A new Iowa State mental health campaign intends to aid students during their transition back to a “normal” college experience. 

The campaign focuses on the services and programs available to students for support in and out of the classroom. 

“We started planning for this campaign this past summer with a goal to create awareness around campus resources, specifically health and wellbeing, as our students transitioned back to an in-person campus experience,” Erin Baldwin, associate vice president for student health and wellness, said. 

Students and faculty have been impacted by the pandemic and other national events over the past two years. The main goal of this campaign is to create awareness and connect students to resources that will help them get through any hardships they may encounter during these times. 

One of the resources that Iowa State offers is counseling services. Students have the opportunity to meet for eight sessions with an on-campus counselor. After those eight sessions, the student is then connected with a professional in the community that is best suited for their specific counseling needs. 

“I think that’s a really amazing service that they offer. That’s one thing that I would say Iowa State has done well,” Sara Wilken, senior in architecture, said. 

Baldwin expressed her gratitude for all the student feedback the campaign has received. According to Baldwin, student input has driven this project from the beginning. 

“We’ve had good feedback, especially at our ‘Poppin in to check on you’ tabling events that we did last week. At those, we handed out popcorn and snacks and stickers that have words of affirmation on them. It really seemed to infuse joy into folks’ day,” Baldwin said. 

Any students who wish to give feedback regarding the campaign can send an email to [email protected]. 

Students should expect to see more from the campaign over the next several weeks and months. Baldwin talked about future plans that involve partnering with student influencers to create a media presence. 

The campaign’s peer wellness educators are planning outreach events. The focus of these events will be to engage students with the resources available at Iowa State. These outreach events will be pop-up events from now to the end of the semester. 

For those looking to connect with student mental health resources, more information can be found at www.studentaffairs.iastate.edu/support. The “Getting Started” link is a great option for students who are struggling but do not have a clear idea of where to begin.