I Will Listen Week Brings Resources, Trainings
It might be easy to miss Divya Saseendranath as she works quietly away as the graduate assistant in The University of Baltimore’s Office of Student Support. But she has a message she wants to share loud and clear across the University: We can help.
“If I am being honest, it makes me sad sometimes when students of UBalt are unaware of the resources that are available that can literally change their lives. One thing to know about the Office of Student Support and the resources it provides? Literally anything!”
The M.S. in Counseling Psychology student, who is also serving as UBalt’s campus ambassador for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, listed the ways: direction for managing course schedules around work, broadening connections with the UBalt and city communities, understanding finances, finding legal support, or parental leave, or Title IX. Her list continued, but her message was clear.
“The office is your one-stop shop for everything you may need as a student to help you with life and education while at UBalt. We exist to help students in any and all ways possible and connect them with relevant resources as needed.”
Saseendranath and her fellow office staff are getting ready for an annual awareness of mental health issues and resources. They celebrate and recognize I Will Listen Week, along with NAMI Metro Baltimore, through offering a variety of activities and services in hopes that students will learn what’s available to them all year.
Addressing student’s mental health has become increasingly important, said Tony DuLaney, the University’s clinical case manager.
According to NAMI, 67 percent of people ages 18-24 have anxiety or depression but don’t seek treatment, and more than 70 percent of students living with a mental health condition experience a crisis on campus. Also, nearly 40 percent of students in college experience a significant mental health issue.
“Over the last 20 years, there has been a significant increase in the number of college students who report having either experienced or are currently experiencing mental health concerns across the nation,” DuLaney said. “As institutions of higher learning, professional training, and personal growth, it is incumbent upon us to be able to view the student not only in terms of what they are able to achieve academically. We have both a role and a responsibility to be able to support students holistically by ensuring their mental health needs are being met.”
It's a three-pronged approach that involves education, conversation and availability of resources, he said. I Will Listen Week serves as a key introduction, or re-introduction, because it encompasses all three.
“Whether it is a friend, family member, classmate, or someone you're meeting for the first time, I Will Listen Week seeks to help us make the decision to be that caring and compassionate ear. In a lot of ways, this reflects the core values of UBalt. We have always been an institution that allows individuals of all backgrounds to seek their dreams no matter the challenges they have experienced prior to arriving here. In short, UBalt, much like the I Will Listen campaign, represents hope for tomorrow.”
The University will be hosting several events through I Will Listen Week:
- #IWillListen Pledge and Resource Tabling—Monday, Oct. 7, 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Thursday, Oct. 10, 12-1 p.m. Student Center Lobby
- Movie Night: Inside Out 2 movie screening—Tuesday, Oct. 8, 3-5 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 9, 7-9 p.m. Wright Theatre, 5th Floor of the Student Center
- Virtual Mental Health First Aid Training, Friday, Oct. 11 (Registration required)
The Mental Health First Aid Training is a key component of the week in which DuLaney really encourages students to participate. The training is free, virtual and open to 15 students.
Students who successfully complete the training will receive a certification that they can add to their resumes and email signatures, he said.
UBalt’s Office of Student Support has been offering free Mental Health First Aid Training to students, staff and faculty every October and every April since spring 2022.
“This training is an internationally recognized program that helps provide participants the skills necessary to successfully identify, support, and refer someone experiencing mental health challenges to resources,” DuLaney said. “It is our long-cherished goal to train as many members as possible so that we can further solidify the importance of mental health as a cultural pillar within our institution.”
The office also provides students a self-paced learning course called Ask, Listen, Refer to help them identify warning signs of suicidal risk and learn how to support someone who may be thinking about suicide. The training is accessible for students in the MyUBalt Portal and within the Mental Health tab on their Canvas site.
Saseendranath registered for the Oct. 11 training after missing the chance previously.
“I am so excited about it,” she said. “It is the skill to be able to impart prompt assistance to someone struggling mentally. It may be our own friends or family or a stranger we meet at an event or on the bus. Knowing how to help someone calm down and feel OK immediately in a situation before guiding them to appropriate resources and services is a very vital and valuable skill that can foster kindness, care and empathy.”