This week is National Depression Screening Week. On the East Liverpool and Salem Campus Mental Health Counseling and Wellness website (www.col.kent.edu/counseling), students and staff alike are welcome to take an anonymous mental health/illness screen. The screening tool screens for depression and other various mental conditions or illnesses and will be available throughout the year. Results are confidential. According to Kathrine Vance-Righetti M. Ed PC/CR, campus mental health counselor and wellness educator, “Screening for depressive symptoms is important. Everyone gets sad, anxious, overwhelmed or mad. If someone has been sad and showing signs or symptoms of depression for more than two weeks it’s likely a good idea to schedule a session with the campus counselor. Mental health conditions, just like physical health conditions can effective educational performance and student success.” If concerns arise, students can request appointments by using the ‘request counseling services’ orange tool bar on the website.
A variety of other educational, support and wellness programs are being launched from the counseling and wellness department.
WEBSITE SELF-GUIDED RESOURCES
Along with the mental health screen, go to www.col.kent.edu/counseling to link to university specific information provided by U Lifeline, Half of Us and Transition Year and to access crisis information for general audiences, Spanish-speakers, Military Vets and LBGTQ students. The site also provides links to “Family of Hero’s & Step Up Speak Out.
GRANT: Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevent on College Campuses
In collaboration with NEOMED, Department of Psychiatry, for the purpose of promoting mental health and ultimately preventing suicide, Kathrine Vance-Righetti M.Ed. PC/CR will be visiting classrooms, providing workshops, hosting gatekeeper programming, developing military vet connections and distributing stress-buster final exam week care packs to all FYE classes. “No one is ever really comfortable talking about the topic of suicide.” says Kathrine, “But as the second leading cause of death on college campuses, suicide is a public health concern”. She says, “Presenting on the topic of ‘Mental Health is Health’ can redefine our socially constructed mental health conversations to replace fear and stigma with wellness strategies such as recognizing perceived stressors before they stress us out and just being willing to access counseling resources for added support.” ([Funding] in part by grant 1U79SM060506-01 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service (HHS)).
Step Up Speak Out (SUSO)
SUSO is a university-wide campaign that is calling upon all campus communities to gain knowledge and know how to recognize and respond to those in emotional distress or acting in a disruptive or self-harming way. Campaigns like Step Up Speak Out are being found on campuses nationwide. Here at the Columbiana County campuses, students and campus employees will begin to see posters and hear more about the SUSO program. SUSO states “It’s our campus. It’s our community. We’re all responsible. Step Up. Speak Out.” Besides the campus counseling website’s link to SUSO, further information is available directly at www.stepupspeakou.kent.edu.
Family of Heroes
Also linked to the website is online resiliency training for military families. Made freely available to the families and friends of Ohio veterans and service members by the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, the foundation states, “Learn what to expect from your veteran’s return and how to manage common challenges in adjusting to post-deployment life.”
Beyond the website, for further information contact Kathrine Vance-Righetti at e-mail: counselingcolumbianaco@kent.edu. She welcomes education classroom collaboration, is seeking employees interesting in gatekeeper training (as a collaborative effort with NEOMED) and wants to hear from military vets as Beth, Tim and she design and implement Vet-worthy activities such as a club, outing or just a focus group. At East Liverpool her office is the Main Bldg. 212J and at Salem she is located in the faculty wing, 104T. Scheduling an appointment or consult is best; however, walk-ins are always welcome.
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Contact:
Kathrine Vance-Righetti, kavance@kent.edu, 330-337-4287