Students express creativity at event recognizing Mental Health Awareness Week

Students and community members expressed themselves on canvas during a Paint Your Personality event in honor of Mental Health Awareness Week. (Photo by Erin Pence)

Wright State’s Chi Sigma Iota honor society hosted a Paint Your Personality event in honor of Mental Health Awareness Week.

“Paint Your Personality promotes mental health awareness and encourages creativity and self-expression,” said Jolene Young, president of Chi Sigma Iota (CSI). “Mental health is the foundation of our organization and the basis of all of our professions.”

Students and community members gathered at the Oct. 23 event to express themselves on canvas.

“I think the idea of this event is good,” said Alessandra Maia Freire, an international exchange student. “I think people need to express themselves and take out the things that are stuck in your mind and relax a little.”

Dozens of students joined to do just that.

“I’m painting a sunflower with the word ‘smile’ next to it,” said Erin Halloran, a freshman majoring in biomedical engineering. “I thought it would look good together, and it’s important to smile every day.”

Another student painted a scene of what she wants to think about on an off day.

“When I’m happy and in a good mood, it’s a nice day … it’s relaxing,” said Brianna Gray, a graduate student in clinical mental health counseling. “And when I’m having a bad day, I imagine something like this to lift my spirits.”

Chi Sigma Iota is an international honor society for professional counselors and counseling students in the College of Education and Human Services. This is the second year CSI has been active at Wright State. The organization promotes scholarship, research, professionalism, advocacy and excellence in the field of counseling.

“I hope that attendees learned more about Chi Sigma Iota and gained a better understanding of mental health,” said Young. “We hope our attendees expressed their creativity and increased self-awareness. … We hope the event helped increase awareness surrounding our organization, Wright State’s counseling program and the professional field in general.”

“This is such a creative way for people to express themselves and do a little self-care,” said Meredith Montgomery, president of the Miami Valley Counseling Association (MVCA), which partners with the honor society. “I encourage students currently in a counseling program or considering counseling as a career to connect with CSI.”

Chi Sigma Iota will host its next event, Cinema Therapy, on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. in 112 Oelman Hall. The event includes a showing of “Inside Out,” followed by an educational discussion on the film and its portrayal of mental health.

The cost of admission is a recommended food donation to the Wright State University Friendship Food Pantry. Suggested items for the Friendship Food Pantry are rice, pasta (besides spaghetti), jelly, peanut butter, mashed potatoes, pasta sides, rice sides, cereal, oatmeal, juice and toiletry and personal hygiene items.

Counseling professionals from the MVCA and 4 Paws for Ability will attend the discussion.