Students wanting to become better friends are encouraged to attend the “Helping a Friend in Need” workshop tonight at 7:30 in the Charleston/Mattoon Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

This workshop is designed for students who want to help their friends with their out-of-control problems, but don’t know how to go about doing so.

“Helping a Friend in Need” is sponsored by the Counseling Center. Sandy Cox, a counselor at the Counseling Center, will be the keynote speaker.

“I will be focusing on issues that arise if you have concerns about a loved one in your life,” Cox said. “I will tell the audience how to go about addressing their friends when they believe that their friend’s problem is getting out of hand.

“We will talk about how to obtain professional services if the problem is that severe and also how to address problems that aren’t as serious,” Cox said.

Cox also mentioned that she will give basic helping skills on how to help friends through any problems they might have, and she will provide tips on how to refer a friend to a professional service.

Participants in the workshop will not be asked to share confidential information, but will have the opportunity to address their individual issues, Cox noted.

“I will provide the audience with case examples of frequent problems their friends might encounter,” she said. “This will give the audience a chance to interact and gain valuable information on how to resolve such issues.”