mental health programing week, TRAiLS was part of that programming, and we led a one-day hike dedicated to mental health. We had two counselors and an emotional support animal on this hike, and students had the opportunity to talk to counselors in an outdoor setting. This setting can be less intimidating than a formal office, and our participant feedback was positive. Students stated that it was nice to see counselors in a casual environment and not to feel pressured to talk about mental health.
We also trained our volunteer student guides in Mental Health First Aid. This training helped our guides understand the various types of mental health disorders
and how to recognize warning signs, and it provided resources. The training is expensive, but it is valid for five years, and we saw it has a positive investment in our students.
Currently, we’re considering how we can expand our partnership. If you want to implement a mental health resource focus for your program, I would encourage you to start the conversation. If you do not work in a university setting, you might connect with wellness centers and/or community mental health services in your area. The most difficult part about starting a partnership is getting people invested in your program. We succeeded because we found a counselor with a shared love of the outdoors; people with shared interests are more likely to invest their time with your program. Be sure to assess your new efforts, to understand how your new partnership is affecting your participants. Regardless of how you create a partnership, both the outdoor program and mental health services can benefit.
Lin Philpott, WFR, is the program coordinator for Outdoor Leadership at George Washington University.
'Our program noticed that students were having a hard time with anxiety, so we decided
to partner with our mental health services
to promote healthy living.'