Two students hold up signs; one reads: "My reason to stay is: You're worth it". Another reads: "My reason to stay is: Because there's no one like me".

Fall 2019 — Oregon State University offered students a variety of wellness events through Oct. 8-12 to celebrate World Mental Health Day. Events such as Unwind in the Plaza provided opportunities to engage in stress reduction activities including coloring, creating stress balls and interacting with campus wellness resources. The 100 Reasons to Stay Alive event offered students a chance to reflect on mental wellness while learning about Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) and upcoming suicide prevention trainings.

The programming for World Mental Health Day supports Oregon State's responsibility and pursuit to create a culture of caring for all students, faculty and staff at the university. President Ed Ray identified the importance of supporting mental health awareness and services in a statement earlier this term.

Driven by student feedback on mental health needs gathered two years ago, Oregon State is expanding year-round mental health services by:

  • Providing staff and faculty training to assist students who are in distress
  • Building the Beavers Belong Support Network (to participate, visit Bit.ly/BeaversBelong)
  • Creating an interactive wellness quiz with resource and education recommendations
  • Increasing the awareness of mental health issues through education campaigns

CAPS recently created a single session clinic, where students can meet once with a therapist for a specific problem and develop skills, strategies and a plan. Plus, a new online training allows faculty, staff and students to learn how to notice signs of distress in students, and how to have conversations about mental health. Through an interactive program, users can practice having conversations with students and learn how to best support students or refer them to helpful resources. Separate training modules are available for students and employees of Oregon State.

Faculty, staff and students are all integral to creating a culture of caring at Oregon State. Resources such as wellness events, expanded mental health services and trainings support this culture.