It is not uncommon for college campuses to see a rise in mental health concerns among college students. Students can often feel a variety of overwhelming emotions, most common being anxiety, stress and depression, whether it is due to classes or something occurring in their personal lives. BYU-Idaho is trying to take proactive steps to ensure that students who may be struggling with one of many mental health illnesses or challenges can have the support they need.
“We run a workshop called Mental Health Empowerment, and in that, we teach any general topics,” said Kyler Goodman, a sociology major who currently works as a social work intern at BYU-Idaho. “We actually ask (students), ‘what do you want to learn about next week?’ And we go over anything the students want to.”
There are many kinds of workshops available to students, some even feature professionals in the field who are purposefully brought in to answer any questions that members in the audience might have for them. The Mental Health Empowerment workshop Goodman and the other interns help run is usually a 45-minute lesson on a certain topic that students want to hear about and can include a variety of related activities and tips for them.
“In the stress and anxiety workshop (we had) a couple of weeks ago, we broke out some paper and colored pencils and just did a de-stressing coloring activity while we listened to some forest sounds for five minutes,” he said. “We try to keep them very chill, low-key, and just (have students) come learn.”
With there being a stigma around certain mental health illnesses, Goodman said it's important to have peer support and mentorship in promoting mental health awareness. He believes the only way to ever destigmatize mental health concerns is by talking about it and being truthful about what people may be going through.
“Lots of stigma comes from false truths, some myths and if those just keep getting circulated within society, they’ll stay. But if you actually come out and start talking about what is true, (it’ll help with destigmatization),” he said.
With mental health concerns being prevalent among students, these workshops are just a portion of what BYU-Idaho’s Counseling Center has to offer. The counselors offer all forms of free counseling, the only requirement being that students are signed up for at least 6 credits that semester. Whether it is marriage counseling or for an individual need, BYU-Idaho has someone who can help. They also have a crisis line that is available Monday- Friday from 8-5 to help anyone who might need it.
“To the students who are struggling and kind of hesitant to reach out and get help, you may have thought you can do it on your own, you may think it’s manageable on your own, and sometimes it is, but it is so much better when there’s someone doing it with you,” Goodman said.
If you or someone you know might be interested in the counseling options or the workshops that are available, you can visit byui.edu/counseling-center/ to find more information or schedule an appointment.
“There are people that are so willing to be there for you, no judgement, people that know about different mental health things that can give you so many resources. … It’s scary to ask someone for help, but it may just be the thing that starts to change your life for the better.”