October is Mental Health Awareness Month here at Pitt! Join the Student Government Board and our campus partners in raising awareness and engaging with our own well-being at any of the events below!
Name of event: Stress Free Yoga
Date & Time: October 3-6 | 7-8pm
Event Description: Stress Free Yoga is held in the Stress Free Zone, located on the 3rd floor of the William Pitt Union. The style of each class is mainly vinyasa, which is a movement based class focused on your breathing. Each teacher is unique but every class is open to all levels students - beginner to advanced. Mats, blocks and other props are provided. Please wear comfortable clothing and plan to arrive at least 5 minutes prior to start time. Registration Required https://www.studentaffairs.pitt.edu/shs/stressfree/classes-and-workshops/
Location: Stress Free Zone
Name of event: Pilates for Healthy Bodies
Date & Time: 10/4 | 11:30am and 12:30pm Sessions
Event Description: It's a no brainer to come join our master trainer from Ramp n Rize for a beginner friendly pilates session. This is a high energy and motivation session where you can strengthen your body and mind. It's more than just a workout, it's a mental health tool!
Location: WPU Ballroom
Name of event: Rainbow Self-Care Lounge
Date & Time: October 4th | 6:30-8pm
Event Description: Join Rainbow Alliance for some self care at the C4C Workshop! We’ll be sewing little pillows as a self-care activity.
Location: C4C Workshop - University Store
Name of event: Self Care, Coping Skills & Self Advocacy
Date & Time: Oct 4 | 9pm-10pm
Event Description: Do you want to learn more about what you can do to improve your mental wellness? Come share coping skills and learn how self-care and self-advocacy can be reinforced by community and structural care with Active Minds at Pitt.
Location: 231 Lawrence
Name of event: Nurture Yourself: Self Care discussion
Date & Time: October 5th | 6:30pm-7:30pm
Event Description: Self-care is important and often forgotten about during the school year! Join the Panhellenic Council and participate in a discussion of ways you can prioritize your mental health during the semester while painting a planter!
Location: WPU 540
Name of event: Dissecting Internalized Racism
Date & Time: Monday October 10th @ 7:30pm
Event Description: This event will focus on how internalized racism in the Asian American community can impact mental health. We will explore the causes of internalized racism, how it presents itself, and how to address it.
Location: WPU 630
***Trigger/Content Warning: This event may contain emotionally difficult content dependent on participants’ discussions.
Name of event: Mending Minds
Date & Time: 10/11 | 11am
Event Description: Come join GPSG and Pitts’ very own UCC Counselor for our mental health workshop. You will learn about tools to cope with academic stress and maintain a healthy mental space while embarking on your graduate school journey!
Location: WPU Ballroom
***Trigger/Content Warning: This exhibit may contain emotionally difficult content and depictions of artists' journeys with their own mental health.
Name of event: SGB Town Hall
Date & Time: October 11th | 8:45pm-10:30pm
Event Description: Join SGB for a mental health focused Town Hall where we’ll engage in a discussion and Q&A where students will have the opportunity to hear from administration about their efforts in supporting student wellbeing and mental health, as well as an overview of resources available on campus.
Location: Nordy’s Place
Name of event: UCC Open House
Date & Time: 10/12/22, 4-6pm
Event Description: Join the Student Affairs Student Wellness Team for a Wellness Center Open House! Come have some fun and learn more about the University Counseling Center, Student Health Services, Campus Recreation and the Care and Resource Support Team.
Location: Nordenberg Hall – Wellness Center
Name of event: Stress Management with Corey
Date & Time: October 12th, 2022 at 5 PM
Event Description: Corey’s speech will helpsyou figure out your current stress level. After determining your stress score, the group will then evaluate twenty ways to decrease the minor stressors in their life. Once you lower your stress score, you can focus and, hopefully, eliminate your major stressors and more effectively chase an authentic life. Feeling stressed? This talk is for you . . . and everyone really!
