Creighton University is recognized as Chapter of the Month for outstanding advocacy work promoting mental health accessibility and awareness on campus. Their efforts range from text-based booking for counseling appointments to hosting lectures and events about approaching mental health holistically. Creighton University’s dedication to breaking down barriers and making mental health care easier to access is aspirational. Learn more about Active Minds at Creighton U through the Q&A below!
Tell Us About Your Chapter & School
Creighton is a university that is very focused on community and service. Not only has this been very influential on our chapter, but it has also bolstered our ability to make meaningful programs. We prioritize meaningful conversations over guest speaker lectures focusing on topics like men and mental health. Additionally, we have participated in the Stress Less Week® and most recently attended the national Active Minds conference this past summer where we won the Cutting Edge Advocacy award.
Why is mental health important to your chapter and school?
As a Jesuit school, we talk about the Jesuit values within many of our classes and these values help shape our school. One of the Jesuit values is Cura Personalis, which means caring for the whole person. Part of caring for the whole person includes caring about people’s mental health. Our chapter knows how much mental health influences student’s lives everyday and how important it is to be able to talk about mental health. We all know someone who has faced mental health challenges, being open and vulnerable about your own is the best way to start conversations about it. By learning how to offer better support, we can become more compassionate friends.
Are there any goals that your chapter is working towards?
We are working to advocate for students in two ways. First, we are working with the counseling center to introduce an alternative to phone calls for scheduling counseling appointments. Currently, our Student Counseling Center only allows appointment scheduling by phone. We believe this holds a lot of students back from asking for help due to phone anxiety and other factors. Our chapter is advocating for a friendlier way to schedule counseling appointments in our Student Counseling Center such as by texting, emailing, or online scheduling. We are still in the process of advocating for this, but we hope that this barrier will be broken soon. Second, we are trying to make the process of receiving an emotional support animal more accessible. It can be difficult and confusing to understand the expectations and rules. Our goal is to decrease the unknowns and help students who think that they may benefit from an ESA.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about joining or starting a chapter?
To someone thinking about joining an Active Minds chapter, I would say to show up and see what Active Minds is all about. What Active Minds stands for is incredibly important and affects everybody. We all have more to learn about mental health and supporting others. To someone thinking about starting a chapter, I would say to go for it! As a part of Active Minds, you realize how many people care about mental health and are interested in being part of changing the conversation. Starting a chapter could change someone’s life, including your own.
