Community members, families and professionals gathered in the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center on Friday, Oct. 19, for VOICE Day 2018, an event designed to inform attendees of various social services that are available. The main goal of the event was to dispel the stigma around asking for help and allow students to feel safe and ask questions.
Representatives from many mental health organizations were in attendance at Friday’s event, including Dr. Ani Kalayjian, psychotherapist, trauma specialist and founder of the website meaningfulworld.com; United Nations Consultant, Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, president and CEO of Family and Children’s Association; and Steve Chassman, the executive director of Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (LICADD). Attendees had the opportunity to connect and converse with professionals during the interactive provider fair.
With mental health care being such a stigmatized topic, particularly in minority communities, groups like the Hispanic Counseling Center wanted to show students that there is nothing wrong with taking care of their mental health.
“We are approaching the Hispanic community and we’re offering programs that help [people] overcome whatever situation they’re going through,” said Camila Beltran, a community health worker for the Hispanic Counseling Center. Some of the programs offered include chemical dependency therapy, children and family support programs and mental health clinics.
Therapy is often looked down upon in the Hispanic community, explained Michelle Boo, a junior psychology major. “My family is medicated but they don’t seek therapy for mental illnesses,” Boo said.
One of Boo’s cousins returned from war with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and was told by his family he could not go to therapy for help. So instead, he started self-medicating.
“Going to seek out a therapist or a support group … is harder when you don’t have the people that you’re close to support you,” Boo said.
Pride for Youth, a service and advocate for LGBTQ+ young people works to help those struggling with accepting who they are by providing resources.
“Especially for college students … [Pride for Youth] is an important resource to have because it connects people with people their own age with similar experiences and backgrounds,” said Jackson, a peer navigator at Pride for Youth.
“It’s important to have spaces like this for the community to interact with others so they can feel understood and that they have a place,” Jackson said.
Junior psychology major Matthew Annunziata was supported by his parents but not by his community. When he came to Hofstra, that changed. “There are so many people here that are like me and it’s great to see that,” Annunziata said. “Students need to know that they have a community … so if they need someone to talk to, they have one.”
Michael Mastrocinque, a transitioning specialist at Eastern Suffolk BOCES explained that students should always ask for help when they need it.
“Students need to learn to advocate for themselves. Students have to start getting a sense of who they are as individuals. What their strengths are and understanding themselves. There are a lot of different organizations here that can help,” Mastrocinque said. “You have got to think about yourself, you’re not alone … there are people out there who are willing to help and who want to help.”