Location: Alumni Hall 7th Floor Auditorium
Name of event: Mental Health Through A Feminist Lens: A Roundtable Discussion
Date & Time: Thursday, 10/13/22 @ 7 PM
Event Description: Join FEM for an informal, laid-back discussion about mental health through a feminist and sexuality-focused lens. This will be a roundtable event with conversation cards to facilitate discussion among peers. The hope is to create a safe space for people to listen to others and share their own experiences.
Location: Virtual
***Trigger/Content Warning: This event may contain emotionally difficult content dependent on participants’ discussions.
Name of event: The LGBTQIA+ Community and Mental Health
Date & Time: October 13th | 9pm-10pm
Event Description: Join Rainbow Alliance, AQUARIUS, and other LGBTQIA+ student orgs for a conversation on the role that mental health plays within the LGBTQIA+ community.
Location: WPU 630
***Trigger/Content Warning: This event may contain emotionally difficult content dependent on participants’ discussions.
Name of event: What is Therapy?
Date & Time: Oct 14 | 3pm-4pm
Event Description: Join Active Minds at Pitt in a webinar where they will demystify therapy by explaining what to expect throughout the search process and in an actual session both on and off campus.
Location: Zoom https://pitt.zoom.us/j/97137666970
Meeting ID: 971 3766 6970
Passcode: MHAM2022
Name of event: How to Support a Friend (VAR)
Date & Time: Oct 18 | 9pm-10pm
Event Description: Join Active Minds at Pitt to learn about a helpful technique for tackling tough and/or unfamiliar conversations when trying to help a friend. We will be discussing the VAR method—Validate, Appreciate, and Refer—and practicing implementing it within small groups to help decrease hesitancy when using it.
Location: 231 Lawrence
Name of event: Creative Crafts w/ RSA
Date & Time: October 20th, 7pm
Event Description: Creating memorable crafts as a mid-week mental health destresser. This will be a laid back, relaxed activity to provide an escape from midterms. This may include painting, coloring pages, and sand art.
Location: Ballroom in WPU
Name of event: Open Mic Open Minds
Date & Time: Thursday, October 20 at 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Event Description: For Mental Health Awareness Month, our open mic honors the power of creativity to articulate and transform our experiences of mental illness and wellness, work born of struggle, self-care, and celebration. We welcome music, poetry, storytelling, or other performance that shares a part of your mental health story in a space where support, connection, and community are core values. All Pitt students, faculty, and staff, from first-time to more experienced performers, are invited. Refreshments provided!
Location: Cathedral of Learning, C4C: The Understory (basement, Room B50)
Name of event: De-Stress Arts & Crafts
Date & Time: 10/21 | 10:30 am - 1:30 pm
Event Description: Take the time out of your busy schedule to sit back, relax, and do some crafts!
Location: WPU 548
Name of event: Mind Over Mat(ter)
Date & Time: Friday, October 21st at 5:00pm
Event Description: Looking for a way to destress during midterms? Join Pitt Program Council for a relaxing yoga session and guided meditation on Friday, October 21st, at 5:00 pm in the ballroom of the William Pitt Union. This is event is part of Mental Health Awareness Month. 50 students can sign-up for the event starting on Monday, October 3rd through Friday, October 14th at the Pitt Program Council Office, M-30, in the William Pitt Union. Tickets are FREE. Please come to the event 15 minutes early to the WPU ballroom and bring a yoga mat if desired. Yoga mats will not be provided. Students will participate in a 1 hour long yoga class, followed by a 30 minute mindfulness meditation. All Pitt Program Council events are open to all undergraduate Pitt students with a valid (Oakland) Student ID. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Pitt Program Council at ppc@pitt.edu or by phone at 412-648-7900 for proper accommodations.
Location: WPU Ballroom
Name of event: “Lol, I’m an Empath.” Are you really?
Date & Time: Friday, October 21st at 5 PM
Event Description: Often on social media we see words thrown around without much context. Currently, a popular buzzword is “empath” but do we know what empathy is? Are our jokes surrounding mental health hurtful or a coping mechanism? While social media can help us connect with others it also can create a divide. Social media can breed a ground for criticism at celebrities that struggle with their mental health such as Kanye West, Jennette McCurdy and Brittany Spears to name a few. How do we extend empathy not only with our friends but to strangers? Join Pitt NAMI in a discussion about empathy, sympathy and using kinder language toward those suffering with their mental health.
