The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Student Health & Wellbeing Services

  • New Grant Spurs CAPS Growth

    New Grant Spurs CAPS Growth

    CAPS will provide 36 more appointments per day by next year

    On Jan. 9, the California State University Office of the Chancellor gave Counseling and Psychological Services a grant of $150,000 under the California Budget Act of 2019 to provide Humboldt State University students with more counseling services to combat mental health issues.

    Director of Counseling and Psychological Services and Associate Director of Student Health and Wellbeing Services Jennifer Sanford was closely involved in the acceptance of the grant.

    “I’m most excited about the pilot project to get innovative programs off the ground that’s focused on high-risk students,” Sanford said. “In developing this program we will be doing some specialized training that we’re doing research on now to launch next year.”

    “Mental health doesn’t get the recognition that it should. When you’re not mentally well, your body reacts to that. If you’re stressed out, you’re only going to make it worse. More people should pay attention to it.”

    Danele Quijas

    Lobby areas will be built to hold more students and allow for an increase in counseling appointments. The grant will also fund two new therapy offices in the Behavioral and Social Sciences building, which will allow therapists to extend their hours. More tables and chairs will be added to the waiting areas to eliminate standing-room-only appointments. Construction will begin this summer.

    The funds are expected to help students learn life skills, cope, regulate stress and manage moods. CAPS says improving these areas can improve class attendance, retention in school and promote graduation. With anti-stigma campaigning, CAPS hopes to make students feel comfortable talking about their problems.

    Danele Quijas, a 22-year-old biology major, said students don’t pay enough attention to their mental health.

    “Mental health doesn’t get the recognition that it should,” Quijas said. “When you’re not mentally well, your body reacts to that. If you’re stressed out, you’re only going to make it worse. More people should pay attention to it.”

    A pilot project of $25,000 was also accepted by CAPS and will allow the growth of an intensive treatment program for high-risk students with disabling and chronic mental health issues. This treatment plan will include individual and group therapy as well as the highly-researched dialectical behavior therapy. CAPS hopes to continue this growth by providing other California State Universities with the tools to rebuild their own programs to be as effective as possible.

    Casey Pederson, a senior majoring in business marketing, said HSU should do more to make resources clearly available to students.

    “In a case like this with mental health, there can never be too many resources—so I definitely think it would help,” Pederson said. “I also think a big issue about it is getting people to know. Like I said, I had no knowledge that this was happening, and the big thing with mental health is the lack of knowledge and getting help. And there are resources available.”

  • Tools for student wellbeing

    Tools for student wellbeing

    By | Charlotte Rutigliano

    After being in development for over a year, Executive Director of Student Health & Wellbeing Services Dr. Brian Mistler, Health Educator Ravin Craig, and a team of peer health educators have created an interactive online tool to guide students toward a healthier lifestyle and habits as well as campus support services.

    Mistler said that the interactive wellbeing map is to help students make connections, find a community and start building a healthier lifestyle at Humboldt State.

    “Health is not a linear process, there is no start or end on our journey to build positive relationships with our body and community,” Mistler said.

    According to Mistler, the team intentionally designed the introductory quiz to target the primary health and wellbeing-related obstacles in a way that was approachable and helpful to students from top to bottom.

    “The BuzzFeed-style quiz is an easy entry point that most students are comfortable with,” Mistler said.

    The wellbeing map is broken down into nine different topic areas; health and identity, physical health, sexual health and consent, adulting skills, alcohol and other drugs, mental health, health and wellbeing services 101, relationships and belonging, and food, nutrition, and housing.

    According to Mistler, the modules focus on frequently identified health concerns, such as a sense of belonging, sexual health, friendships and romantic relationships, nutrition and food, trouble relaxing, financial wellness and much more.

    “Each topic area is a map to get students connected to the resources they need to be successful at HSU, though it isn’t designed to list all of the student support services on campus,” Mistler said.

    Students can access the online tool by visiting wellbeing.humboldt.edu