Note: This message was sent to campus April 21, 2022, from Student Affairs Vice Chancellor Amy Johnson and Professor and Department of Psychiatry Chair Samantha Meltzer-Brody.
At the November 2021 UNC-Chapel Hill Mental Health Summit, we announced plans to host a book-end event to our mental health programming for the academic year with a Mental Health Colloquium in May 2022. The half-day event was intended as a follow up discussion on the focus areas of crisis services, prevention, and the culture of care and compassion on campus.
With the rapidly waning days of the semester, competing commitments, and pressing deadlines that come with this time of year, we are mindful that a late-spring Colloquium may not be the best timing. As a result, we have decided to postpone our plans for the half-day Colloquium until the fall, which we will use to kick off our Carolina Mental Health Seminar Series for Academic Year 22-23. Details will be posted soon at care.unc.edu.
In its place this month, we’ll instead host a brief “Carolina Mental Health Update” on April 28, from noon to 1:30. At this virtual event we will:
- Revisit themes from the fall semester mental health summit.
- Recap current efforts toward supporting campus mental health and well-being.
- Consider the topics for next year’s Carolina Mental Health Seminar Series.
Please register for Carolina Mental Health Update event to receive a Zoom link.
In the meantime, we hope you will explore and bookmark the Heels Care Network, our central campus hub for mental health resources for all UNC-Chapel Hill community members – students, employees, families and the broader community.
Thank you for your support and commitment to a caring and compassionate Carolina community. We look forward to seeing you at the April 28 Update and the Fall Colloquium!
Since 2020, UNC-Chapel Hill has embedded Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) providers within various campus schools and programs including the School of Medicine and School of Law.
Starting in January 2023, CAPS has embedded additional therapists in the Hussman School of Journalism and Media and the Eshelman School of Pharmacy. There are additional plans to place counselors in the Gillings School of Public Health and the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program.
Embedded therapists can focus on and work with the students in those programs, allowing them to deeply understand the programs themselves, stressors specific to each school, and challenges faced by students within them. The embedded therapists can use program-specific knowledge and understanding to serve their students better in treatment as well as offer proactive groups and outreach to best meet broad student needs.
Students in these programs can initiate services by emailing the embedded therapists directly.
- Journalism and Media: Carolyn Ebeling
- Pharmacy: Ardith Burkes
- Medicine: Christine Crowther or Zoe Silverman
- Law: Tora Taylor-Glover
All students are welcome to access CAPS providers for an initial visit at their convenience Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm on the third floor of the James A. Taylor Student Health building.
The Multicultural Health Program at CAPS provides outreach for BIPOC students. This semester, MCHP is hosting a variety of workshops and outreach events.
Fall 2023 Virtual Workshop Series for BIPOC Graduate and Professional Students:
- Finding Your Community - September 27: Finding community as a graduate student can be difficult but it isn’t impossible. During this workshop, we will explore the importance of finding your community as a graduate student, learn practical steps to build and maintain connections, and learn about campus resources useful for seeking community outside your program.
- Managing Anxiety, Stress and Burnout - October 16: During this workshop, you will better understand the importance of emotional regulation, learn how to recognize external/internal stressors related to graduate school/work or other life responsibilities and explore useful strategies to manage these stressors.
- Building Self-Confidence and Overcoming Self-Doubt - November 10: Join the CAPS-MCHP graduate series workshop ‘Building Confidence & Overcoming Self-Doubt’ and learn how to identify symptoms of imposter syndrome; explore barriers BIPOC graduate students face when experiencing imposter syndrome; learn strategies to build confidence and overcome the imposter phenomenon.
Fall 2023 International Student Support Group:
- Fridays at the Fed Ex Global Center
- The international student support group will be a safe and confidential space to talk about various stressors and experiences of being an international student at UNC Chapel Hill. The group will create space for international students to give and seek support from peers, and acquire more skills and knowledge to navigate the experience of living as an international student.