Location: Nordy's Place
Edit: Due to fall break, NAMI at Pitt's MHAM event: “Lol, I'm an Empath. Are you Really?” will be rescheduled to Friday, October 21st from 5-6 PM at Nordy's Place.
***Trigger/Content Warning: This event may contain emotionally difficult content dependent on participants’ discussions.
Name of event: Wellness and Self Care within Different Cultures
Date & Time: Monday October 24th @ 5pm
Event Description: We will be discussing how wellness/self care look within different cultures. This will include how mental health is viewed/prioritized in each culture, the different ways cultures decompress, and a reflection on how students take care of their mental health. We will ask board members from each org to interview their parents and summarize how mental health was viewed and practiced as they grew up, especially in their own countries. We will provide coloring pages as an activity.
Location: WPU Lower Lounge
***Trigger Warning: This event may contain emotionally difficult content dependent on participants’ discussions.***
Name of event: Exploring Mental Health with Victoria Garrick
Date & Time: October 24th | 8:30pm
Event Description: Join Pitt Program Council for “Exploring Mental Health with Victoria Garrick” as part of Mental Health Awareness Month!
This event will take place on Monday, October 24th at 8:30pm in the Ballroom of the William Pitt Union. Victoria Garrick will be participating in a 45-minute moderated Q & A followed by a 15-minute audience Q&A. Tickets are free and will be available starting on Wednesday, October 5th in the Pitt Program Council office (Room M-30 in the WPU). Doors will open at 7:30pm.
All Pitt Program Council events are open to all undergraduate Pitt students with a valid (Oakland) Student ID. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Pitt Program Council at ppc@pitt.edu or by phone at 412-648-7900 for proper accommodations.
Location: WPU Ballroom
***Trigger/Content Warning: This event may contain emotionally difficult content dependent on participants’ discussions.
Name of event: Black with a Target on my Back: The Dismissal of Black Feelings in Society
Date & Time: Monday, October 24th 8:00-9:00 PM
Event Description: Are Black feelings valued in society? Often, a Black person’s worth in America is tied to what service they could provide or if they fit a certain “stereotype” or “criteria.”What happens when you don’t fit into that criteria? Join Pitt NPHC in a discussion and presentation of the origins of mental health stigma in the Black community and how racism has further silenced the feelings of Black people in America.
Location: WPU 630, Zoom Available
***Trigger/Content Warning: This event may contain emotionally difficult content dependent on participants’ discussions.
Name of event: Send Silence Packing
Date & Time: 10/26/2022, 9:30am – 4pm
Event Description: Send Silence Packing is a visually striking exhibit that includes personal stories from individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide and is designed to connect individuals to mental health resources and inspire action for suicide prevention.
Location: Cathedral Lawn
Name of event: BMC & BAS Present: An enlightening discussion in mental health
Date & Time: Thursday, October 27 @8:30
Event Description: Join Black Men’s Collective and Black Action Society for a safe space and discussion exploring topics related to mental health geared towards black males.
Location: WPU 540
***Trigger/Content Warning: This event may contain emotionally difficult content dependent on participants’ discussions.
Name of event: Self Care and Self Soothing Workshop
Date & Time: Oct 28 | 3pm-5pm
Event Description: Join Active Minds at Pitt to develop self-care and self-soothing skills of your choosing. In this personalized workshop you may create a vision board as a first step in future planning, or make a playlist to listen to as you’re walking to class. There will also be opportunities to discuss relaxing TV shows and activities with Active Minds members.
Location: WPU Kimbo Conference Room
Name of event: MHAM Wellness Passport
Date & Time: N/A
Event Description: The MHAM 2021 Wellness Passport, a "pop-up" badge on the OCC website, is a guided interactive program meant to encourage self-care, promote mental health awareness, connect students to mental health resources, and highlight other MHAM events. Students will explore a variety of activities to fill their passports and earn OCC credit along the way! Complete the passport, and you will be entered into a raffle for prizes. Log on to Suitable to get started!
Location: N/A