News from The Mahurin Honors College

Honors Teaching Fellows pictured from left to right: Natalie Spiva, Danielle Williams, and Caden Lucas. 

The Mahurin Honors College through its connected course requirement, HON 251 “Citizen and Self”, is excited to announce a transformative series of mental health workshops this fall, organized by senior teaching fellow Danielle Williams, and co-facilitated by peer teaching fellows – Caden Lucas and Natalie Spiva – and current students enrolled in HON 251 in Fall 2024 semester. The workshops are designed to help participants develop personal wisdom and maintain mental health equilibrium through a “Mindset Revolution” theme.

The series of four workshops will begin on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, and will be hosted throughout the fall semester. These workshops will provide valuable opportunities for students and campus community members to engage in conversations about mental health, stress management, and holistic well-being.

Workshops Series Overview:

Mind Your Mind: Reach in and Reach Out

·         Date: Tuesday, September 17th, 2024

·         Time: 4:00PM – 6:00PM

·         Location: Honors Multi-Purpose Room

·         Event Description:  QPR Training led by the Dr. Masami Matsuyuki of the WKU Counseling Center Located on the 3^rd floor of Potter Hall. 

Mental Health Matters: Start the Conversation

·         Date: Tuesday, October 1st, 2024

·         Time: 4:00PM – 6:00PM

·         Location: Honors Multi-Purpose Room

·         Event Description:  A Conversation on navigating and maintaining your mental health led by Dr. Jay Gabbard, Professor of Social Work at WKU. 

Unlock Your Potential: Embracing and Understanding Mental Diversity

·         Date: Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024

·         Time: 4:00PM – 6:00PM

·         Location: Honors Multi-Purpose Room

·         Event Description:  A conversation on embracing and understanding the struggles of college and its impact on our mental health led by students of the Honors College.

Wellness is a State of Mind: Nurture Yours

·         Date: Tuesday, November 12th, 2024

·         Time: 4:00PM – 6:00PM

·         Location: Honors Multi-Purpose Room

·         Event Description:  A Conversation on understanding your needs and taking care of your mental, emotional, and physical health based on those needs - led by the WKU Counseling Center. 

Danielle Williams emphasizes the importance of addressing mental health in a comprehensive manner. “The workshops are designed to empower individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to take charge of their mental, emotional, and physical health, and to support others around them.” She hopes that this series will create a supportive environment where students can connect and grow and where they can acquire more awareness on how nurturing their mindset and other facets of wellness can lead to healthy lives.

For more information or to register for the workshops, please contact Danielle Williams danielle.williams644@topper.wku.edu

About Honors 251: HON 251 is a course offered as a mandatory course of the Mahurin Honors College curriculum. Typically titled "Citizen and Self", this course encourages students to explore themes related to individual and collective identity, civic engagement, and personal responsibility. It's part of the foundational honors coursework that focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to understanding society and self.

About WKU Counseling Center: WKU Counseling Center is committed to promoting the academic mission of the university by providing a variety of psychological services to students that will augment recruitment, retention, and graduation by strengthening students’ capacity to tolerate distress, form healthy relationships, and seek healthy expressions of their ideals and values. The Counseling Center also advances the university’s mission by providing educational programming, training, and consultation to the students, faculty, staff, and constituents of WKU. Learn more https://www.wku.edu/heretohelp/