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Inclusive Reads & Conversations with UWGB Libraries

Find information about this month's speaker and reading.

Speaker

Kris Vespia

March
29
12:00 PM- 1:00 PM
Wednesday

Kris Vespia is the Director of CATL. She is a strong advocate for evidence-based pedagogies, the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), and equity-minded and inclusive teaching practices. She is also a Professor of Psychology and a counseling psychologist with an M.S. in Counseling (UW-Madison) and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology (U of Iowa). In that role she has taught classes related to psychopathology, psychotherapy, and cultural diversity and published work related to teaching and learning, college student mental health, the intersection of culture and mental health, and career development.

 

College Campus Mental Health

Conversations about college student mental health often center around the impact of the pandemic and the “crisis” it created. Although there is no doubt that COVID-19 and all that came along with it exacerbated issues, college student mental health concerns had reached critical levels prior to that. Rates of mental illness and suicidal ideation increased dramatically in the last decade. Demand for services also increased, but it remains true that the majority of people with a diagnosable condition do not seek treatment, likely at least in part due to stigma. Join a discussion about college student mental health, the potential impact on academics and work, and the implications for staff and faculty.

Discussion Questions

  • The World Health Organization (2021) lists depression as “a leading cause of disability worldwide” and a “major contributor to the overall global burden of disease” (para. 1). Societally, we often stigmatize mental health conditions and treatment far more than physical disorders. Why, and what might we do to change that?
  • In the Abrams (2022) reading faculty and staff are referred to as the “first line of defense” when it comes to identifying and referring students in distress. The author notes that training for this role is important, as is being clear about expectations. Do you see these trends of students turning to instructors or supervisors at UW-Green Bay? If so, what are we doing well, and what could we be doing better to clarify expectations of employees and provide education and support?
  • The Abrams’ (2022) article also suggests a number of interventions outside of traditional counseling, including infusion of relevant content into academic courses, peer support groups, and wellness apps. What are your reactions to these ideas, and/or do you have other recommendations that could have a broad impact?
  • The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young Professionals (2023) reports that 39% of their respondents felt their university “did not help them develop skills to prepare them for the emotional or behavioral impact of the transition to the workplace” (p. 5). As you looked at the report as a whole, what clues did it provide about what might be behind that perception? Are there things colleges can and/or should be doing differently to prepare students?

Sign-Up for the Discussion Here

Accommodations

If you need an accommodation to attend this event, please contact Sarah Bakken at bakkens@uwgb.edu or 920-465-2666. All accommodation requests should be made no less than two weeks before the event. We will attempt to fulfill requests made after this date, but cannot guarantee they will be met

Additional Resources