Students participate in a workshop hosted by the Center for Belonging and Social Change. Credit: Courtesy of Madison Eagle
The Center for Belonging and Social Change is hosting a self-care workshop focused on the Black experience around mental health discussions on Thursday in celebration of United Black World Month.
Led by Madison Eagle and Darreon Greer, the free workshop held at the Ohio Union, entitled “Bouncing Back: Self-Care and Community Care“, will delve deeper into topics such as self-care, self-soothing, and community care.
Eagle, CBSC’s coordinator for student belonging and support, said she was inspired to host the workshop after hearing the song “Anxiety” by Megan Thee Stallion, which talks about mental health care for Black people .
“She really created a shift in conversation around the topic of mental health and how it shouldn’t be stigmatized,” Eagle said.
Eagle said the presentation will provide students with tangible, sustainable ways to incorporate self-care into their lives. She said he would discuss the “differences between self-care and self-soothing.”
“On social media, there’s this idea that self-care is just about taking bubble baths or treating yourself,” Eagle said.
Greer, an integrated clinical therapist with counseling and consultation services, said the workshop will allow students to share their personal experiences with self-care and discuss how to navigate the resources available to them.
“Not every student may need therapy or mental health treatment, but we may have resources that are for you that you may not know about,” Greer said. “We’ve even received feedback from a number of students that the amount of free resources here at Ohio State can be a little overwhelming. Let us help you unpack this.
Eagle said the workshop will provide students with direct ways to access the services that work best for them.
“It’s just a really good opportunity to come away with really tangible, concrete skills around self-care and mental health and use them at the end of the semester,” Eagle said.
Eagle said the workshop will also discuss the different barriers students may encounter when seeking help, including not being taken seriously and facing discrimination, racism or sexism in health care settings.
“It can be really discouraging for people to seek mental health services,” Eagle said.
Greer said the goal of the workshop is to add to the culture of inclusion at Ohio State.
“We try to coach each other and have these interactive dialogues and these cultural considerations and discussions to try not to sound so cliché, but to try to do our best to better see each other authentically and truly, see each other more,” says Greer. “Trying to heal the world and make it a better place for all of us.”
The event will take place Thursday from 6-8 p.m. in the Barbie Tootle Room at the Ohio Union. Dinner is provided. RSVP online is required.
