Taking Care of Your Mental Health: Introduction
It's always important to take care of our mental health, including practicing self-compassion, mindfulness, community, and expressing gratitude. Especially in our current COVID-19 world, self-care is crucial for maintaining your well-being, even if how you accomplish this looks slightly different than before. This module will provide some guidance and strategies for staying mentally healthy while being distant from one another.
Presenters and Content Curators
Kelsey Lammy, MSW
Mental Health Promotion Coordinator
Kelsey (she/her/hers) co-runs the Be That One Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention programs, as they apply theory and evidence-informed practices in order to develop and implement population-level interactions to promote mental health for the student population on the University of Texas at Austin campus. Her involvement at LWC includes managing the Mental Health Ambassador Program, Student Mental Health Alliance, and co-running the peer education program and Peer Body Project. Kelsey received her Masters of Social Work at the University of Missouri concentrating on public policy, planning and administration. In her free time Kelsey enjoys hiking with her pup, reading at coffee shops, and antiquing.
Katherine Protil, MPAff
Health Promotion Coordinator
Katherine (she/her/hers) is currently pursuing a Master of Public Affairs at The University of Texas Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. Her interests lie in increasing access to healthcare and health-related resources by working from a place of inclusivity. Her work incorporates social norms theory and focuses on risk reduction strategies and changing cultural norms. In her free time, Katherine likes to practice yoga, read, and cook with friends.
Tiffany Cunningham
Community Engagement Coordinator, SHIFT
Tiffany Cunningham is a recent graduate of the psychology program at UT Austin and the current Community Outreach Coordinator for SHIFT Links to an external site., a new initiative aimed at shifting the culture of substance use on campus. During her time as a student, Tiffany was the President of Drug and Alcohol Peer Advisors and the lead author and facilitator of the Recovery Ally Training in partnership with the UT Center for Students in Recovery. Tiffany is also a graduate of the Mental Health Peer Educator program. Tiffany serves on the board of the Association of Recovery in Higher Education, a national nonprofit that supports collegiate Recovery Programs.
About Longhorn Wellness Center
The Longhorn Wellness Center (LWC) supports the missions of University Health Services and the Counseling and Mental Health Center by addressing priority college health issues. We do this using multi-level, evidence-based prevention strategies such as peer education, social marketing, social norm campaigns, environmental changes, and strategic campus partnerships. For more information, visit LWC's website.
About SHIFT
SHIFT engages the community in dialogue that changes the culture of campus substance use from one of misuse to one of well-being. SHIFT is comprised of six pilot initiatives that integrate multi-dimensional approaches to engage our entire UT community including students, faculty, staff, and alumni.