The second Annual Mental Health Awareness Month at Kent State University will have a unique campaign this fall.
“We are going to paint Kent State green,” said Taléa R. Drummer-Ferrell, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students at Kent State University.
Nationally, Mental Health Awareness Month is in May. However, since most people leave campus after a week, Kent State took Mental Illness Awareness Week, which happens in the first week of October, and extended it to an entire month.
“This is a time where we notice a peak in the utilization and request for our mental health resources,” Drummer-Ferrell said. “We thought we would take advantage of that.”
Drummer-Ferrell oversees the Advocacy, Support, and Well-being pillar within the Division of Student Life, which includes offices, centers, services, resources, and initiatives focused on student wellness. She also has been leading the university’s efforts around mental health.
“I’ve had the opportunity to oversee our ability to enhance our mental health efforts and then the creation of our new mental health website,” she said.
Kent State’s Mental Health Resources and Support website had a soft launch in the spring of 2023.
“We wanted the website out as soon as possible. Just like in the fall, October is a peak [for the utilization and request of mental health resources]. In the spring, March is a peak,” Drummer-Ferrell said. “We wanted to make sure to get the information out when there are a lot of students, faculty, and staff who need to be reminded of those resources.”
The website has resources for anyone who needs direct support or wants to learn more about mental health.
students, staff, faculty, and alumni.
The Mental Health Campaign will bring attention to the website and have large- and small-scale campaign deliverables across the entire eight-campus system. It will officially launch on October 9 after students return from Fall Break.
A Mental Health Campaign Kickoff event will happen on October 10, which is also World Mental Health Day. Kier Gaines, licensed therapist and mental health advocate, is the event’s featured speaker, which will be live-streamed and open to the university community.
Gaines will participate in a special reception with campus student leaders, tour the mental health and well-being areas, hear a presentation about the upcoming plans, and give feedback to Kent State.
The campaign has three main goals: reduce the stigma, increase help-seeking behaviors, and to refer a fellow Flash in need.
Drummer-Ferrell explained that mental health tends to be a silent battle, and one way to reduce the stigma is by having people share their stories. She stated that help-seeking behaviors are expected to increase by reducing the stigma around the issue.
“If we can reduce the stigma, then people are more likely to normalize asking for help and not feel bad that they aren’t fitting a mold or things aren’t going so great,” she said.
She emphasized the need for students, faculty, and staff to know how to refer a fellow Flash. And to achieve that, people have to understand what the resources on the website are.
“I’m hopeful this will be one of those [situations where] we’re having the right conversation in a way that honors and celebrates the message of us supporting each other,” she said.
Drummer-Ferrell also mentioned the campus community can expect to see things slowly appear towards the end of September and the beginning of October.
The campaign will include posters of volunteers who shared their personal experiences, had someone in their life with mental health challenges, or were passionate about it.
Faculty, staff, and students were volunteers in this campaign. Drummer-Ferrell stated that when discussing mental health, there is often a focus on students. However, she also mentioned a need to focus on faculty and staff supporting the students.
“We wanted to ensure we had a good representation and diversity of the participants because we don’t want mental health to have one singular look. It can affect and impact anybody,” she said. “If our faculty and staff aren’t well, it’s going to be difficult for us to be as best as we can to each other and our students.”
REGISTER FOR THE MENTAL HEALTH CAMPAIGN KICKOFF EVENT
Learn more about Mental Health Support and Resources at Kent State.
Visit the Mental Health Awareness Month website to view events.