The Student Wellness Center held its annual mental health survey event in the Colonial Ballroom this week. The survey is intended for any Emporia State student that might be feeling symptoms of mental health issues, according to Lindsey Bayes, director of counseling services.

“It’s (meant) to help identify students who may be struggling…that didn’t realize that what they were feeling was depression…we can then refer them (to services)…and help work through some of the symptoms that they’re having,” Bayes said.

The entire experience includes filling out the PHQ-9, which measures symptoms of depression, and a brief visit with a licensed counselor from the Student Wellness Center. They then determine if further steps need to be taken, such as appointment scheduling with a therapist on campus.

“I think depression screening is important because we’re able to inform students about access to counseling services…that’s our primary function (at this event),” Bayes said.

Both Bayes and Ted Barrington, counselor at the Student Wellness Center, said that the event can also help identify students dealing with other issues like ADHD, anxiety and physical ailments.

The wellness center partners with the Student Art Therapy Organization to give self-care tips to students while waiting to see the counselor, according to Bayes.

SATO talked to students about self-care and provided ways to relax and decrease anxiety, Bayes said.

The wellness center also partners with Exercise as Medicine during the event, a group focused on promoting exercise to “decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety,” according to Bayes. 

At least 365 students attended last year’s event, according to 2017 data provided by Barrington.

Of those students, a high percentage made an appointment or followed up with therapists after the event, according to Bayes.

Sydney Terhune, freshman English major, attended the event and took the survey.

“I really liked how (the counselor and I) talked about depression…art therapy, counseling services, and more coping skills,” Terhune said.

Julia Gardener, sophomore psychology major, said that she originally came for extra credit for a class, but ended up scheduling an appointment with a therapist.

“I was kind of having a bad day, maybe I needed somebody to talk to about it…(the counselor) seemed to pick up on things that were inside,” Gardner said.

Students who did not attend the event, but are interested in counseling services, can contact the Student Wellness Center to schedule an appointment. The wellness center also provides an online survey for students to fill out and then receive a personalized response from a counselor, according to their website.