Stay knowledgeable about upcoming events using @UNCHealthyHeels on social media and on the web at Heel Life & the Heels Care Network.
Director and assistant director answer questions about Counseling and Psychological Services for students and post-docs.
Carolina’s Counseling and Psychological Services, or CAPS, is the mental health provider for students and post-doctoral fellows. CAPS provides initial assessments, brief therapy, group therapy, medication management and support for therapy referrals for off-campus providers. The Multicultural Health Program is a part of CAPS and provides culturally responsive mental health support and services and works to decrease mental health stigma.
Avery Cook, the CAPS director, and Erinn Scott, assistant director for multicultural health at CAPS, answer a few questions about CAPS.
Avery Cook
When should a student contact CAPS?
A student should contact CAPS anytime they feel they need some support with their mental health. Students come into CAPS for reasons that run the entire spectrum of concerns – from concerns around transitioning to college and developmental concerns to psychiatric crises.
Once a student contacts CAPS, what will happen next?
After an initial assessment, a student will leave that day with a plan for next steps to best address their mental health needs. This could be a connection within CAPS for services such as brief therapy, medication management or group therapy. It could also be a referral to an off-campus therapist for more open-ended treatment along with support from a CAPS referral coordinator or a connection to another office on campus.
What are a few things that you want students to know about CAPS?
We make it easy to access CAPS services. All first appointments are available on a walk-in basis so there’s no barrier to accessing care. CAPS also has support available 24/7, as a student is able to call CAPS anytime day or night and speak with a therapist for support. We want students to know that they are never alone in dealing with their mental health concerns. Someone is always available for support.
We also have a Multicultural Health Program, which centers the needs of Black, Indigenous and Students of Color on campus, working to decrease mental health stigma and increasing access to culturally responsive mental health support and services.
Erinn Scott
What is the Multicultural Health Program?
The Multicultural Health Program is a program within Counseling and Psychological Services that centers the mental health needs of students of color on Carolina’s campus. Our goal is to decrease mental health stigma and increase access to services among underrepresented student populations. Some ways that we reach students are through individual and group therapy, outreach and workshops, and developing relationships with campus partners and student organizations.
What can students expect if they reach out to the Multicultural Health Program?
Students who connect with MCHP can expect to connect with therapists who use culturally responsive mental health interventions. Students can also expect to engage in outreach and workshops that focus on topics of relevance to marginalized communities. As with all CAPS staff, the MCHP staff has a value of social justice and empowerment as well as meeting students where they are.
When would you encourage students to contact the Multicultural Health Program?
Building community is such an important part of the Carolina journey, and for students of color, this can mean being intentional about finding and creating spaces where students can bring their whole selves and show up authentically as well gain and give support to other students with shared identities. If students of color are struggling with that goal, that would be a good time to connect with the MCHP program to help discover ways to reach your goals.
Originally By Caroline Daly, University Communications, Friday, September 1st, 2023
Originally Posted on the Healthy Heels Blog | August 22, 2023
The Science Behind the Struggle
Change is inevitable, but can still be daunting. The comfort of routine, familiarity, and the known creates a safety net, which can make stepping into the unknown feel overwhelming.
Our brains are wired to seek safety and predictability. Change disrupts this ease, and our bodies can react to that shift as a potential threat. This emotional and physiological reaction can lead to resistance and discomfort.
While change can be challenging, it can also be an opportunity for growth and transformation. Here are some strategies to make adjusting to the changes of fall semester a bit easier:
Understand the “Why”
We all came to campus for a reason – what is yours? When you grasp the purpose and benefits of your program, you’re more likely to embrace it.
Embrace Flexibility
Setbacks are a natural part of change. Be kind to yourself when you encounter a hurdle and keep moving forward.
Visualize the Outcome
Imagine the positive outcomes that being here will bring. Focusing on the end goal can provide motivation when times are challenging.
Celebrate Progress
Notice the tiny achievements you make each day. Celebrating milestones boosts your sense of accomplishment.
