October is mental health awareness month, and the Counseling and Psychological Services Center has several campus events planned for the upcoming weeks.
The Counseling and Psychological Services Center (CPSC) can be utilized by any student. Weber State University students are required to pay student fees, and students are encouraged to take advantage of programs those student fees fund.
“You don’t have to have a major issue to use our services,”Jamie Brass, a psychologist for the CPSC, said, adding that most of the students who use the CPSC services are merely facing everyday stress.
“We would rather see you long before anything becomes a major issue,” Dianna Abel, director of the CPSC, said.
One of the first mental health awareness month events is the Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) presentation for suicide prevention on Oct. 5, 2015, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in room 305 of the Shepherd Union.
“This will be an awareness-raising activity to help students understand what the clues are that somebody might be suicidal,” said Abel, “and what to do if they encounter that.”
The CPSC website says ninety percent of people in a suicidal crisis give some sort of warning. Abel wants to focus on prevention and educate others on how to help a loved on in need.
The second event is a screening of the movie “Happy.” The showing of this 75-minute documentary will immediately be followed by a panel discussion.
The showing and panel will be Oct. 7 from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. at the Shepherd Union in the Wildcat Theater. This event includes free admission and free popcorn for those who attend.
The next event will be held Oct. 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Stress Break room in the Shepherd Union Fireplace Lounge. The event will include a treat for animal lovers.
The Intermountain Therapy Animals will be in this area for all students needing to destress and who would like some furry company.
Abel expressed how much people have liked the therapy animals in the past. “Who doesn’t want a picture with a puppy in a red vest,” Abel said.
The last event they are planning to hold is called Emotion Masks. Brass says this event will happen around Halloween and is an opportunity for attendees to create a mask that helps them express what they are feeling inside, even if they don’t realize it. To promote mental health awareness, attendees are then encouraged to create a mask that depicts what they want to feel inside.
The CPSC will also be holding hour-long, drop-in focus groups nearing the end of the month that emphasize student views on campus involvement and usage of CPSC. The times for these events are Oct. 19 at 1 p.m., Nov. 2 at 1:30 p.m. and Nov. 6 at 10:30 a.m. in room 312 of the Shepherd Union. There is also a Davis Campus option on Nov. 20 at 11 a.m. in room 201 of building D3. Participants in these groups will have the opportunity to win a $25 gift card to the bookstore.
The CPSC holds groups and workshops on a weekly basis. These meeting range from ADHD groups to meditation groups, as well as LGBTQA lunch groups and a coping skills workshop. These are open to students who would like to drop by any time, any day and any week that works for them and their needs.
For more information and a complete list of events, visit their website or call 801-626-6406.
