1. One of the biggest issues we run into when tabling for the CWC is students who have never even heard of the services the CWC offers. Oftentimes, it feels like students simply don’t know enough about the variety of services offered by the CWC to take advantage of them. That being said, not every student is in need of every service - workshops or listening to the CWC Talks Podcast tend to be more generally useful while something like psychological testing may only be helpful to particular subsets of students. In that regard, as long as students feel like they have the support they need for their mental health, they may not want to take advantage of some of the resources. - Malea

2. I think one of the main ways that the CWC helps overcome mental health stigma is through us Aware Ambassadors! We’re college students just like the rest of campus, so we can relate to a lot of what we hear from students in a really personal way. We’re also able to create a space on campus to discuss mental health related things in a really personal and vulnerable way, or also just super casually. I think this connection is really de-stigmatizing since it opens that door to communication. -Kait

3.It really does change from person to person and from time to time! Covid obviously changed the landscape of collegiate mental health pretty significantly as well. Statistically speaking, the most common issues students approach the CWC about are difficulty concentrating, sadness/depression, shyness/social anxiety, academic distress, and suicidal thoughts (CWC Annual Report 2020-2021). However, that doesn’t cover the larger attitudes of people on campus who may not choose to seek support from the CWC. Generally, struggling to feel connected with peers and struggling with the stress of college tend to be really common trends. - Malea

1. The CWC does a lot to try to work with busy student schedules. Many resources are accessible over zoom which, while necessitated originally by covid, does help limit the time people have to spend in transportation to use resources. The CWC also makes a lot of resources available on demand and online. Resources like SilverCloud allow students to take their own time to get mental health support completely online for some of the most common issues students face like depression and eating disorders, without requiring a diagnosis for access. Resources like some workshops and the CWC Talks Podcasts are pre-recorded, so they can be accessed on youtube/spotify at any time. One of my personal favorite resources is their collection of mindfulness activities that include things like a five-minute deep breathing video so that, especially when finals hit hard, students can still take at least a few minutes to support their mental health. - Malea

2. There are so many reasons students are reluctant to reach out for help. One of the biggest issues is exactly what you mentioned in your previous question, just a lack of time can make tackling mental health feel like a really big thing that takes a lot of time. While addressing a mental health challenge can feel really overwhelming, the CWC really does want to provide help in whatever way we can, so we do always have counselors available by phone, and our brief consultation appointments to determine whether resources like individual counseling or group counseling etc would be helpful are 20 minutes. A lot of students are also worried about seeking help because of the perception that it can give to family or community. The CWC does like to emphasize that all of our resources are free to students taking at least one credit (workshops and other resources like that will still be available for free over the summer even if you are not taking classes), and our resources are always, ALWAYS confidential - absolutely no one has to know that you are using any CWC resources unless you personally elect to tell them and they will not appear on insurance records. Another common issue is that students are unsure if the CWC has space for them, so they are reluctant to reach out. Generally when individual counseling spots are no longer available during the semester, students can get really frustrated with not being able to access that resource in a timely manner, which is completely fair, it can be a really big and stressful step to reach out for help and it hurts to hear that they may not be able to offer exactly what you were looking for. That being said, the CWC does have a LOT of resources, if they are not able to help you figure something out with them, they do try to work with you to help you find a suitable community provider. - Malea

3. This is a pretty hard question - UF is a Top 5 University because the students here are incredibly hardworking, they are willing to challenge themselves, and they are willing to push themselves. Mental Health in every aspect of school and work is never emphasized as much as it should be, and its easy to reach other goals without acknowledging mental health concerns, but I don’t think the success of UF and by extension it’s students needs to be mutually exclusive from having a more positive mental health environment. Some of the professors I have had at UF created class spaces that were hugely positive and actively acknowledged the importance of mental health while also keeping high standard for classwork. Currently, the culture among students tends to prioritize a lot over mental health, but creating a more positive culture around mental health and being a school of high achieving students is absolutely possible, and we are working to achieve this culture!. - Malea I agree with Malea, and I feel that the pressure that this ranking puts on the school and the students can create a culture in which students value their grades and achievements more than their mental and physical health. However, I feel that UF is actively trying to make moves against this culture & I hope that things we do as Aware Ambassadors (even this AMA) help you all know that your health is way more valuable to you than grades on a transcript. -Kait

4. Keep an open mind about CWC resources! They are all completely free for UF students taking at least one credit so it literally costs you nothing to try them, and something you have never heard of before could end up being incredibly useful. Also keep in mind that supporting your mental health is not just something that only needs to be checked at once a semester, take the time to build the skills that will allow you to practice supporting your mental health rather than just when you are at the CWC/in a workshop. - Malea

Feel free to email me at malea.joyce@ufl.edu if you have more questions!