Carleton and Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) have announced a number of new mental health initiatives to help ensure the university maintains a safe, healthy, and supportive environment for all students and staff.
“This year saw the university’s Healthy Workplace Committee developed a plan for the next three years that has a number of key areas of focus: health promotion, work-life balance, and mental health,” said Ed Kane, assistant vice-president (university services).
As part of the new initiatives, CUSA and Carleton will both be running separate awareness campaigns during the fall semester to inform students about the different mental health issues that exist on campus.
From Oct. 6-10, CUSA held its “Pop the Stigma” campaign which it hopes will reduce the stigmas surrounding mental illness.
“During CUSA’s Mental Health Awareness Week many different activities will be taking place in order to promote positive and well-balanced lives in our students while popping the negative stigmas around mental health,” CUSA vice-president (student issues) Maddy Porter said in an email.
Stress management workshops, a talk from life coach and motivational speaker Nova Browning Rutherford, and visits from therapy dogs are just some of the activities taking place this week, Porter said.
Separate from “Pop the Stigma,” the Carleton administration will be hosting “Thrive Week” in early November.
“There will be a variety of events and activities planned during the week of Nov 3-7, focused on building positive mental health for the entire Carleton community and that will encourage dialogue about mental health in general,” Kane said.
The university will also be taking part in a national case study run by the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
“Participation in this case study will help Carleton monitor and document its progress in implementing the national standards for ‘Psychological health and safety in the workplace’,” Kane said.
The standards outlined in the document are meant to help the university optimize mental health in the workplace while mitigating risks for employees.
In 2009, Carleton created a plan to develop a university-wide Student Mental Health Framework which was the first of its kind in Canada, according to Kane.
Carleton will also set up an advisory committee to recommend new policies and procedures to maintain a psychologically safe and healthy workplace. Kane said this group represents a cross-section of the Carleton community and will be made up of Carleton faculty, staff, and experts in the subject matter.
Porter said it is critical for Carleton to hold mental health awareness weeks, as many students are facing mental health issues across the country—not just at Carleton.
“It is important that we provide them with resources and positive spaces to learn and grow so that they do not continue to struggle,” she said. “CUSA is here to help students with the issues they face and even with issues that sometimes may not be visible at first.”
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