This year’s Mental Health Awareness Day drew nearly 800 students to learn more about such a crucial part of their overall health, organizers said.
The ongoing stigma surrounding mental health is why students Alyssa Tkacz and Kate Csisack started Mental Health Awareness Day last year. Recently, mental health has been discussed frequently in the media, and the awareness day contributes to this discussion by bringing light to harmful stigmas and teaching the importance of maintaining good mental health.
Tkacz and Csisack started the event as a way to bring light to the importance of mental health and make students feel more empowered. Planning for this year’s event started last April, when the Mental Health Awareness Day Committee was formed. The group was composed of 13 student members, with Kaitlin Anderle, director of the Bachelor’s Social Work Program, serving as advisor.
While it was not easy to plan, Tkacz remarked how her committee members, friends, family and professors helped to get her through the stressful times. “They pushed me past the moments where I felt like this event would not succeed, and I am incredibly thankful to all of them for that,” said Tkacz. “My professors reminded me several times that they supported me and that the event would succeed, which made me want to continue on. I owe it to all of them, especially Kaitlin, for supporting me and encouraging me throughout this whole process.”
From 10 a.m. through 8 p.m., many different events took place in Upper Nazareth, as well as other locations across campus. These events included stress relief workshops led by several Marywood clubs, presentations hosted by Marywood students and faculty, therapy dogs and art exhibitions. The day concluded with a keynote speaker.
Stress relief workshops were held in the Latour Room. The CMYKlub, Marywood’s graphic design club, handed out therapeutic coloring sheets for students to use as a stress-reducing tool. When asked about what the club thought about the day itself, CMYKlub member Stephanie Klemick said, “It’s great to see everyone promoting mental health in a variety of different and positive ways.”
The Language and Literature Club also had a table at the event, where they highlighted different novels that showcased mental health in literature. When discussing this topic, club members Shannon Maiello and Olivia Kaschak said, “A lot of the time books that deal with mental health are challenged and sometimes banned because of their themes and it is an important thing to emphasize so that people can help find themselves in the books.”
Also during the day, a mental health-themed art gallery was set up in the Learning Commons and a raffle was held in the Fireplace Lounge. There were also other educational presentations held in Upper Naz, such as Mental Health in Underserved Communities, put on by Dr. Yerodin Lucas, the executive director of Institutional Equity & Inclusion, and Keisha Vilchert, the director of Student Equity, Inclusion and Programming, as well as Mental Health in Athletes, given by Pacers senior softball player Becca Zayle.
The therapy dogs were a highlight for many. Students came to Upper Naz and enjoyed seeing adorable puppies to take some stress away from their day.
To close out Mental Health Awareness Day, Clayton Echard gave a keynote address. Echard is most well known for starring in season 26 of The Bachelor, as well as spending one NFL training camp with the Seattle Seahawks.
Echard has been a mental health advocate for many years. During his presentation, Echard opened up to the audience about his own struggle with mental health. “The catalyst for me seeking to change the way I viewed myself was the show,” said Echard.
After reviewing statistics on mental health in relation to childhood trauma, Echard recounted his own life experience. Growing up, he had a lot of insecurities regarding his looks and athletic ability. He would often compare himself to his younger brother. Because of all of this, he decided to build up his image into someone who would combat all of his insecurities.
“I’ve done all these things and I still don’t feel good enough,” he explained. Following this, Echard made a very powerful point, saying it is not what you accomplish in life, it is all about how you love yourself. He concluded his speech by reminding everyone to check on their happy friends and to remember to love yourself every day.
Echard did a Q&A at the end of his speech in which he answered questions from the audience, followed by a meet and greet session. During a post-speech interview, Echard said: he would be so happy if even one person heard his story and were comforted and helped by it.
When asked about the day as a whole, Tkacz stated, “We were extremely happy with the turnout and the support that our students, staff, and faculty showed for the event and the cause.”
Students looking for mental health resources on campus may contact Marywood’s counseling department at [email protected] or by phone at (570) 348-6245. The counseling department is located on the first floor of the McGowan Center and is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
