Valencia Students Weigh In On Available Healthcare Service, Now More Than Ever

Victoria Carrion-Toledo, Reporter
October 4, 2021

From the Editor: This article is undergoing revisions at this time.

 

Not just with the continuing global pandemic but other factors as well have many students struggling to adjust. Valencia College provides a myriad of activities and skill shops, virtually or on-campus to help keep mental health in check. These resources help college students deal with not just school, but financial stability, unemployment, time-management, depression, gender issues, etc. Valencia College student Isis Toledo says “I do work full-time and I try to keep everything organized; planning my studies and work schedule… but I try to take breaks and take time for myself.” CARE is one such service to help students find that.

 

Assistant Director, Learning Support and Advising at Valencia College
Chris Teumer, Assistant Director, Learning Support and Advising at Valencia College. (LibGuides, Valencia College)

Valencia’s Continuous Assessment and Responsive Engagement, or CARE, counselor Chris Teumer works with holistic support, gives great advice and says, “It’s essential to dedicate time for self-care and to nurture our mental and physical health. Simply starting with two-to-five minutes each day with exercise, meditation, or any self-care activity, and then scaling up slowly can lead to great results and benefits. I recommend a reading by the author James Clear called Atomic Habits. It provides a great framework for anyone looking to build new and successful habits into their routine, and has application to basically everything we do in life.”

 

One workshop is geared towards mental health and minority communities. “Courageous Conversations: Mental Health & The BIPOC Communities” focuses on building the value of mental health in said communities. BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The workshop addressed the reality minorities face as their culture and historical backgrounds can greatly affect their mental health and how society fails to recognize this. The lack of education on the medical realities allows for a toxic and judgemental environment.

 

 

Screenshot from a Valencia Skillshop; By Stepahnie Johnson, BayCare Behavioral Health Counselor, “Courageous Conversations: Mental Health & The BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) Communities.”
Screenshot from a Valencia Skillshop; By Stephanie Johnson, BayCare Behavioral Health Counselor, “Courageous Conversations: Mental Health & The BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) Communities.”

 

Valencia College student Norma Lauren Gaines says “I’m done being a strong black woman. I have to acknowledge my emotions.”

We have to break that stigma if we want to succeed in life and our studies. Yes, love yourself and your culture but… as hard as it can be, we must learn to separate them before we can move forward.

 

Student Fabiana Briceno says “As a Hispanic person, my parents don’t really understand why I go to therapy. They think I’m crazy. I really don’t care because I know I’m not…. But you shouldn’t be ashamed, it’s your culture, it’s not what is going to help you.”  (Victoria Carrion-Toledo)

Mental health care resources are available to all students on all campuses. Valencia’s CARE program and BayCare Health Services have partnered up to provide students a 24/7 toll-free hotline at 1-800-878-5470. Students are encouraged to navigate the Valencia website for additional resources including Valencia’s Libguide in the Library Resources.

 

Valencia Student Jupiter Dos Santos
Valencia College Art Major Jupiter Dos Santos Says “It’s just caring for other people and showing its normal – that they are not alone – that they have people and resources they can go to.”
(Victoria Carrion-Toledo)