From the Desk of Diversity
Northwestern's Diversity & Inclusion Newsletter
May 2014
- National Mental Health Month
- Did You Know?
- Topics in Diversity: Invisible Attributes and Differing Abilities
- Join our AIDS Walk Team
- La Clinica de la Mariposa
- Safe at Northwestern Training
- Girls in Action May Day "I Am" Luncheon
- Get Involved
- Apply for a Scholarship
- Learning & Training Opportunities
National Mental Health Month
May is National Mental Health Month. This year’s focus is on the importance of mental health to overall health and wellness, specifically focusing on the way our minds and bodies interact and influence each other. Mental Health America suggests some simple steps, when taken daily can help protect mental health and promote overall wellness: developing coping skills, maintaining healthy sleeping, exercising and eating behaviors, and establishing and maintaining emotional and social connections with friends, family, and community.
It is estimated that approximately 1 in 5 American adults (1) (nearly 44 million people) living in the United States experienced a diagnosable mental health disorder in the past year. Of these people, only 41 percent will receive services to assist them in the reduction of symptoms (2). Mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, sleep difficulties, and substance abuse are real, common and treatable with the possibility of full recovery.
People seek mental health services when daily problems make it hard to function during day-to-day life. According to Mental Health America, signs that you or a loved one may benefit from meeting with a mental health professional include but are not limited to: sleeping difficulties, confused thinking, extreme high and low feelings including anger or mood changes, difficulty coping, sadness, irritability, or depression, changes in eating habits, body weight, or substance use, and/or experiencing suicidal thoughts.
If you are struggling with one or more of the symptoms above, there are free mental health services available on campus. Current students are welcome to visit our counseling center for assistance. We can help with "relationships, worry or anxiety, depression, grief or loss, body image, motivation, stress, trauma, studying or life decisions" (3).
Additional information on counseling services available on campus can be found on the Student Affairs website.
Counseling appointments can be scheduled by calling the Student Affairs office:
Jodi Santerre
jsanterre@nwhealth.edu
952-885-5405
Download a free mind your health calendar here, which provides daily tips on ways to boost your mind and body.
Submitted by
Becky Lawyer, MA, LPC
Manager of Counseling and Disability Services
1 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings, NSDUH Series H-47, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 13-4805. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2013.
2 Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005 Jun;62(6):617-27.
3 NWHSU Personal Counseling Website. Available: http://www.nwhealth.edu/student-affairs/personal-counseling/. Accessed Friday, May 2, 2014.
Did You Know?
Topics in Diversity: Invisible Attributes and Differing Abilities
There are legal protections in place for many of these core aspects of personal identity. What we have systematically failed to do, however, is create an environment where we encourage inclusion with an expectation that we use inclusive language and refrain from ableist attitudes regarding disability whether visible or invisible. We have accommodation regulations for challenges to mobility and other mechanisms in place that increase the possibility for successful navigation of the world with physical limitations. Our society has been slow to acknowledge that the silent, emotional and mental challenges that people experience are equally relevant in our conversations on inclusion.
There is tremendous stigma attached to the differences that make humans unique if those differences are used as weaponry against someone's ability to live their life to its greatest, healthiest potential. These circumstances lead to secret keeping and an inability to seek supportive networks within families and communities. When we nurture inclusion of differing abilities, we offer people to the opportunity to shed light on stigma and empower them to have voice in the dialogue.
There is a visual representation of what diversity could be comprised of following this article. Please take a look and let us know about any that might have come as a surprise to you.
If you have not done so already, please consider taking the Dignity & Respect pledge. We have 451 mindful pledges to date and counting. And a big congrats to Kathy Allen, CAOM Associate Dean, who was our Winter 2014 Dignity & Respect Champion!
Thank you.
Submitted by Beau Foshee, wfoshee@nwhealth.edu
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://changesuk.net/contact/.
Learn about La Clinica de la Mairposa: May 19, Noon, L1
Do you like to travel? Would you like to immerse yourself in a new culture, while helping a community in need? Then Club Mariposa is for you!
Come to an informational meeting on Monday, May 19, 2014 AT NOON in room L1 to learn more about the clinical experience you could have in Costa Rica!
