When it comes to mental health issues— anxiety, depression, stress, grief—law students are hardly exempt. At Berkeley Law, staff psychologist Linda Zaruba provides valuable help in easing those burdens.
For the past five years, Zaruba has held a half-time appointment in a Boalt Hall office as part of University Health Services’ outreach efforts.
“Students sometimes think they’re only welcome in my office if there’s a law school issue, but that’s not the case,” she says. “I’m here to help them navigate any personal issue that may be interfering in their lives.” Zaruba has spent more than three decades working for UC Berkeley’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS). A recurring theme among first-year law students? “The ‘imposter syndrome,’” she says. “That feeling of ‘I don’t belong here. It must be a mistake I got in.’”
Zaruba also weighs in on time management challenges. “Too often students believe that in order to be successful, they should focus entirely on studying and shut down other parts of their lives,” she says. “But that just increases the dark moods.”
Available to meet with faculty and staff members about student concerns, Zaruba also provides referrals for long-term therapy and psychiatry.
Her space is one of 10 CPS satellite offices on campus. “They’re highly effective,” says CPS Assistant Director Susan Bell, “because they’re more accessible and we can tailor services to the population being served.”
—Wendy Witherspoon