Following the death of Pierre Damas Bel, there has been renewed talks about the mental health of students at Wright State. University students face many challenges throughout their time in college, many of which can negatively impact a student’s mental health.
WSU offers an office to be able to try to ease those challenges and relieve some of the mental load that students have to bear. This space is the office of Counseling and Wellness Services (CWS). At the start of the school year, the university automatically bills full access to the services provided for only $20, unless the student personally opts out. From one-on-one services to mental health screenings, CWS offers many services to help students.
CWS offers one-on-one services with a team of licensed psychologists, counselors and social workers. Their purpose is to help students and connect them with the WSU community.
"Our staff, interns, and residents are here to support Wright State students in a safe, confidential, and inclusive space," the CWS webpage reads.
If one-on-one services are not what students are looking for, CWS also provides group therapy sessions. These are run by providers to be tailored to specific groups or mental health issues. There are both a men’s group and a women’s group to speak and engage with students of the same gender. Rainbow Raiders is a group specifically designed for members of the queer community. There are also groups for specific issues like anxiety, social anxiety and creative burnout. Most of the therapy groups require at least one appointment with CWS prior to joining.
CWS also offers training in suicide prevention to WSU’s students, faculty and staff members. Through the company Signs of Suicide (SOS), WSU offers a redemption code for two 30-minute online courses. These courses are aimed at teaching the signs of suicide and mental distress, as well as how to foster an environment for positive mental well-being.
On the CWS website, there is a free, anonymous mental health screening. This screening is taken online and immediately provides results on the signs of mental distress.
Every Monday and Thursday from 12:10-12:50 p.m., CWS teams up with Campus Recreation to host Wellness Walks. These walks aim to help students meet new people, get moving and practice self-care. Students, faculty and staff are all welcome to these Wellness Walks. The walks begin at the Campus Recreation desk in the Student Union Atrium.
Elijah Emmons, the assistant director of fitness and aquatics talked about the importance of wellness walks and the effect they can have on the students who participate and how they are all about being a community.
“It is the first step to maintaining person health and wellness,” Emmons said. "[Wellness walks] are about taking those first steps with a friend or an ally."
On Sept. 10, Campus Recreation and CWS combined to host Lunch and Learn. This was an event for faculty to sit down, have lunch and learn from a presenter. Attendees learned about the importance of sleep, meditation and mindfulness in the daily life.