The next trip to Costa Rica is August 8-29. The application deadline for it is MAY 30, so this is your chance to learn what needs to be done by that date. This trip is available to students FROM ANY PROGRAM so come check it out!
Monday, May 19, 2014, 12:00 PM
Northwestern Health Sciences, West 84th Street, Bloomington, MN, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Safe at Northwestern Training: Ally I June 9 5:30-8:30 L3
Our next Safe at Northwestern Training: Ally I is on Monday, June 9 from 5:30-9:30 in L3. This is your opportunity to get the training you want!
Sponsored by Gender & Sexuality Alliance, Office of Diversity & Inclusion, and College of Undergraduate Health Sciences
Monday, Jun 9, 2014, 05:30 PM
Northwestern Health Sciences, West 84th Street, Bloomington, MN, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Safe at Northwestern Training: (Bi)Sexuality 101 and (Trans)Gender 101 July 14 5:30-9:30 L3
Safe at Northwestern is offering new training sessions!
There are two new Safe at Northwestern training sessions: (Bi)Sexuality 101 and (Trans)Gender 101, given by Minnesota GLBTA Campus Alliance. Both sessions are held back to back on Monday, July 14 5:30-7:30 and 7:30-9:30. No prior training necessary to attend. We will be learning together with the College of Undergraduate Health Sciences Sex & Gender and Sociology students.
Sponsored by Gender & Sexuality Alliance, Office of Diversity & Inclusion, and College of Undergraduate Health Sciences
Monday, Jul 14, 2014, 05:30 PM
Northwestern Health Sciences, West 84th Street, Bloomington, MN, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Girls in Action May Day "I Am" Luncheon
On May 1, Northwestern was graciously invited to a luncheon to support Girls in Action. Girls in Action is a weekly leadership program for girls to engage them in academics and reduce violence. Their curriculum is based on service learning, career building, personal power, and leadership development. These four core components are integrated into their daily school curriculum. Their partner schools are in Minneapolis but also extend into suburbs like Robbinsdale, Chaska, nationally as far as Detroit, MI, and internationally in Guatemala and China.
We were considered Gold Sponsors, which is the second from the top tier of sponsorship at this event. We sent the following attendees (pictured below) and with our sponsorship purchased two Girls In Action seats for girls who benefit from this program.
Our group was broken up into two smaller lunch groups and we shared lunch with two Girls in Action students. The lunch program included a number of speeches and videos from three Girls in Action alumnae, who attend universities like University of Northwestern and University of Minnesota. They credited Girls in Action for providing them the leg-up that they needed to reach their goals and achieve their dreams.
Everyone’s stories brought tears to our eyes and moved us so much. Getting involved with Girls in Action is fantastic an opportunity to help girls become successful women through education and now Northwestern is participating in this effort. Plans are in the works to invite Girls in Action students to include Northwestern in their tour of local universities. Please let the Office of Diversity & Inclusion know if you are interested in getting involved!
Get Involved with Diversity & Inclusion
- Join our MN AIDS Walk Team
- Take the Dignity & Respect pledge
- La Clinica de la Mariposa Application due May 30
- Next Safe at Northwestern Trainings: June 9 5:30-8:30 L3; July 14 5:30-9:30 L5
- Next Book Club: Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity Worldwide
- Join one of our cultural clubs.
- Want to write for From the Desk of Diversity? Book Club book suggestion? Engaging diversity activity idea? Contact Dr. Dashe at adashe@nwhealth.edu or Beau Foshee at wfoshee@nwhealth.edu
Learning & Training Opportunities
Office of Diversity & Inclusion
Email: diversity@nwhealth.edu
Website: http://nwhealth.edu/diversity/
Location: Northwestern Health Sciences, West 84th Street, Bloomington, MN, United States
Phone: 952-888-4777 235
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Northwestern-Diversity-Inclusion/678001138890536
Twitter: @NWHSU_Diversity
Senior Editor
Director, Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Assistant Professor, College of Undergraduate Health Sciences
Email: adashe@nwhealth.edu
Website: http://www.nwhealth.edu/undergraduate-studies/faculty-directory/estrindashealejandra/
Editor
Student, College of Chiropractic
Email: wfoshee@nwhealth.edu
Website: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/beau-foshee/a/58b/493