MENTAL HEALTH FAIR
Today, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bruin Plaza
There will be a mental health resource fair today in Bruin Plaza
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
A plethora of campus organizations will offer information about
the mental health resources available for students on campus
including the Student Psychological Center, the UCLA Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center; and the UCLA Center for
Women & Men.
The fair was prompted in part by a report on student
psychological welfare commissioned by the UC Board of Regents. It
outlined deficiencies in the resources available to a generation of
students facing more stress than ever before.
“Students now are under greater stress than they have
been,” said Tina Oakland, director of the Center for Women
& Men. “It is competitive to get into school, and for
many this is the first time students will be living away from
home.”
Unlike other psychological services available on campus, the
Center for Women & Men is geared toward helping students in the
short-term with communication and relationship problems, Oakland
said.
Also present at the fair will be the UCLA Office of Students
with Disabilities, which helps students cope with both physical and
mental maladies, said Kathy Molini, director of OSD.
“We certainly like to get the word out, especially at this
part of the year when we have freshmen who are new to the
university,” Molini said.
Other campus organizations that will be present the fair include
the John Wooden Center, the Student Health Advisory Committee and
the Office of Residential Life.
There will also be stress-relieving activities such as popping
balloons and bubble wrap, said Joline Price, an Undergraduate
Students Association Council general representative.
“The purpose of this event is to promote awareness about
what resources are available to them in regard to getting
healthy,” Price added.
Price said that there is a certain stigma attached to discussing
mental health and she would like to see that change. “(People
think) it’s something you shouldn’t really talk about,
(you should) deal with it yourself,” Price said. “I
encourage people to come and check (the fair) out.”
With reports from Shauntel Lowe, Bruin senior
staff.