April is Stress Awareness Month; stress-related resources available throughout the year

Stress Awareness Month has been sponsored every April since 1992 by the Health Resource Network Inc. The awareness month is a national effort to share information and raise awareness about the dangers of stress as well as successful coping strategies and misconceptions about stress in today’s society. There are many resources available to help today and every day.

For instance, the Healthy Boiler Portal provides several short courses on a variety of stress-related topics under the “University” link, including: 

• Stress Basics
• Healthy Strategies for Coping with Stress
• Stress Management
• What Is Stress?

To find these and other available courses, log into the Healthy Boiler Portal, click on “University” and search for “stress.” Those who have not yet registered to access the portal can do so by following the instructions on the Why Healthy Boiler? webpage.

Additionally, SupportLinc, behavioral health services provider for the West Lafayette campus, has a tremendous amount of information available to help, including: 

• Color Breathing Exercise for Stress Relief
• Common Reactions to Extreme Stress
• Don’t Let Job Stress Make You Sick
• Flash Course: Stress Management
• In the Moment Stress Relief Tools
• Mindfulness for Managing Stress
• Pain and Stress
• Quiz: How Much Do You Know About the Effects of Stress?
• Reducing the Intensity of Stress
• Sleep and Stress

The National Institutes of Health offers the following resources for individuals to help them effectively cope when feeling stressed or anxious:

• Wellness@NIH
• NIMH Getting to Know Your Brain: Dealing with Stress
• NIMH I’m So Stressed Out! Fact Sheet
• CDC Coping With Stress

Those who need further assistance can reach out to the behavioral health services provider on their campus (Purdue West Lafayette, Purdue Fort Wayne, Purdue Northwest, Purdue Global) for additional resources, including talk therapy. These resources are available at no cost to the employee and support the behavioral health pillar of the Healthy Boiler Program.

ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

To assist faculty and staff

Faculty and staff can review the Mental Health Resources webpage for a variety of available resources, which support the behavioral health pillar of the Healthy Boiler Program as well as information on Purdue’s health plan coverage for mental health and substance abuse. 

To assist students

Faculty and staff who work with students or have a student at home can direct them to the resources below for behavioral health assistance. Note: United Healthcare Student Resources (UHCSR) — medical plan provider for students and graduate students — offers 292 unique mental health providers serving at various locations that are in-network with UHCSR within Tippecanoe County. The list is available here. Additionally, students have access to HealthiestYou, which provides virtual access to mental health care as part of UHCSR’s plan. All services are free for students covered under the UHCSR insurance plan.   

Office of the Dean of Students

• Continuous Network of Support
• Services and Information
• Presentations & Trainings
• Student of Concern Reporting Link

Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)

• Therapy Services at CAPS
• Self-help Resources
• Group Therapy
• CAPS YouTube channel
• NAMI On Campus – A free, virtual support group on campus
• Thriving Campus – Service that provides students a way to search for mental health providers in many areas, locally and across the country
• WellTrack – Interactive, self-help therapy app for students