Ian Junge, LMSW
Care Manager, Student Health Center
Start Date: August 7, 2023
As an undergraduate, Stony Brook student athlete alum Ian Junge started off thinking he wanted to become a physical therapist. Tough biology and calculus courses – plus a fascination with the mind/body connection – convinced him to make a course correction. Specifically, Ian pursued and received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Psychology and Master’s in Social Work … both from SBU. Our Student Health Center and the students Ian serves are the better for it.
“Learning more about the mind really intrigued me – how it works, the way it reacts to certain stimuli, how trauma affects us. And how important it is to raise children in certain ways to help ensure mental health and well-being. I really became enthralled with the education around psychology and decided to major in it,” says Ian.
An internship that allowed him to practice mental health counseling here then “steered me down the route of social work,” he says.
“The more I learned about social work while I was in school,” says Ian, “the more I saw how much you can really do with that degree in terms of case management, working in hospitals, working with the elderly, working with veterans, working with really any population you can think of. Social work can be tailored to whatever you need it to be. So that was really my biggest draw to getting into that field. Because while I really didn't know exactly what I wanted to do, I did know that I wanted to help people at the end of the day.”
And help people he does – with his day-to-day activities including referring students to appropriate medical services, making them aware of the breadth of services available to them and, not insignificantly, being someone he believes they can relate to and trust as a recent graduate himself. “That's something that I lean on a lot when I talk to students,” says Ian. “I tell them, ‘I went through a lot of the courses that you've gone through. I know what’s required of you. I want to make them understand that even though I'm working here, I did go here and I understand how stressful it can be to be a student here.”
Among these stresses, Ian points to the after-effects of the COVID pandemic as one of the common current issues many students face. While he just missed the remote COVID wave for his undergraduate studies, which ended in 2019, he has a strong empathy for younger students:
“I think a lot of students are struggling with the isolation piece that came with COVID. And I think so many students lost out on that socialization piece in those crucial high school years – interacting with your friends, going to sporting events, being part of teams, going to prom, going to graduation. You know, what doesn't seem like a big deal I think in the developing mind, as a young adult, is really important, especially when you're in those moments. I think it has a big impact on their social development. And I think a lot of students are relearning how to socialize and interact with their peers, and make new friends. I think they lost so much time.”
Fast forward to college and students face the added strain of coming to college, especially those who live on-campus. “You’re in a new environment, new surroundings, taking more and different classes,” says Ian. “You don’t necessarily know anybody and you're not sleeping in your own bed every night. You’re forced to kind of put yourself out there a little bit more, which can add to the high levels of stress already associated with a college workload. As a recent transfer student and a student athlete who fit lacrosse into the balance, I try to let them know that I’ve been in their shoes in many ways and I can relate.”
When Ian’s not helping students on campus, you might find him at Sachem high school, where he coaches lacrosse. “I haven’t really picked up a stick to play myself anymore as it’s a little too hard on my body these days. But I volunteer coach and try my best to get out there to as many games and practices as I can because I do like to be around the sport.” Living in Ronkonkoma, he also travels to a Melville rock climbing gym to stay in shape and have fun.