Drawing from Eastern and Western traditions and the most recent advances in mental health care, the Semester Off curriculum provides students with a supportive and challenging environment where they can better understand what interfered with their earlier attempt, or attempts, at college. The program integrates academics, career counseling, community service, wellness practices (including yoga, me
ditation, and cardiovascular exercise), and group team-building. In essence, it is a place for students to pause, contemplate, learn valuable skills, and begin mapping a new trajectory for their academic, social, and professional lives. Semester Off was founded by Ilan P. Goldberg, MD, a board-certified, Harvard-trained psychiatrist and medical ethicist who maintains a private practice in the Boston area. Through his work with the college population in his own practice, he came to realize the lack of services available to these students. It bothered Dr. Goldberg that the help he and others could provide these students was inadequate and that existing programs within the mental health system did not meet the specific needs of this population. He also believed that the creation of a comprehensive group experience would reduce the feelings of shame and isolation many of these students experience and which compounds their sense of failure.
