Mental Health Workshop

ABSTRACT

Mental health (and disorders) can be among the most important lessons that students will learn throughout their college careers. This can be a difficult topic, as well, because of common stigmas around mental health disorders, the distress that mental health disorders cause, the uncertainty surrounding mental health disorders, and because college students, in general, are particularly vulnerable to mental health disorders. It is for these reasons that this workshop is so important.

This workshop begins with a discussion of students’ own experiences with and observations of mental health disorders and distress. From here, the workshop moves into an exercise that allows students to understand common thinking traps that can increase their everyday mental distress. Students will reflect on and discuss effective ways to counter this maladaptive thinking.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Define stress
• Explain the role of perception in determining the effects of stress
• Identify one’s own perception of stress