On Thursday, Oct. 10, which is World Mental Health Day, UFV Counselling Services held an outreach and awareness event in the Alumni Hall of Building B on the Abbotsford campus as part of the Here to Help “Beyond the Blues” mental health screening days. The centrepiece of the event was a mental health screening activity open to any students wanting to participate.
A row of laptops sat to one side of the room for students to take the first part of the screening, which consisted of an online questionnaire divided into several categories, including personal details, general mental well-being, depression, mood disorder, anxiety, and alcohol use. Most sections were optional. The screening questionnaire was provided by the Here to Help organization, which helps provide assistance and information for those dealing with issues of mental health or substance abuse. The questionnaire can be taken online at heretohelp.bc.ca.
After completing the questionnaire, a university counsellor went over the results with the respondent in their office nearby. The interview typically lasted about 10 to 15 minutes. Results were confidential between the student and counsellor, except for certain cases involving high risk of harm.
Counsellors cautioned that the results were not a formal diagnosis, but merely indicated conditions one might be dealing with. Students with a likelihood of having one of the issues that the test screens for were encouraged to follow up with a healthcare professional, and the counsellors could provide assistance in doing so. In addition, links to community mental health services, such as FoundryBC and the Abbotsford and Chilliwack Youth Health Centres, were provided. Students also had the opportunity at this time to set up appointments with UFV’s own counsellors.
Events like Beyond the Blues are encouraged by the Canada Mental Health (CMH) Association at university campuses across the country, according to Carolyn Heppner, a UFV counsellor who was conducting interviews at the event. She said that events like these have been held at UFV for as long as she has been working here, which has been over 10 years. Results from these screenings help CMH update its services based on apparent demand, according to Heppner.
In addition to the screenings, there were pamphlets, Timbits, and other freebies such as pens on offer. There were also three Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS) therapy dogs named Gelato, Haiku, and Mudge.
Image: Aleister Gwynne
