Mental health can be a tough topic for students to discuss, but it shouldn’t be. Kent State University is working to make having those conversations a little easier.
On Monday, Oct. 23, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Taléa R. Drummer-Ferrell, Ph.D., and the CARES (Crisis, Advocacy, Resources, Education and Support) Center hosted their Warmup to Mental Health event on the first floor of the Kent Student Center.
The event was held in front of the CARES center, under the stairs in the student center. Drummer-Ferrell energetically invited students to grab a cup of hot cider or tea and some snacks and start the conversation around mental health.
As students grabbed their treats, employees from CARES handed them journals, which were decorated by fellow students.
“What we hope is that joy and positivity are connected to our Mental Health Awareness Month and that it doesn’t all have to be a heavy conversation. We can have light topics, journaling and building community," Drummer-Ferrell said.
This event is one of many that centers around mental health during the university’s Mental Health Awareness Month. The hope was to start a conversation about mental health with students and share the resources available to them through the CARES Center.
“Our Warmup to Mental Health Event is really important to us as we are celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month. We hope that students will gain some new tools,” Janda Roberts, outreach program coordinator for the center, said.
Learn more about programs happening this month for Mental Health Awareness Month.