Mental Health Minutes

Today we have the honor of having Katie Benaquista on our show! Katie is a peer health advocate at JCU's Wellness Center and she is a soon to be pre-med graduate this May. In this episode, we talk about all things period and mental health related. Turns out, there is a LOT to learn! So tune in and we will see you again this Fall with our new GA Alexis :) Until then...take care!

Join us to learn about how resilience in People of Color can be both a strength and a weakness when it comes to addressing mental health & tough experiences. Lorris also provides tips on how to get the most out of therapy as a Person of Color. Enjoy and look for another episode at the end of this month!

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Sound Effect from Pixabay

Welcome back, listeners! For the first episode of the Fall 2023 semester, your new host Sophia (the Graduate Assistant of the JCU Counseling Center) is joined by Jenny Arnold (JCU Resident Minister & Poet) to talk about how poetry has positively impacted her mental health and relationships. Learn a little history on poetry therapy first, and then we dive into a poetic conversation between friends!

Links to resources used/mentioned in this episode:

You@JCU: https://you.jcu.edu/

Counseling Center's website: https://www.jcu.edu/student-life/wellness/ucc-university-counseling-center?gclid=Cj0KCQiAr8eqBhD3ARIsAIe-buMlCDTwxadHEKR-f3vPdwtMRwmCQOVUW3xwRBfyE1-RZUVOlS3nVuQaAqYyEALw_wcB

Resource used for this episode: https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/poetry-therapy

24/2 suicide and crisis lifeline: call or text 988

For the last Mental Health Minutes episode of the semester, Leya was joined by two very special guests: Andrew DeFratis, Director of Public Affairs at the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center and Dr. Katharine Hahn Oh, Director and staff psychologist of JCU'S Counseling Center! April is Sexual Assault Awareness month and the staff at the UCC thought it would be best to shed light on an important resource here in Cleveland for survivors of sexual violence. Listen in on an insightful episode highlighting support for survivors in the aftermath of an assault, what to do when you want to support a loved one who has unfortunately been assaulted and what trauma therapy looks like for someone who wants to receive counseling to help them heal. Please see the following links below to a few resources mentioned in the episode:

https://clevelandrapecrisis.org/

https://oaesv.org/

https://www.jcu.edu/student-life/wellness/ucc-university-counseling-center

https://www.jcu.edu/about-us/administrative-offices/all-offices/title-ix

If you or someone you know has been a victim of a sexual assault and are in need of support, please call/text Cleveland Rape Crisis' 24/7 hotline at 216-619-6192 or at 440-423-2020. If it is an emergency, please dial 911.

Leya sits down with special guests, Yub fellow graduate assistant and counseling student and Jamie Greenwolf, Assistant director for Student Well Being for an honest, insightful conversation about consent, sex literacy and the importance of sex education. Please see the links below for access to Yub and Jamie's offices and write in to our email counselingcenter@jcu.edu if you have questions, comments or would like to be on next week's episode. 

https://www.jcu.edu/student-life/wellness/student-health-and-wellness-center

https://www.jcu.edu/csdi

If you are a JCU student, please know that you have resources available to you if you need support. Those websites can be found below:

https://www.jcu.edu/about-us/administrative-offices/all-offices/title-ix

https://www.jcu.edu/student-life/wellness/ucc-university-counseling-center

For Black History Month, Leya leads a very informal - but not talked about enough - conversation about mental health care within the Black community. Leya, Uche and Cherelle all identify as black women and are all on different journeys with their mental health but they have one thing in common - they're in counseling or have at least tried counseling in the past! Listen in as the girls have a casual conversation about their experience with mental health and the advice they'd give for individuals who are interested in trying counseling for the first time! 

Also, check out the websites below for more information from Uche and Cherelle's respective offices: 

https://www.jcu.edu/student-life/wellness

https://www.jcu.edu/csdi

If you're interested in working with a black counselor, visit these websites for extra support and resources:

https://therapyforblackgirls.com/

https://therapyforblackmen.org/

https://nqttcn.com/en/

For the first time ever, Mental Health Minutes is featuring students on the podcast and we couldn't be more excited! Joined by two new UCC staff, Shelby Bitter and Katie Cox along with two current and past student athletes, we facilitate a conversation about student athletes, their mental health, their education and team responsibilities and how they manage it all. Tune in to this very exciting episode to listen to the conversation. 

Are you a student who struggles with test anxiety, procrastination or are you simply stressed about midterms? Then this episode is perfect for you! Join us as we have a conversation about how to better prepare for your exams and how to alleviate the anxiety that comes with taking a test. Special guests Ed Mish and Lisa Ramsey share their insight from working with students and helping them prepare for their academic career at JCU and later share how students can make an appointment to get in touch with an academic coach. 

