News
By Joey Tracht | Newsreporter
This fall, the Office of Health and Wellbeing, in collaboration with the Counseling Office and student clubs, hosted a series of events to promote students’ mental health and physical wellbeing: from sexual health and mental health awareness, to flu vaccines, breast cancer awareness, and HIV-self-testing.
Led by Camilla Alessi, the Assistant Director of the Office of Health and Wellbeing and Valentina Rizzo Ocariz, the Health and Wellbeing Assistant, most of these initiatives consisted of tabling events in Frohring Campus’ lobby. “Pop-up” tables were set up with resources and information in the form of brochures, flyers, pins, treats, and opportunities to chat with experts.
According to Alessi, the pop-up tabling strategy attracts more students than advertising events in advance, which tends to result in lower attendance.
In addition to the stress students undergo during the midterms period, some said that during this year’s U.S. elections, they often felt anxious and distracted during the day and would not be able to sleep well.
“With the election, especially in the last week, I have definitely noticed a much heavier atmosphere on campus… it was devastating,” said Delmonico.
JCU provides a guide of how to register to vote while abroad.
“After the elections, I felt anxious about being far away from my family in the US,” said Alejandra Cuellar Ruiz, a degree-seeking first year.
Research indicates that students studying abroad can experience challenges that can impact their mental health, from culture shock, homesickness, and language barriers.
“In the beginning, it was a rush of adrenaline […] I wasn’t feeling homesick at first,” said Emma Catherine, a first-year student studying abroad from Northeastern. She said that the first month was a “high”, and beyond then, when she began to fully settle in and adjust, was a “crash” and she began to feel homesick.
JCU’s blog has more information for visiting students on how to support their mental health while abroad.
This fall, 795 students at John Cabot are studying abroad out of a total of 1,830 students registered.
“We are very careful when it comes to mental health,” said Meucci. “On top of everything else that students normally go through, our [study abroad] population has the adjustment of living abroad, which at times can make things a bit more challenging.”
FALL EVENTS FROM SEPTEMBER TO DECEMBER
Sexual Health Awareness and Consent
During Orientation Week on Sept. 2, the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) collaborated with Alessi and Rizzo Ocariz to inform students of healthy practices on consent.
President of the WLI Bronte Delmonico, said that she hoped the workshop would become a mandatory event in the future to educate as many students as possible.
“With events that happen during the beginning of the semester, it can be hard to circulate [them],” said Delmonico.
On Sept. 17, the Clubs Fair’s Day, trainee expert in relationships & sex education and wellbeing, Vicky Walsh, joined the Sexual Health Awareness tabling event.
Walsh has visited John Cabot in previous years, and at this visit, she provided interactive activities educating students on sexual health topics and additional resources.
Healthy October and Wellness Ambassadors
A special tabling event took place on Oct. 10 for Mental Health Day, followed by a Flu Shot Campaign on Oct. 22, Oct. 25, and Oct. 29.
A new initiative to be implemented in Spring, Wellness Ambassadors, was also promoted with brochures across campuses.
According to Alessi, the Wellness Ambassadors is a peer education program that aims to improve students’ health, educate students to make informed decisions about their health.
Other students can help their peers be more involved and promote a sense of comfort and solidarity, says Alessi.
Men’s Health and Awareness
Research indicate that societal pressures and expectations may dissuade men from reaching out for mental health support and even encourage them to stay silent.
On Nov. 7, a tabling event was held on men’s health, which emphasized critical health disparities affecting men, such as reduced life expectancy, lower preventative healthcare visits, and higher suicide rates.
“A lot of my guy friends don’t really reach out even when they need help,” said a first-year male student studying abroad from Tulane, who preferred to comment in anonymity. “And I don’t know how to make them.”
Gender Violence- “Speak Up for You and Me” Roundtable
On Nov. 20, Alessia and Rizzo Ocariz, hosted the event, “Speak Up for You and Me,” a roundtable discussion focused on bystander intervention, domestic violence, abusive relationships, and assault. The discussion was led by Walsh, Alessi, and various student leaders.
Resources included a RAINN handbook (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) and an informative handout on abusive relationships and how to help in various situations.
World AIDS Day December
On Nov. 26 and Dec. 3, in collaboration with the Queer Alliance club, Alessi and Rizzo Ocariz hosted a tabling event to hand out free HIV self-testing kits, and event marked World AIDS Day Dec. 1.
Resources regarding sexually transmitted diseases were available, and the on-campus doctor, Dr. Andrea Guerriero, was also available to assist students.
According to Alessi, the events hosted aim to support every student population within JCU’s community including transgender men.
COUNSELING SERVICES
The Counseling Office provides both short-term mental health counseling and psychiatric services. According to Dr. Carolina Meucci, Head of the Counseling Office, the number of students requesting counseling services this fall had a stable pattern.
“This generation is more aware of mental health and self-care which is great,” she said.
Usually, a high amount of students requesting counseling meeting is apparent from the first week(s) of orientation to midterms. After midterms, there is typically a steady decline until the end of the school year, according to Meucci.
Students can receive three to four sessions each to receive support, discuss and understand what students’ needs are. Sessions may be renewed if needed; otherwise, students are referred to practitioners off campus.
The Counseling Office holds networking events every two years to meet practitioners who can provide a variety of services with students face-to-face.
Meucci says that when students are “referred out,” the Counseling staff are “careful” to find an appropriate match between the student’s needs and the practitioners.
“There is a wide network of work we do,” said Meucci. “If students need more support, more accommodations, we liaison with the therapist.” When students visit practitioners off campus, “we’re always in touch if needed,” she said.
Students can reach external counselors by contacting the Counseling Office or the Office of Health and Wellbeing, as the two offices are in close collaboration.
Feature image: Valentina Rizzo Ocariz of the Office of Health and Wellbeing at the Mental Health Day tabling event on Oct. 10. Credit: Joey Tracht
Health & Wellbeing Contacts
Gianicolo Residence, Scala C – Vicolo della Penitenza, 26
Camilla Alessi: camilla.alessi@johncabot.edu
Carolina Meucci: cmeucci@johncabot.edu
Health and Wellbeing Office in person at health@johncabot.edu or online
Counseling Office: counseling@johncabot.edu or online
Follow the JCU Student Life Instagram Account to see advertising for any future events.
Med in Action– provides on-demand, English-speaking medical services online and in person at +39 375-572-4686
An article by NHS, a publicly funded healthcare system in England provides many tips and resources on how to manage university stress
An article by IDP, a global leader in international education services, provides guidelines on how to manage stress while studying abroad, and how to adjust to the international environment.
thematthewrome.com 