Rider Students Walk to Raise Awareness for Mental Illness

College can be a hard transition for some, I know when I transferred into Rider University from community college, I was really scared. Luckily, I made the cheerleading team, so I did know a bunch of girls, but other than that, I was going without knowing anyone. Plus, starting a new school and being away from home for the first time definitely gave me a lot of anxiety. These are feelings that a lot of students have and the Department of Counseling Services at Rider University understands that, and strive to make sure students know they've got some place to go and talk to someone when they need it.

A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to go to Rider University and meet Cody, Rider University's Therapy Dog. Cody is just one of the many ways that the Department of Counseling Services and the Outreach Team is trying to raise awareness about mental illness. Their latest event, "Stomp Out Stigma," was held on the campus mall Thursday and brought out almost 200 students. A walk course was set up for students to walk to "Stomp Out Stigma" associated with mental illness and over 100 students registered. The event educated the student population about mental concerns while raising awareness.

Below are some pictures form the event!

The Department of Counseling Services and the Outreach Team and include, Dr. Lisa Spatafore, Tara Lorenzetti, Sydney Murano, Chris Reubel. Screenshot their names in case you ever need to reach out to them for help. They are here for you and I'm sure they're looking forward to making next year's event bigger and better!