Practice Self-Compassion
Be patient with yourself and treat yourself with the same kindness you’d extend to a good friend.
Seek Support
Lean on friends, family, or mentors for guidance and encouragement. Sharing your journey makes it less isolating. If it’s on your mind, it’s worth talking about. Find an array of peer support and professional mental health resources on the resource hub.
Cultivate a Growth Mindset
Embrace the idea that challenges and change are opportunities for learning and development. You might not know something…yet. But with time, practice and curiosity, the possibilities are endless.
With these strategies in mind, you can navigate this change with grace. Embrace this semester as a chance to grow, evolve, and create a brighter future for yourself. See you out there, Tar Heels!
Congratulations to Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies Road Warriors 1 team led by Jennie Vaughn for being the top performing Carolina team and contributing over 5,400 miles to Carolina’s team steps for the Miles for Wellness Challenge 27!
Miles for Wellness is a virtual, team-based walking initiative by North Carolina state employees. The challenge encourages employees to increase their level of physical activity with a goal of 10k steps for most days of the week. 34 Carolina teams (about 340 employees) walked over 108,000 miles over 8-weeks.
Sponsored by the Operational Division of the Office of State Human Resources, Miles for Wellness takes place twice a year. The next challenge will begin in late September 2023.
The shooting and extended lockdown on Aug. 28 had a profound impact on the entire UNC-Chapel Hill community. This seminar, led by Dr. Donald Rosenstein, provided perspectives on navigating trauma and grief as well as ideas to support individual and collective coping in the aftermath of this tragedy.
Donald Rosenstein, MD, is professor of psychiatry and medicine at the UNC-Chapel Hill where he is director of the Comprehensive Cancer Support Program and division head of General Adult Psychiatry. Dr. Rosenstein earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from Wesleyan University, his medical degree from Northwestern University School of Medicine, and completed his residency training in psychiatry at Yale University. Dr. Rosenstein came to UNC from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where he was clinical director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the chief of the Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service.
This Seminar took place on September 7, from 12pm-1:30pm by zoom.
The Mental Health Seminar series is open to students, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, faculty, and staff. The series creates a space for learning, reflecting on, and discussing mental health. This year's seminars focus on research-to-practice, giving the audience both the science behind mental health and strategies they can employ right now. The overall goal is to empower all campus community members to help influence campus mental health and well-being. Please join us if the topic feels right for you.
Sleep is crucial while you’re at UNC-Chapel Hill. Good sleep helps you achieve academic success – improving memory and cognitive function, regulating mood and reducing stress levels. Adequate sleep also benefits physical health – it allows your body to fuel itself with more nutrient-dense foods (as opposed to quick energy foods craved by tired people), boosts the immune system, and improves performance.
There are lots of barriers to good sleep in college, so some of the strategies below may seem impossible. Find at least one idea that you can try for the next week to help yourself get better sleep. After this week, add another strategy if you can.
- Create a sleep-conducive environment: Make your sleeping space comfortable and relaxing. Most of us benefit from
- comfortable bedding
- a cool and dark room
- quiet; use earplugs or a white noise machine if needed
- darkness; use blackout curtains or eye mask if needed
- an alarm clock that’s not your phone/tablet
- Set consistent bedtimes and wake-up times: Keeping a consistent sleep schedule helps regulate the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day (yes, even on weekends!), can help you feel more rested and alert throughout the day. Once you know how much sleep you need, spend that much time in bed each night.
- Get out of bed if you can’t sleep. If you haven’t fallen asleep in 20 minutes, get out of bed, no matter the time of night. Leave your room if you’re able. Engage in relaxing activities and return to bed when you feel more ready to sleep.
- Manage stress: College can be a stressful time, and stress can disrupt your sleep patterns. Try to manage stress through exercise, meditation, or other relaxation techniques. Get support with underlying mental health concerns that may be contributing to your stress levels.
