuta’s first stop but facilitating on-campus medical care was also part of his vision for wellness at Hilbert College .
Comprehensive Care and COVID-19 Testing
Dr . Siuta’s Day-One, prepandemic plans for the campus community included creating a new, broader, comprehensive spectrum of care based in partnership with Inspired Health Group, a spiritually guided medical family practice located in Orchard Park . This partnership was already in development as COVID-19 infections first began to surge in the United States . The
students went home, but then the work began to prepare for welcoming everyone back to campus .
The partnership with Inspired Health Group was solidified last summer, during Dr . Siuta’s dualpurpose mission as health and safety subcommittee chair for the Hilbert College ‘Comeback Task Force .’ The task force manages the campus COVID-19 plans that create policies and protocols in alignment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New York State, and Erie County mandates .
A critical part of those plans was implementing COVID-19 testing and reporting, supported by Inspired Health Group .
When the Fall semester began, virtual daily health screenings were required of all students, faculty, and staff . Depending on the outcome of those screenings, an individual could be sent for rapid testing administered by one of Inspired Health Group’s practitioners, staffing daily at the campus health clinic or at their Orchard Park office. “We are in constant communication with Inspired to keep information flowing about test results and managing when to quarantine,” Chris said. “I am utterly grateful for this partnership and how smoothly our plans have gone. This hasn’t been easy, but together we are making sure we’re in front of this thing and not behind it.”
Divine Guidance
If divine guidance led Dr . Chris Siuta to Hilbert College more than a year ago, that work wasn’t done . Last fall, Chris’s daughter, Lizzy, who aspires to work for the FBI, joined the class of 2024 as a member of the Forensic Science program, and Becky, his wife, enrolled in the Health Care Administration graduate program. With three members of the Siuta family joining the Hilbert College family, the personal investment in maintaining a healthy campus life during a trying era has become even more personal for Chris .
“In a crisis, you see some people at their best, and you see some people struggling,” Chris said. “Our success has been in just figuring out a way to create balance between those extremes, and we’re here for everyone .”
