Therapists from the student health center hosted a booth for Mental Health Awareness Month. Natalia Duarte and Nicole Rabaudi were the two therapists hosting the booth.
Duarte said during May they look to raise awareness about mental health and partner with organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Duarte said they try to branch out with interactive exercises, fact sheets and goodies at the booth to raise awareness about resources students may not know are available to them.
Breaking the stigma of mental health is something they focus on, “whether it’s stressors at home or school, anxiety, depression or other mental health needs,” Duarte said. “It’s pretty common, it’s just that we don’t always always talk about it so we don’t realize there’s other people that are experiencing it.”
Duarte said they want to let people know that they are not alone. The services provided on campus can be a bridge to getting other referrals outside of school, Duarte said.
Duarte said five sessions are given a semester offering counseling support, and the care provided is equal no matter the perceived level of the problem.
“We do individualize care so maybe one person’s coming in for something that seems small but for them it’s a big deal,” Duarte said. “And someone else may need more emergency services but they’re both equally important because it’s a stressor to the student.”
Duarte said not enough staff to do long-term care is why students get five sessions.
As long as health fees are paid and students are registered, they can receive care, Duarte said. Each session is about 50 minutes, Duarte said.
Duarte said they notice changes in students who come consistently but some just come at a point of crisis. Students choose how to use the services from the health center, Duarte said.
Duarte said mental health should be treated like medical health, and the more students keep up with it, the higher chances of staying mentally healthy. Breaking down the negative stigma of mental health is important for it being treated just like medical health, Duarte said.
“You break your arm, you don’t just not go to the doctor, because it’s painful,” Duarte said. “You’re severely depressed, you need to go and get help because you’re not meant to figure that on your own.”
Students should not be by themselves if in severe need, Duarte said.
Rabaudi said students feel intimidated and scared of what was going to happen in the session.
“When you’re vulnerable and you’re reaching out for help it can feel really scary because you don’t know how that’s going to be received,” Rabaudi said.
Rabaudi said people are relieved that they are there to listen and not there to judge what they are going through. Rabaudi said they have heard everything under the sun and everything is confidential. Reports would only be made in an extreme circumstance where the student would benefit from it, Rabaudi said.
The overall message is that students are not alone and there are people here to support them, Duarte said.
“Even if you have no family, even if you have no friends, even if you are living here, going to Citrus you’re an exchange student, you’re by yourself you have people that care,” Duarte said.
