STARK COUNTY COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITIES UNITE FOR MENTAL HEALTH

Brenna Walker • October 6, 2020

It’s been pushed time and time again. Words like COVID-19, lockdown, masks, pandemic and social distancing has been floating around on the internet and in the news for months. No wonder that amidst all of 2020’s craziness, depression and anxiety cases are rising significantly according to some newer studies.


To help young people all across Stark County combat the challenges facing society these days, Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health (C&A) will be sponsoring their second annual Collegiate Fair about Self Care and Mental Health at colleges and universities across Stark County over the next few weeks. The goal is to bring increased awareness regarding mental health practices to college students and to help them combat the anxiety and depression they may be feeling.

PARTNERSHIPS

Many organizations and schools have come together to help C&A in their mission.


The Coleman Crisis Center will work to provide in-person and virtual presentations at the partnering schools on their services for students who are struggling emotionally who may be considering harming themselves. Stark Help Central will provide information on suicide prevention to the students. Amy Starkey from Yoga-2-Go in South Carolina has also provided C&A with educational mindfulness exercise videos to share with the students. C&A’s Stark County Youth Led Prevention team will also be providing handouts on living a substance free lifestyle. Additionally, the University of Mount Union, the newest school to participate in Collegiate Week with C&A, has offered their radio station WRMU as a way to reach UMU students with mental health messaging through public service announcements (PSA). These PSA’s will be available for other partner schools to share on social media channels.

Each school is coming together to create a unity video to share on social media platforms regarding what is mental health and what does mental health look and feel like.


Sponsors for these campus events include Stark Mental Health and Addiction Recovery (StarkMHAR) and the Ohio Program for College Safety and Mental Health provided a grant.

COLLEGIATE PARTNERS

Partnering schools for this important effort include Kent State Stark, Malone University, Walsh University, the University of Mount Union and Stark State College. Each participating school will be hosting C&A for three hours on a different day throughout October and November to bring mindfulness back to the campus.


A self-care kit with a journal, bubbles, tea, hand sanitizing wipes and motivational message cards will be available for every student that stops by the C&A booth on campus. The kits remind students of small, everyday tangible things they can do to help reduce their stress and anxiety while also practicing today’s new safety protocols.


Students who wish to participate will also have access to Amy Starkey’s mindfulness videos, Motivational Messages cards and Tips and Tricks info sheets that cover many topics from time management and ways to reduce stress to maintaining positive mental health while socially distancing and healthy eating and exercise practices.

* For more information on the services C&A offers, please call 330-433-6075.

RECENT POSTS

CHILD AND ADOLESCENT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AWARDED THREE GRANTS TO STRENGTHEN YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

By Daniel Mucci • May 19, 2025
CANTON, Ohio (May 19) – Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health (C&A) has been awarded more than $217,000 in new grant funding from six community-focused foundations and agencies to enhance service delivery, support families, and improve internal operations across Stark County.  The grants—awarded by the Health Foundation of Greater Massillon, Massillon Rotary Foundation, North Canton Medical Foundation, United Way of Greater Stark County, the SummerTime Kids program, and the Roy H. Powell and Nina B. Powell Family Charitable Fund—reflect continued community investment in C&A’s mission and momentum. “These contributions help us strengthen the systems that support the mental health of our community’s youth,” said Melissa Coultas, CEO of Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health. “They ensure our team is equipped, our services remain accessible, and our families feel supported.”

SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER

By Mary M. Kreitz • November 21, 2024
For many people changes in the seasons also bring changes in mood, energy, sleep, weight and appetite. Some researchers have found that as many as 90% of people report noticing these types of changes in themselves. However, for some people, the changes are so intense that they interfere with the person’s ability to function in their daily life.  Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is a type of clinical depression that occurs with a consistent seasonal pattern. The symptoms of SAD are the same as those for other depressive disorders; what is different is that the symptoms begin every year around the same time, last for several months, and then go away for the rest of the year. The most common form of SAD is what is known as winter-pattern SAD in which depressive symptoms start in the fall or early winter and end in the spring. Another less common form is known as summer-pattern SAD and is associated with depressive symptoms that occur during the spring and summer months and improve in the fall.

ELECTION ANXIETY

By Mary M. Kreitz • November 6, 2024
The 2024 election has brought a lot of fear and stress into the lives of people throughout the country. A recent survey by the American Psychological Association found that 77% of adults in the US are worried about the future of the nation, 73% reported feeling stressed out about the economy and 69% reported feeling stressed about the presidential election. When adults are feeling this high of a level of stress, you can bet that children and adolescents are feeling it too.

TRUSTED ADULT

By Daniel Mucci • October 1, 2024
Are you a trusted adult to your child or someone’s child in your life? What are the characteristics of a trusted adult?  Trusted adults are viewed by children or adolescents as a safe figure that listens without judgment, agenda or expectation, but with the sole purpose of supporting and encouraging positivity within a young person’s life. Today’s youth identify a trusted adult as someone who is willing to listen and engage, rather than lecture and give orders. Young adults are interested in having open conversations about mental health, social media, bullying and sharing their own experiences.

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE

By Daniel Mucci • September 9, 2024
Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health’s (C&A) The Canton Repository Let Your Light Shine presented by the Massillon Eagles FOE #190 is Sept. 21 at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Canton, from 6-9 p.m. The 19th annual event supports the youth mental health programs and services C&A provides each year to our 4,100 clients.

WHY PRIDE MATTERS FROM A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVE

By Mary M. Kreitz • June 18, 2024
You have probably heard the scary statistics. LGBTQ+ youth are at higher risk for serious mental health problems (such as anxiety and depression) than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. They’re more likely to consider suicide, more likely to attempt suicide and more likely to engage in non-suicidal self-harm.

HOPE AND HOPELESSNESS

By Dr. Robert Willoughby • June 4, 2024
Hope and hopelessness play a large role in the phenomenon of suicide and depression including that of children and adolescents (Liu, et al., 2021). On the positive side I am always reminded of the use of hope to overcome hopelessness in stories reminiscent of a hero’s journey. Stories, where in the face of insurmountable odds, one digs in deep to find themselves, their own hope, and the hope of others joining together to help whilst overcoming trials and tribulations (Campbell, 2011).

988 IS LIFELINE IN A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

By Dan Mucci • May 16, 2024
Suicidal ideation is on the rise nationwide, especially among teenagers and college-age students. Post COVID, adolescents are struggling to handle a variety of situations and have limited coping skills to help them through the challenges. One of the biggest challenges is loneliness.

STARK COUNTY SCHOOLS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS

By Dan Mucci • April 16, 2024
The sixth annual Stark County Schools Mental Health Awareness Week is May 6-10 Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health (C&A), CommQuest Services and Pathway Caring for Children will partner to bring positive mental health awareness to more than 53,000 students and 7,000 support and administrative staff in all 18 Stark County School districts.
More Posts