Third annual mental health conference creates a safe space and conversation starter for students

Organized mental health conversations are rare around college campuses. Students can be afraid to reach out for help due to lack of awareness or lack of student-led events that normalize mental health needs.

ASU senior psychology major Stephanie Cahill, 22, has made big strides to spread awareness and create a safe community for students to ask for help. She realized that “if you build it, they will come” may work with student conversations around mental health. She took a chance and built something new for the ASU community.

Cahill wanted to create a “space where people could talk about their mental health stories and normalize conversations.” 

Through her own experiences with mental illness, Cahill created the Mental Health Conference alongside Active Minds at ASU in 2017.

Active Minds is a student organization that aims to increase awareness of mental health issues and reduce the stigma on campus. 

Participants of the student-led mental health conference

“I didn’t know what would come of it,” Cahill said. 

At first, only 50 people attended the conference that had room for at least 400 people. 

A month after the event, someone anonymously contacted her and told her that they had watched the conference on a livestream and used the suicide prevention hotline to reach out for help. That was when Cahill realized that many were scared to show up because of the stigma on campus. 

More than 400 people viewed the conference online, which meant to her that people wanted the help.

“I realized that it doesn’t matter if only one person shows up, as long as it was able to help them,” Cahill said.

The next year, more than 200 students attended the conference.

“Each year it is getting larger and larger,” Cahill said. 

The third annual Mental Health Conference took place on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at the Student Pavilion, and Cahill announced that it was the largest for attendance.  

People at the conference were able to experience different speakers who shared their stories about their struggle with mental health. 

Undergraduate student speaker Seung Song, 19, a junior majoring in journalism and mass communication, gave a touching talk about what it was like having mental health issues throughout his life.  

“It's quite hard to relate to you if you've never been in that situation, how it feels for someone when somebody that you love is going through that situation,” Song said. 

Between speakers, health and wellness organizations presented resources and tips for students in need of assistance. 

Business entrepreneurship major Dev Patel, 21, president of SKY meditation and yoga club at ASU, led a 30-minute guided meditation. 

Dev Patel introducing his 30-minute meditation

“I took the training and it taught me how to guide people through meditations and different ways to help people with stress and anxiety reduction,” Patel said. 

The annual Mental Health Conference was an opportunity for students, staff and faculty to become aware of how to help people with mental health problems and give them resources they could use. Follow Active Minds at ASU for updates on future programs.

For more information or to seek assistance for yourself or someone else, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit the ASU Counseling Services website.