2008 Woodie Awards
Panhel develops mental health program for Greeks
Caitlin Varley
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Campus
A mental health awareness program for women in sororities at Miami University is planned to debut early next semester, put on by the Panhellenic Association, Student Counseling Services and the Office of Health Education.
According to Claire Dickerson, director of public relations for the Panhellenic Association, the program will do a number of things.
"(The program will) go over basically what mental health is and what it means to be mentally healthy," Dickerson said.
According to Leslie Haxby McNeill, acting director of the Office of Health Education, the idea for the program came from the students, instead of the office saying they needed the program.
"It's the students who are saying this is what we see going on and this is something that we think we need to educate our members," Haxby McNeill said.
Dickerson said the program is being done to shine light on issues not addressed at Miami and to prevent more serious issues.
Dickerson said the program would also go over how to identify the shifts from normal behavior to at-risk behavior and from at-risk behavior to serious clinical problems. She added that they will also go over the common factors that trigger shifts in behavior.
The final part of the program will be how to help someone who may be at risk, according to Dickerson.
"We're going to go over what happens in counseling services," Dickerson said. "I feel a lot of people that are reluctant to get help don't because they don't know what's going to happen or they're worried about the process."
According to Haxby McNeill, the program will be didactic.
"Some of it is information (and) sharing knowledge," Haxby McNeill said. "Some of it is interactive where the women in the group might help us develop a list of what kinds of things might be stressors."
Dickerson said that the program will be voluntary for all women
in sororities.
"We all know how stressed out we are and adding another program might not help and so this way it will be people that actually care and actually want to get involved," Dickerson said.
According to Claire Dickerson, director of public relations for the Panhellenic Association, the program will do a number of things.
"(The program will) go over basically what mental health is and what it means to be mentally healthy," Dickerson said.
According to Leslie Haxby McNeill, acting director of the Office of Health Education, the idea for the program came from the students, instead of the office saying they needed the program.
"It's the students who are saying this is what we see going on and this is something that we think we need to educate our members," Haxby McNeill said.
Dickerson said the program is being done to shine light on issues not addressed at Miami and to prevent more serious issues.
Dickerson said the program would also go over how to identify the shifts from normal behavior to at-risk behavior and from at-risk behavior to serious clinical problems. She added that they will also go over the common factors that trigger shifts in behavior.
The final part of the program will be how to help someone who may be at risk, according to Dickerson.
"We're going to go over what happens in counseling services," Dickerson said. "I feel a lot of people that are reluctant to get help don't because they don't know what's going to happen or they're worried about the process."
According to Haxby McNeill, the program will be didactic.
"Some of it is information (and) sharing knowledge," Haxby McNeill said. "Some of it is interactive where the women in the group might help us develop a list of what kinds of things might be stressors."
Dickerson said that the program will be voluntary for all women
in sororities.
"We all know how stressed out we are and adding another program might not help and so this way it will be people that actually care and actually want to get involved," Dickerson said.
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