Fisher to Recognize World Mental Health Day
St. John Fisher University’s Health and Wellness Center team will be recognizing World Mental Health Day from noon to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7, in the Dennis ’72 and Denise Tepas Commons.
“This is an international day that is celebrated officially on October 10, which happens to be our recess day,” said Rebecca Kieffer, director of the Health and Wellness Center. “We’ll celebrate a few days early, and enjoy the recess day, which will be good for our mental health!”
World Mental Health Day at Fisher will include mental health messaging and awareness around campus, social media posts, and a wellness fair. Students can find resources and information by several on- and off-campus partners, including Mental Health Association of Rochester, NAMI Rochester, Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, Helio Health, The Monroe County Partners of Suicide Prevention Coalition, The Body Talk, Athlete 2 Athlete, and student groups from the Wegmans School of Nursing.
The theme of World Mental Health Day 2025 is “Access to Services: Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies.” This theme highlights the urgent and vital need to provide mental health support and services during crises such as natural disasters, conflicts, pandemics, and other emergencies, emphasizing that mental health care is essential, not a luxury, especially in times of crisis.
“Being aware of our resources and our supports when we are not in crisis, can make us better prepared to turn to this network if we find ourselves in crisis,” Kieffer explained.
The Health and Wellness Center is also highlighting the Question, Persuade and Refer training (QPR), a virtual training that is available to members of the campus community. QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives.
“We would encourage all the campus community to consider accessing this training,” Kieffer said. “QPR is the most widely taught gatekeeper training in the world.”