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Student Engagement and Belonging
Friday, February 23, 2024
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
CGI C203

Speaker

Sailesh Maharjan
Lecturer Faculty with Part-Time Appointment
CSU San Bernardino

Mental Health First Aid: A tool for Increasing Student Engagement and Belonging

12:30 PM - 2:00 PM

Abstract

Research shows that actively listening to students (Hughes, 2021) is one way to increase engagement and belonging on campus. Moreover, Nelson et al. (2020) confirm that “Supporting student engagement in school may be a natural way to support school mental health and well-being.” Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), a 9-hour, skills-building course that teaches participants “how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders,” is one way to scaffold student mental health safeguarding within and beyond the CSU. In fact, our CSU-based MHFA team has certified over 800 faculty across the 23-campus system since 2020. The increasing demand for the training indicates that faculty members are interested in learning how to be the liaison of mental health in their community. Our 90-minute theoretical and practical session includes interactive activities based on audience participation (e.g., scenarios, polls, videos, etc.). Our session encourages faculty to be alert to student mental health challenges, engage in active, nonjudgmental listening, and guide students toward helpful resources on and beyond campus. We aim to increase mental health literacy and encourage faculty to pursue certification in 2024 and beyond.
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