On Thursday, October 10, the Human Rights Institue and Holocaust Resource Center hosted an informational gathering in the Miron Student Center Atrium to show students various ways to express themselves and cope with their mental distress.
“One of the things that we can do is make them [college students] aware of the the different resources in our county that can help them,” said Julie Donohue, a volunteer with the National Alliance on Mental Health.
The National Alliance on Mental Health or NAMI, is a nationwide organization whose mission is to change the general public's perspective on mental health and make sure people dealing with mental illness and other things have the correct resources to sustain their health.
NAMI has various smaller organizations in New Jersey including, support groups, groups for Black, Latinx, Asian and Indigenous people and groups for people part of the LGBTQ community.
Other help resources there included a way for students to use their faith as an outlet.
“Some of the resources here are how religion and spirituality can impact your mental health,” said Lucia Pasternak, who is the Catholic Campus Minister for Kean. “Not everyone comes from a faith background…but I definetly believe that sometimes faith and psychology can go together.
Students were grateful for the resources as well as the acknowledgement of World Mental Health Day.
“I only found out about it [World Mental Health Day] today when I walked in,” said Sophia Nazzaro, a senior Environmental Science major at Kean who also had her own story to share.“I have a therapist and make sure I have some balance, enough sleep, enough human interaction, that I eat enough and sometimes that does mean I’m gonna have to skip out homework you know, sometimes you have to make decisions that are good for your mental health.”
And many students agree with Nazzaro’s sentiment in regards to making decisions surronounding mental health. Tazire Cadet, a senior Sociology minor in Criminal Justice major who uses massage therapy to relieve his mindset encourages students to take risks and to avoid self-isolation.
“Some people have it harder than others and I say, go outside, have fun, make friends, we’re in college and doing this for years, take risks now, don’t stay in!” He said, “Friends and family are important and continue to put yourself first.”
It was a beautiful and intimate event, with small giveaways rewarding students with stickers, candy and fidget toys. For religious students, there was a place where you could write a prayer, and a board for affirmations and manifestations. There were resources and outlets for everyone struggling mentally with the main goal of spreading awareness and breaking the stigma on mental health.
“The most importan thing is just to let them [college students] know they’re not alone and I think Kean is remarkable in the way they support students' mental health,” said Donohue. “We all have mental health some days it’s in good shape, somedays it’s not in good shape, the more we learn and care for each other, it’s a better future for everybody.”
