From left: Rehabilitation and human services students Sarah Dule and Kaylee Chaban, Associate Teaching Professor of RHS Melisa Littleton, and RHS student Sara Tomsak during last year's Mental Health Awareness Day.
DALLAS, Pa. — Students at Penn State Wilkes-Barre are invited to take part in the annual Mental Health Awareness Day, set for 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 18. The event is designed to promote mental health awareness and self-care, reduce stigma, and provide students with an opportunity to engage in self-care activities.
Mental Health Awareness Day activities will be held outside on the Students Commons patio. In case of rain, the activities will be inside the Student Commons.
Melisa Littleton, associate teaching professor of rehabilitation and human services (RHS) and program coordinator, has coordinated the event each year since it began in 2016.
“We began Mental Health Awareness Day as a way for students to focus on their mental health and to encourage them to take part in activities to do that,” she said. “All of the activities have been carefully chosen to promote holistic wellness and encourage students to relax and take care of themselves in a variety of ways.”
The event features a wellness wheel with five categories of activities. Students who complete three of the five categories will receive a T-shirt, and those who complete all five will be entered into a raffle to win an Amazon gift card.
Activities include mini pumpkin painting, gratitude journaling, massages, ladder golf, bean bag toss and a selfie station complete with props. Campus counselor Meredith Cosgrove will have a table promoting the counseling services she provides, and she will offer students an opportunity to complete a stress screening. Takeaway items such as stress balls, sensory stickers and bubbles, along with fresh fruit, pizza and candy, will be provided.
“We want to promote a balance of healthy eating, but show that it’s OK to have something you enjoy,” Littleton said.
Students in Littleton’s Psychology 270 class have been assigned to create brochures about wellness and its relationship to mental health in several areas: physical exercise, nutrition, social relationships, religion/spirituality and stress management. The brochures will be available during Mental Health Awareness Day. Information also will be provided on the Green Bandana Project, a suicide prevention and mental health awareness program.
The Office of Student Activities assists Littleton in planning and coordinating the event, which is funded by the Student Activity Fee. RHS students serve as event volunteers, helping set up and clean up and supervising the check-in table and wellness stations. Other areas of campus, including sustainability and the Nesbitt Library, will have informational tables at Mental Health Awareness Day to demonstrate how they promote wellness and mental health.
After the event, students are invited to complete a survey for the chance to win an Amazon gift card.
“The survey is also designed to help students focus their attention on how they felt and what they enjoyed,” Littleton said. “It helps them be mindful and reflect on those experiences. We’ve heard from previous surveys that students had the realization that it’s good to slow down every once in a while.”
Penn State Wilkes-Barre also features a new decompression zone to help students relax and focus on their mental health. The area is a private space for students to take time to themselves and collect their thoughts.
“Focusing on mental health helps students be successful in their academics,” Littleton said. “Stress and anxiety interfere with academic success. Ultimately, it helps our students achieve their academic and athletic goals when they are reminded of the need to take care of themselves. That will contribute to them feeling better, which will help them achieve their goals.”
