Brian Smith
Inspired Entry . . . Prompted by her own positive experience with Counseling and Student Development, Lauren Pettiglio ’ 10 created the winning name for a mental health initiative on campus.
“I felt grateful to CSD for helping me through that rough time,” says the Marketing major.
Last fall, Pettiglio found a way to express her thanks. She entered a campus-wide competition among Bentley students to create a name and tagline for a new mental health initiative sponsored through CSD.
Pettiglio’s winning idea — Develop U: Many courses, one you — earned a cash prize of $1,000. The contest had 41 other entries, including one joint submission from two students studying abroad in Hong Kong.
Findings of the 2006 National College Health Assessment, a survey in which Bentley had participated, prompted CSD to launch the mental health initiative.
“We were troubled by the survey’s results, which indicated that 7 percent of Bentley students had seriously considered suicide during the academic year,” says CSD Associate Director Brenda Hawks. “They were also more likely to use alcohol to manage stress than to seek out counselors or other resources.”
CSD quickly convened 45 focus groups with a cross-section of students, faculty and staff. The effort aimed to uncover specific mental health issues and discover why students weren’t consistently turning to campus counselors for support.
“We learned that stress is the No. 1 student concern. Students also reported a lack of intimate support through close friends,” explains Hawks, noting that the focus groups also pointed toward “the stigma associated with counseling, which prevents students from seeking help.”
CSD staff used the information to plan a three-year mental health initiative centered on five goals: countering negative perceptions about seeking help and addressing emotional needs, especially for depression, suicidality, and other serious mental health issues; decreasing the stigma associated with counseling;
increasing student engagement in supportive relationships; promoting the importance of life balance and well-rounded development; and encouraging healthy coping behaviors.
“The ‘Develop U’ name captured our central messages, such as placing personal development on par with professional growth for success in
college and throughout life,” says Hawks.
“The concept also furthers the notion that it’s normal and healthy to seek help when feeling depressed or overwhelmed.”
Innovative Intervention The naming competition itself was the initiative’s first “intervention.” It boosted campus awareness of CSD and raised awareness of mental health issues that students commonly encounter. Plans call for holding an annual student competition focused on other aspects of mental health, starting a peer education program in 2009-2010, and creating a dedicated space on campus for hosting activities on topics such as stress reduction.
An advisory committee played a key role in helping to shape the naming contest’s promotional strategy and evaluate entries. Committee members were Katrina Agard, Protestant minister with the Spiritual Life Center; Ian Cross, director of the Center for Marketing Technology and senior lecturer in marketing; Derek Delano ’95, vice president at Weber Shandwick Worldwide; Susan Gorman ’84; Helen Henrichs, assistant director of public and media relations; Stephanie Kendall, psychologist with CSD; and Gerri Taylor, assistant dean for health and wellness. A gift from the Catherine Hinds Companies helped to underwrite the competition and forthcoming peer education program.
Pettiglio remains a firm advocate for the initiative. “It’s critical to make counseling and personal development part of normal life here, and not a special consideration.” Eileen McCluskey
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