Allegany College of Maryland has launched a Holistic Mental Health Network to better
help students assess their needs and access college and community resources. Nationwide
college students are reporting higher rates and incidents
of stress, anxiety, and depression.
COLLEGE PRIORITIZES MENTAL HEALTH:
Allegany College of Maryland Launches Holistic Mental Health Network
CUMBERLAND, Md. (Oct. 13, 2021) – Attending college is stressful in the best of circumstances but attending college amid a multi-year pandemic is taking a toll on millions of degree-seeking students nationally. Even at a small college, it can be easy for students to feel alone or overwhelmed and fall through the cracks. On the advice of its students, Allegany College of Maryland has launched a Holistic Mental Health Network to help students better identify their needs and access available college and community resources.
“If we’re to help students ‘stay the course’ and remain in school until degree completion, we must – as an institution, and more broadly, as a nation of educators – do a better job of communicating about, and connecting students to, available resources. Students are facing incredible challenges in their everyday lives like financial pressures, food or housing insecurity, personal or family job loss, and complex family dynamics. It’s manifesting in higher reports of stress, anxiety and depression among students,” said Cynthia Bambara, president of ACM.
Because academic, work and personal issues can interfere with one’s success, the Holistic Mental Health Network focuses on the wellbeing and resilience of each individual person and is built upon a foundation of self-care, meaning that:
Accessing the Holistic Mental Health Network
Students may access the Network at allegany.edu/students/holistic-mental-health, through the college’s Student Counseling webpage or within the Student Lounge on BrightSpace. ACM Student Services Coordinator and Operations Specialist Renee Gibson is available to answer questions, assist students through the Holistic Mental Health
Network’s self-assessment process, and also offer emotional support and guidance.
Her office is in Room 12 of the College Center, and she may be reached at 301-784-5206.
A sampling of resources available to students currently attending Allegany College of Maryland include:
Employee Trained to Offer Help
Allegany College of Maryland has a long history of providing care that looks at the
whole person and considers their physical, emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing.
For more about ACM’s Holistic Mental Health Network or the college’s Counseling Services, individuals are asked to contact Renee Gibson at 301-784-5206.