4 Mental Health Resources for Students
As you all know, we are currently living among a global pandemic. What that also means is that many more of us are struggling with our mental health. To anyone that is struggling or is feeling a lack of motivation, it is okay to feel that way. Everyone is going through different challenges, and whether we are stuck at home or living life back to our “normal” routine, it is important to take care of our mental well-being. I think the most important thing about mental health resources is that they are accessible and more importantly, free. I thought I would share with you some of the mental health resources I discovered at Ryerson. The reality is that many students are unaware of these great resources, it can also be intimidating to make use of them, but once you try them it might end up helping!
1. Counselling Support
The Centre for Student Development and Counselling (CDSC) offers counselling support services that are provided with a team of psychotherapists, psychologists, social workers and more. The service is open to all full-time and part-time Ryerson students, and a breakdown of the different services that the CDSC counselling support offers can be found on their (PDF file) website. Counselling support is a great way to build and develop strategies for day-to-day problems. It can also help with building strategies and skills that are related to professional development, personal and educational goal setting and more.
2. ThriveRU
The next mental health resource is ThriveRU. Personally, this is my favourite, and I discovered it through my Journalism professor, who shared ThriveRu booklets weekly with students. If you are not a fan of discussing anything with someone but would rather have quick, easy-to-read information through the use of workbooks, informational lists and more, this is perfect. ThriveRU focuses on supporting students to teach students skills that are related to building resilience while thriving both academically and personally.
3. The Student Health Assistance and Resilience Peer Program (SHARPP)
Another service is SHARPP, which was created by Ryerson students. The program is a peer-to-peer support program that was created by students for students. The purpose of this program is to build on strategies and develop skills that will help maintain one’s physical health and mental well-being. SHARPP allows for unlimited amounts of virtual meetings where personal wellness plans can be developed to help students integrate positive changes including healthy eating, managing well-being during exams and more. I would suggest this program to anyone that desires human connection, but is not looking to connect with a professional.
4. Consent Comes First (CCF)
Lastly, I have another important resource to share. CCF is for Ryerson community members who have been affected by sexual violence.The support services are for those who have directly been impacted and those that surround them such as a friend who also may need support.
Checking the Get Support page, you can explore the different services directed to your needs and more information in regards to confidentiality and more. The goal of the CCF is to foster a community where consent comes first.
Here are a few simple ways to connect with CCF:
- Sign up for the bi-weekly self-care newsletter, We Believe You (external link) , to engage in community learning
- Follow Consent Comes First on Instagram (external link) and join one of their Instagram Live events
Hopefully, these resources are beneficial and even if you don’t plan on using them, it’s nice to know they exist and you could even tell a friend about them. If you see a resource here that you are open to using, do it. These resources are here for students and I recommend checking out the links and doing a deeper dive to explore more of the resources. You can also check out our TikTok (external link) where I share a few mental health resources at Ryerson.