PGSG Mental Health Action Week programs to support Purdue graduate students

Purdue Graduate Student Government (PGSG) will be hosting a series of events dedicated to mental health as part of its Fall 2021 Mental Health Action Week (MHAW) set Oct. 4-8. Programs will take place during the week and are intended to help facilitate open conversations about mental health issues faced by the graduate student population.

All events are free and open to Purdue graduate students. The schedule of events is provided below.

Monday, Oct. 4

5-6 p.m. – Drop-in Session with CAPS. Bethany Foerg and Natalie Cohen from Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) will facilitate an in-person, drop-in support session at the Purdue Graduate Student Center. There are no predetermined topics; instead, attendees will guide the direction of the conversation. Spaces are limited, so RSVP ahead of time.

Tuesday, Oct. 5

5-6 p.m. – Yoga at the Fountain on Purdue Mall. Rina Sabatello, graduate student in materials science engineering, will guide students through a 35-minute vinyasa flow followed by a 10- to 15-minute session of deep stretching. Sabatello will finish with a 10- to 15-minute meditation focused on mental health awareness. This event is open to all levels of practitioners. The duration of the class will be about an hour, and students will need to bring their own mats. No prior registration is needed.

Wednesday, Oct. 6

5:30-6:30 p.m. – Know Your Rights. Graduate students Rob Weiner and Lauren Murfree will lead a session about graduate rights and student organizing. Rob and Lauren are both part of the organization Graduate Rights and Our Well Being (GROW), which advocates for the rights and well-being of graduate students. No prior registration is needed. Join on Zoom.

Thursday, Oct. 7

6-7:30 p.m. – Resisting Burnout Culture. Krista Robbins, graduate student in counseling psychology, will lead a workshop discussing what burnout is, what burnout culture is and how we can resist it. No prior registration required. Join on Zoom.

Content from previous MHAWs is also available via the MHAW website or on the Purdue Graduate Student Government YouTube Channel.

For more information, follow PGSG on Instagram, Twitter (@pgsginfo) and Facebook, or contact PGSG's Aashna Aggarwal at pgsg.life@gmail.com.

Writer: Bella Vina, ivin@purdue.edu