At some point, we all may struggle a bit (or a lot) with our mental health in university. It’s stressful and tough and many times we may need a little extra help. The majority of students suffer from mental health issues, the main concerns being anxiety (41.6%) and depression (36.4%)(https://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/06/college-students). Despite these high numbers, it’s often hard to know where to start looking for some extra help. Concordia happens to offer several different services to aid us with our mental health that many people may not know about. So here a few:
- Zen den
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With four locations, three downtown and one at Loyola, the goal of Zen Dens is to provide a safe, relaxing place where students can take a step back and get away from the everyday stressful demands of life. They offer resources to practice mindfulness and nine peer wellness ambassadors to talk to. They also host an array of wellness events such as weekly art hives, therapy dogs, yoga club and Vent Over Tea sessions. You can look into them some more here: https://www.concordia.ca/students/counselling/zen-den.html
- Empower Me
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This is a new mental health and wellness service. It allows students to connect with qualified counselors, consultants and life coaches that can help with a variety of issues. You can speak with someone in person, over the phone, video-counseling or e-counseling so no matter what your comfort zone, there’s something that can work for you. Services are available 24hrs a day, 7 days a week for undergraduate and graduate students who are on the Concordia Student Health Plan and international students who opted into the dental plan. The number for this service is: 1-844-741-6389 (Toll free) and their website is http://studentcare.ca/rte/en/ConcordiaUniversitygraduatestudentsGSA_EmpowerMe_EmpowerMe
- Access Center for Students with Disabilities (ACSD)
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Most people probably know about the ACSD. What many people may not know is that on top of providing aid for students with, for example, chronic medical conditions and learning disabilities, they also support students with mental health conditions. They can even provide services if you have a temporary condition caused by illness or injury. Basically, if you have any sort of condition that makes being a student even more difficult for you, you can go to the access center. Some services include advising, the peer note taking program, tutoring and exam accommodations. You can find more info here: http://www.concordia.ca/students/accessibility.html
- Concordia Student Nightline
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The Concordia Student nightline is an anonymous listening service run by Concordia students that you can call if you need aid, support, referrals, information or just someone to talk to. They are non-judgemental, confidential and aim to be friendly and compassionate. Here’s their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/concordiastudentsnightline
- Stronger Than Stigma
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Stronger than Stigma is a student group whose goal is to end the stigma around mental health. They do this by focusing on increasing mental health literacy and knowledge among students, fighting and decreasing the stigma that surrounds mental illness and promoting wellness and self-care. They offer many services such as mental health weeks, speakers and workshops. You can find out more on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/stsconcordia/ and this website: https://www.wellmtl.ca/stronger-than-stigma