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Clubs ~ Club Fund Fee ~ Mental Health ~ Experience
Beyond promoting mental health services, what will you do to end the stigma on campus?
Elaine Patterson
“To end mental health stigma on campus I would want to encourage peer to peer consultation. This helps students so much with building a firm ground of their mental wellness which therefore contributes to your mental health overall. These peer-to peer consultations could be done in a possible mental health space in SSMU in the future… [As well], I would like to help out with floor-fellow orientation, I think that the Rez community is a great space for first year students to learn about mental health…”
Elaine takes a more experiential approach on mental health; she would like to see more peer collaboration in addressing mental health. Another interesting initiative she would like to further develop, and which is already in the works, is the Yellow Bench, an initiative where students would sit on a yellow bench, to signify that they are open to having a conversation with about something, whether it be mental health, your wellness, etc…
Dushan Tripp
“To end mental health stigma on campus I would like to have meetings with all the different student services regarding the different types of mental health. I thought it was really interesting to learn how mental health fits into a spectrum with components like social health, financial health, academic health etc… Therefore I would like to collaborate with all the different student services to host forums that talk about mental health as a spectrum of different mental health problems. I feel that this will help with ending a stigma in the sense that mental health is no longer something you see a therapist for but is broader.”
Dushan’s approach to ending mental health stigma on campus is one that encompasses increased discussion and knowledge of the various different types of mental health. He wants students to understand that mental health isn’t black and white, and can encompass many facets of life.
*Correction: An earlier version of this article contained language which suggested that the ‘Yellow Bench Initiative’ was an initiative brought forth and conceived by Patterson. The article as since been amended. The Bull & Bear apologizes for any confusion this error may have caused.
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