- Prioritize sleep over other activities: It can be tempting to stay up late studying or socializing, but getting enough sleep should be a top priority. Naps aren’t nearly as effective as sleeping through the night. Make sure you have enough time for sleep; avoid staying up late to cram for exams, finish assignments, or hang with your friends.
Remember, if you snooze, you don’t lose – you win a higher-functioning brain and improved health.
People are creatures of habit, following similar rhythms each day. But shifting our rhythms towards health can be difficult. Thankfully, shifts during times of transition can be ideal for incorporating new habits and set yourself up for success. Because changing habits means disrupting your routine, it can be more effective to add new behaviors or remove unwanted ones when other big changes are happening – like the start of a new semester. Here are research-informed strategies to help you start your year with positive routines:
Stack Your Habits
Look for patterns of behavior you already implement every day and connect new habits with those existing ones. For example, while you brush your teeth, you might stand on one foot to practice your balance. Or every day when you wake up, do a few minutes of yoga before you shower and start your day.
Start Small
Big behavior changes require high motivation that is difficult to sustain. Instead, consider tiny changes to make the new habit as easy as possible.
Do it Every Day
Habits take a long time to create but they form faster when we do them more often. You’re more likely to stick with a habit if you do a small version of it every day rather than big, deep versions of it a few times a week. During times of transition, you can create schedules that block daily time for your health – eating meals, moving your body, spending time with friends, meditating – anything that helps you be your best self.
Be Flexible
Try to give yourself grace – if you miss the scheduled time, go later that day. If you miss a day, start again as soon as you can.
Make it Easy
Set yourself up for success by removing friction to your success, or adding friction to the habits you want to avoid. Sleep in your workout clothes to make it easier to wake up and move. Choose a mini-habit that requires minimal equipment. Make the healthy choice the easy choice!
Make it Fun
Try adding habits with fun built in – listen to a favorite audiobook or podcast only while doing your new habit. This offers immediate reward of hearing that next installation to help you build your habit. Do your new activity with a campus organization to meet new friends, or pick your favorite person and schedule time to do your thing together.
Strategies to use and avoid in improving sleep habits
All of us receive feedback at some point in our academic lives that make us feel like a failure. Whether that’s an actual failing grade, a lower grade than we desired, mean-spirited academic feedback, or something else – these types of critiques can be tough to handle.
If we can reframe failure, it can serve as an opportunity to learn and inform future actions and decisions. Consider these ideas before generalizing that negative academic feedback into a feeling about yourself:
- Grades are an instrument of an educational system that quantifies learning using a “standard” measurement for a widely diverse population of students, and grades require that learning happens in a certain amount of time. These are not essential values for educating nor learning.
- Receiving a low grade or negative feedback happens at one moment in time. It does not change the past, nor predict the future.
- “Failure” is not indicative of intelligence, know-how, or worth. In fact, all grades are only useful for characterizing your work on a single assignment or exam in a brief moment of your life.
- A low grade doesn’t necessarily equate to the effort you put into an assignment, project or test…but it might (if this rubs you the wrong way, please be sure to read the next bullet point).
- College courses are designed to take up a lot of time. If you’re stretched by life’s circumstances and challenges, a low grade is likely a sign that you’re investing time into something more important instead.
- Receiving a low grade can feel like we’ve “wasted” our time and effort. Another choice is to explore what happened and to decide if making some changes are worth it.
- Receiving a low grade can feel terrible. Feeling terrible does not mean that you are terrible.
- Most people who receive a low grade also graduate.
Once you’ve reframed the situation, think about what happened. Look at the situation objectively and consider what you could have done differently. How can you improve moving forward? Who can you reach out to for help? This could include seeking out resources like those at the Learning Center, using TA or Professor office hours, or working with a study group.
Be kind to yourself. Feeling like a failure hurts, but remember that everyone fails at some point. Treat yourself with compassion and use this as a stepping stone to greater success.
