Mental Health Month
May is Mental Health Month, an annual national awareness month that focuses attention on the importance of caring for our mental well-being, reducing stigma around mental health issues, and promoting seeking help. This year's theme at Western is “Look Around, Look Within—Find Your Resilience.”
At Western we believe mental health IS health, and throughout the month of May, the Counseling and Wellness Center will be offering live and virtual workshops and events around mental health. We hope you will join us! Please check back frequently for more updates on events, and follow us on Instagram.
You are not alone. Reach out for help:
WWU Counseling and Wellness Center
360-650-3164, select option 1 for after-hours support
Crisis Text Line
Text HOME to 741741
988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Dial 988
More Resources
Native Connections: Stories of Indigenous Resilience
Join WWU's Office for Student Resilience, Northwest Indian College's Center for Health, and Children of the Setting Sun Productions on Friday, April 28 for a night of film screenings, mental health promotion, and traditional dinner as we kick off Mental Health Awareness Month at WWU.
The event will feature screenings of Lakota by award-winning filmmaker Kyle Bell and Native Transformations in the Pacific Northwest.
A traditional salmon dinner will be served to those who register (while supplies last). Space is limited so please visit the event on WIN to learn more and register!
Trans Tea
LGBTQ+ Western provides support and connection to resources, programming, and a website full of information. Their Trans Tea program, which happens the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 4 PM, is a safe space to gather, share, and socialize!
Western WellFest!
Take a break, learn about resources for wellbeing at Western, and have some fun at the first annual Western WellFest!
Activities are happening on Flag Plaza, Comm Lawn, Campus Rec Center, and the Arb, including FREE food, lawn games, exercise classes, guided walks and MUCH MORE! For a full list of activities and more details, check out the event on WIN.
To request disability accommodations, email cwc@wwu.edu. AA/EO.
QTPOC Check-in
Join us every Thursday, 3-4 PM in VU 735, for a weekly QTPOC check-in! This is a drop-in space for queer and trans students of color to find support through social connection, co-hosted by LGBTQ+ Western and the Counseling and Wellness Center.
DIY Wellness in the Makerspace!
Stop by Engineering Technology 251 on May 8, 5:30-7 PM, for DIY Wellness in the Makerspace! The Makerspace crew is teaming up with Wellness Advocates from the Counseling and Wellness Center to throw this fun event for everyone of all skills and abilities.
Come sew and decorate your own tote bags and pencil pouches, make your own buttons, and engrave your own cute coffee mugs. All of these materials will be provided for students as well as snacks and drinks.
Coffee + Consent
Come learn about consent with Wellness Advocates from the Counseling and Wellness Center! We'll talk about how to work with our partners to create physical and sexual experiences that feel great for everyone, including figuring out what they like, what their boundaries are, and how to communicate desires and preferences.
Growing Wellness
Join the Counseling and Wellness Center and the Outback Farm for the last Growing Wellness workshop of the quarter! This hands-on workshop series offers nature-based experiential strategies and a space to connect with nature for wellbeing.
The theme of this workshop is "Growing from Muck." Like worms in a compost pile, we can transform and benefit from life’s hard things! Join us at the Outback compost pile to learn how through experiential practice and dialogue.
This workshop will take place outside, so plan accordingly for the weather. Learn more on our WIN event.
QTPOC Check-in
Join us every Thursday, 3-4 PM in VU 735, for a weekly QTPOC check-in! This is a drop-in space for queer and trans students of color to find support through social connection, co-hosted by LGBTQ+ Western and the Counseling and Wellness Center.
NASU Chill & Spill
Drop in every Friday (no meeting May 5) for a safe place for Indigenous students to share and discuss life’s many challenges and joys. Our talking circle is facilitated by Kelley Crane, Native American and Indigenous Student Support Specialist with the Counseling and Wellness Center. Snacks provided! For questions and disability accommodations, email Kelley.
Outdoor Wellness Extravaganza
Join the staff from Counseling and Wellness Center and Trip Leaders from the Outdoor Center for a spring Saturday at Lakewood designed to help you feel good and connect with nature!
Come explore kayaking, canoeing, paddling boarding and a host of other on water activities with our trained staff. Want something more mellow? Enjoy our crafting cabin and tie dye station while you kick back, eat free food from our food trucks and listen to some music.
Learn more and RSVP on the WIN event. RSVPing is recommended but not required to attend this event—it helps us plan all the epic activities for the day.
Trans Tea
LGBTQ+ Western provides support and connection to resources, programming, and a website full of information. Their Trans Tea program, which happens the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 4 PM, is a safe space to gather, share, and socialize!
LEARN Suicide Prevention Training
This training for students, faculty, and staff will educate participants on how to recognize when someone may be at risk for suicide and how to connect them with immediate help, with a unique focus on means safety. LEARN is an acronym for the topics covered: Look for signs, Empathize and listen, Ask directly, Remove the dangers, Next steps.
The LEARN® suicide prevention was created by the Forefront Suicide Prevention Center at University of Washington.
QTPOC Check-in
Join us every Thursday, 3-4 PM in VU 735, for a weekly QTPOC check-in! This is a drop-in space for queer and trans students of color to find support through social connection, co-hosted by LGBTQ+ Western and the Counseling and Wellness Center.
NASU Chill & Spill
Drop in every Friday (no meeting May 5) for a safe place for Indigenous students to share and discuss life’s many challenges and joys. Our talking circle is facilitated by Kelley Crane, Native American and Indigenous Student Support Specialist with the Counseling and Wellness Center. Snacks provided! For questions and disability accommodations, email Kelley.
LEARN Suicide Prevention Training
This training for students, faculty, and staff will educate participants on how to recognize when someone may be at risk for suicide and how to connect them with immediate help, with a unique focus on means safety. LEARN is an acronym for the topics covered: Look for signs, Empathize and listen, Ask directly, Remove the dangers, Next steps.
The LEARN® suicide prevention was created by the Forefront Suicide Prevention Center at University of Washington.
QTPOC Check-in
Join us every Thursday, 3-4 PM in VU 735, for a weekly QTPOC check-in! This is a drop-in space for queer and trans students of color to find support through social connection, co-hosted by LGBTQ+ Western and the Counseling and Wellness Center.
NASU Chill & Spill
Drop in every Friday (no meeting May 5) for a safe place for Indigenous students to share and discuss life’s many challenges and joys. Our talking circle is facilitated by Kelley Crane, Native American and Indigenous Student Support Specialist with the Counseling and Wellness Center. Snacks provided! For questions and disability accommodations, email Kelley.
Trans Tea
LGBTQ+ Western provides support and connection to resources, programming, and a website full of information. Their Trans Tea program, which happens the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 4 PM, is a safe space to gather, share, and socialize!
Show your support for Mental Health Month by displaying one of our Zoom backgrounds for all your virtual meetings during May!