Information for academic success can be found here on their website: https://www.jcu.edu/success

Season two of Mental Health Minutes is live! We are thrilled to be back to talk about all things mental health with our listeners. This week's episode highlights the importance of effective communication when living with a roommate in college. Here are a few resources touched on in this episode for our students: 

https://www.jcu.edu/student-life/welcome-campus-living/current-students/forms-resources#:~:text=Residence%20Life%20Policies,-Inspired%20by%20our&text=For%20questions%20or%20comments%2C%20please,or%20jcureslife%40jcu.edu.

https://www.jcu.edu/student-life/welcome-campus-living/student-family-support

https://www.jcu.edu/student-life/wellness/ucc-university-counseling-center

As always, stay up to date on our Twitter and Instagram pages @JCU_UCC for updates about Mental Health Minutes!

On the season finale of Mental Health Minutes, Jessica, Christa and Leya talk all things relationships! They explore the different types of relationships that exist, how to navigate those relationships and ultimately, how to heal from a break up (if you've been there, you know!) The hosts had a lot to cover and are potentially open to delving into part two of relationships if our listeners are interested. If you have a burning question about a relationship issue and want some advice from our hosts, write in to counselingcenter@jcu.edu or call our front desk at 216-397-4283 to be featured on part two of our relationships episode. In the meantime, check out the resources below for more insight into relationships and how to heal from a breakup: 

https://www.nyu.edu/life/safety-health-wellness/live-well-nyu/priority-areas/interpersonal-relationships.html

https://www.verywellmind.com/toxic-relationships-4174665

https://www.self.com/story/get-over-a-breakup

https://www.verywellmind.com/6-types-of-relationships-and-their-effect-on-your-life-5209431

Back from a quick break, Christa, Jessica and Leya had the opportunity to speak with Bhakti Doroodian, a marriage and family therapist. Bhakti currently works at The Emily Program as a clinical manager and DBT therapist! Bhakti cleared up many misconceptions about eating disorders and also provided an array of information about services provided by The Emily Program and information about eating disorders in general. If you were curious about eating disorders or simply want to know what an eating disorder is, listen in to this episode! If you want more information about The Emily Program, check out their website below: 

https://www.emilyprogram.com/

Jessica, Christa and Leya explore some common misconceptions and symptoms of depression. They also offer some helpful ways to support a loved one if you think they may have depression. Remember, kindness is not cancelled! If you are worried about your close friends or that you may have some symptoms of depression, reach out to us. We're here to help all of our students. You can email us at counselingcenter@jcu.edu or contact our front desk at 216-397-4283. You can also access the links below for extra support:

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 

TAO: https://www.taoconnect.org/

https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/college-students-and-depression

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2022/01/23/College-students-mental-health-pandemic-Pitt-CMU-Chatham-Duquesne/stories/202201230017

Also, follow the instagram account @realdepressionproject for more information about depression and how you can act as a support system to friends/family members who suffer from depression. 

Been a victim of anxious thoughts, sweaty palms and a racing heart? You're not alone! This week, Jessica, Christa and Leya explore their own experiences with anxiety and talk about the importance of normalizing the discomfort anxiety brings. If you want to share your own experiences with anxiety and the strategies you utilize to help you cope, write in to our email counselingcenter@jcu.edu. Sharing our stories helps others feel seen and heard which is what we hope to accomplish with this podcast. If you want some resources to help you cope with your own anxiety, check out the websites below! 

TAO: https://us.taoconnect.org

Nod app: https://heynod.com/

Jessica, Christa and Leya explore how they've survived the pandemic thus far! They also explore some of their personal favorite self-care strategies and later, they debunk some myths about self care. They also talk about burnout, how it looks different for each person and how they overcome it. 

If you're interested in finding out what self-care strategies you can use, please see the link below: 

https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/self-care-assessment.pdf

As always, follow our social media pages on Instagram and Twitter @JCU_UCC to stay up to date with us. We'd love to hear what strategies you have used (if any), write to us at counselingcenter@jcu.edu and share how you take time to do self care. 

Welcome to Mental Health Minutes! Jessica, Christa and Leya introduce themselves and why they pursued counseling professionally and later, they discuss and debunk some common misconceptions related to counseling! We value student feedback so please reach out to us at counselingcenter@jcu.edu if you have a topic that you want us to talk about. Stay up to date with our episode release dates by following our Twitter and Instagram pages @JCU_UCC. You can also visit our website jcu.edu/counseling center where you will be able to Meet our Staff and peruse the various resources we offer at the Counseling Center. If you want self-help strategies, please utilize TAO, a self-care app that addresses topics ranging from anxiety, depression and general self care. Students merely need their JCU credentials to sign up! 

TAO: https://www.taoconnect.org/

Our website: https://jcu.edu/student-life/health-wellness-and-safety/ucc-university-counseling-center