Deliberation Reflection: A Better Penn State of Mind

On Friday, February 23rd, I gathered around in a packed semi-circle with my fellow Penn State peers amidst the book shelves in Webster’s around 6:45 PM. Chatting about the deliberation we were all attending, I was extremely interested to participate in the discussion about mental health on campus. Titled “A Better Penn State of Mind: A Discussion of Mental Health Issues and Programs at Penn State,” the deliberation was not only well executed and attended, but also well received by the audience, making for an extremely productive discussion throughout the introduction, three approaches, and conclusion.

One of the aspects of the team’s deliberation that intrigued me the most was their idea of requiring mental health online modules similar to Penn State SAFE and AWARE. These modules would serve as an educational onboarding to different warning signs and coping mechanisms with mental health, and I couldn’t believe how simple of a requirement that would be. When surveying the audience for their experiences with mental health, almost everyone in the room offered that they, or someone they know, has been affected by mental health. With that said, mental health matters are just as prevalent as those related to sexual assault/harassment and drinking. Requiring the modules would allow Penn State students the opportunity to learn about and access resources that would help maintain good mental health.

This idea of access to resources that would help maintain good mental health was another point that surprised me during the deliberation. I was shocked by how many people in the audience that weren’t aware of CAPS’s location, resources, etc. In addition, no one in the audience was aware of a free, unlimited visit counseling resource on campus called the CEDAR Clinic, located in the Cedar Building behind Chambers Building. I became aware of this counseling service through the College of Education, because I give tours to families, so I learned about the resources within Cedar. In addition, I decided to take advantage of the services offered by Cedar this semester, when I was referred to their services by someone from CAPS. With that said, I was happy to be able to offer this information about the CEDAR Clinic in the deliberation, because no one in attendance knew about it.

Overall, I really enjoyed myself at the “A Better Penn State of Mind: A Discussion of Mental Health Issues and Programs at Penn State” deliberation. I wasn’t expecting much of a turnout on a Friday night, but it ended up being a really great time collaborating, discussing, and sharing ideas and experiences about mental health at Penn State throughout the deliberation. Kudos to this team for their excellent preparation, execution, and moderation, which made for a productive, successful deliberation in the Penn State community.

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