U of S Mental Health Awareness Week experts and story ideas
It's Mental Health Awareness Week on campus and students are being encouraged to show their brain some love by taking part in awareness week activities. The week is put on by the University of Saskatchewan Students' Union (USSU) and the University of Saskatchewan.
By Jennifer Thoma
The benefits of meditation
Name: Vicki Herman, registered psychologist and Student Counselling Services outreach co-ordinator
Area of expertise: Herman has been studying and practicing meditation for six years and recently started offering meditation classes for U of S students. This year students have been interested in learning about meditation more than ever before and Herman has a few guesses why that might be.
Contact information: 306-966-4920 (ask to speak with Vicki)
Youth mental health
Name: Jack Saddleback, vice-president student affairs, USSU
Area of expertise: Saddleback has been on the Mental Health Commission of Canada's youth council for the past three years, helping to create national policy on youth mental health. He has also been named one of five Faces of Mental Illness for the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health's national anti-stigma campaign.
Contact information: 306-966-6970, vpstudentaffairs@ussu.ca
Mental health expert
Name:Â Sara Liebman, doctoral clinical psychologist and occupational therapist in the Disability Services for Students Office
Area of expertise: After several decades working with young adults and their families as well as with hospitalized adults in psychiatry, Liebman can answer most mental-health related questions.
Contact information: 306-966-1279, sara.liebman@usask.ca
Students educating students about mental health
Name:Â Rita Hanoski, health educator and promoter, Student Health Services
Area of expertise: Hanoski manages the Peer Health Mentors,a group of student volunteers who help promote healthy living (sub-groups include: mental health and wellbeing, sexual health and intimate relationships, nutrition and fitness, alcohol and partying, and healthy relationships and sexual assault awareness.)
Contact information: 306-966-5768, rita.hanoski@usask.ca
Student counselling services on university campuses
Name: Terrie Fitzpatrick, manager, Student Counselling Services
Area of expertise: Fitzpatrick can talk about the role of Student Counselling Services, if mental-health related visits have gone up or down over the last five years (estimating), what a counsellor might tell a student who is feeling overwhelmed or finding it hard to cope.
Contact information: 306-261-1406 (Fitzpatrick is available by phone only)
Accommodating students with disabilities
Name: Maxine Kinakin, manager and assistant registrar (accommodation), Disability Services for Students Office
Area of expertise: The majority of students registered with the Disability Services for Students office are students with hidden or invisible disabilities—with a large percentage of those having mental-health diagnosis, according to Kinakin. She can speak to the duty the university has to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.
Contact information: 306-966-5673, maxine.kinakin@usask.ca
Addictions and mental health
Name: Dr. Peter R. Butt, associate professor, Department of Family Medicine
Area of expertise: Dr. Butt's work focuses on addictions and he serves as a consultant to the Saskatoon Health Region. He is an expert in national low-risk drinking guidelines; national alcohol strategy; opiate addiction; methadone and suboxone therapy; IV drug use; illicit drug abuse and ; prescription drug abuse. Substance use disorders (more commonly referred to as substance misuse, abuse or addiction) are a brain disorder or disease. They are considered mental illnesses and diagnosed using the psychiatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria.
Contact information: 306-655-0452, peter.butt@usask.ca
-30-
To arrange an interview about Mental Health Awareness Week, contact:
Meghan Sired
Communications Co-ordinator
University of Saskatchewan
306-966-6068
meghan.sired@usask.ca
It's Mental Health Awareness Week on campus and students are being encouraged to show their brain some love by taking part in awareness week activities. The week is put on by the University of Saskatchewan Students' Union (USSU) and the University of Saskatchewan.
Name: Vicki Herman, registered psychologist and Student Counselling Services outreach co-ordinator
Area of expertise: Herman has been studying and practicing meditation for six years and recently started offering meditation classes for U of S students. This year students have been interested in learning about meditation more than ever before and Herman has a few guesses why that might be.
Contact information: 306-966-4920 (ask to speak with Vicki)
Youth mental health
Name: Jack Saddleback, vice-president student affairs, USSU
Area of expertise: Saddleback has been on the Mental Health Commission of Canada's youth council for the past three years, helping to create national policy on youth mental health. He has also been named one of five Faces of Mental Illness for the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health's national anti-stigma campaign.
Contact information: 306-966-6970, vpstudentaffairs@ussu.ca
Mental health expert
Name:Â Sara Liebman, doctoral clinical psychologist and occupational therapist in the Disability Services for Students Office
Area of expertise: After several decades working with young adults and their families as well as with hospitalized adults in psychiatry, Liebman can answer most mental-health related questions.
Contact information: 306-966-1279, sara.liebman@usask.ca
Students educating students about mental health
Name:Â Rita Hanoski, health educator and promoter, Student Health Services
Area of expertise: Hanoski manages the Peer Health Mentors,a group of student volunteers who help promote healthy living (sub-groups include: mental health and wellbeing, sexual health and intimate relationships, nutrition and fitness, alcohol and partying, and healthy relationships and sexual assault awareness.)
Contact information: 306-966-5768, rita.hanoski@usask.ca
Student counselling services on university campuses
Name: Terrie Fitzpatrick, manager, Student Counselling Services
Area of expertise: Fitzpatrick can talk about the role of Student Counselling Services, if mental-health related visits have gone up or down over the last five years (estimating), what a counsellor might tell a student who is feeling overwhelmed or finding it hard to cope.
Contact information: 306-261-1406 (Fitzpatrick is available by phone only)
Accommodating students with disabilities
Name: Maxine Kinakin, manager and assistant registrar (accommodation), Disability Services for Students Office
Area of expertise: The majority of students registered with the Disability Services for Students office are students with hidden or invisible disabilities—with a large percentage of those having mental-health diagnosis, according to Kinakin. She can speak to the duty the university has to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.
Contact information: 306-966-5673, maxine.kinakin@usask.ca
Addictions and mental health
Name: Dr. Peter R. Butt, associate professor, Department of Family Medicine
Area of expertise: Dr. Butt's work focuses on addictions and he serves as a consultant to the Saskatoon Health Region. He is an expert in national low-risk drinking guidelines; national alcohol strategy; opiate addiction; methadone and suboxone therapy; IV drug use; illicit drug abuse and ; prescription drug abuse. Substance use disorders (more commonly referred to as substance misuse, abuse or addiction) are a brain disorder or disease. They are considered mental illnesses and diagnosed using the psychiatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria.
Contact information: 306-655-0452, peter.butt@usask.ca
-30-
To arrange an interview about Mental Health Awareness Week, contact:
Meghan Sired
Communications Co-ordinator
University of Saskatchewan
306-966-6068
meghan.sired@usask.ca
It's Mental Health Awareness Week on campus and students are being encouraged to show their brain some love by taking part in awareness week activities. The week is put on by the University of Saskatchewan Students' Union (USSU) and the University of Saskatchewan.