BBCC hosts mental health discussion

MOSES LAKE – Hosted by the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) at Big Bend Community College (BBCC), a mental health discussion was held Tuesday afternoon on campus. Psychology and Sociology instructor Dr. David Holliway led the discussion and shared his knowledge with attendees.

“Mental health affects everyone,” he said as he initiated the discussion. “We need to talk about it, normalize it.”

The event, for staff and students, was held because it is close to finals week, in the final quarter of the school year, and a lot of students are facing high levels of stress.  One of the PTK officers, Leslie Estrada, had the idea to hold the event and contacted Dr. Holliway as well to get it all set up, PTK Faculty Advisor Octaviano Gutierrez said.

The discussion focused on questions such as: What is mental health? What is mental illness? What stresses you out? How do you de-stress?

The discussion promoted the sharing of personal experiences, reflection on how mental health and mental illness intersect and how attendees personally deal with stress and challenges.

Dr. Holliway said the intimate and welcoming atmosphere of the event allowed for attendees to share their thoughts, feelings and experiences in a safe space.

Dr. Holliway shared two resources with the group before departing: nami.org and nostigmas.org which are two places that people can learn more about mental health, mental illness as well as find resources to programs.