Mental Health Month 2023
Learn more about mental health in academia and how to positively impact your wellbeing!
About Mental Health Month
Mental health struggles are a common problem, the impact of which can often result in personal, social or economic liabilities. Young adults are particularly at risk, as 75% of mental illnesses first occur before the age of 25. The lack of knowledge, and the dominant stigma surrounding mental health, prevent those affected from receiving adequate help.
Mental Health Month is MeWell’s annual capstone event, built around World Mental Health Day on the 10th of October. Our goal is to break the stigma around mental health.
Students, staff and faculty have a month-long opportunity to immerse themselves into important and diverse mental health topics, receive topical information from professionals and researchers, discuss ideas to deepen their understanding with like-minded peers as well as build communities of support and understanding.
By organizing this month of events, we further support our mission of proactively preventing mental health problems. We hope to bring more attention to the importance of mental health in academic surroundings and create an environment in which people value their mental state and where talking openly about mental health struggles is the norm rather than the exception.
Program 2023
Grief - How to deal with a loved one's death
2nd October 2023, 18:15 - 19:30
Location: UZH
Prof. Dr. phil. Dr. med. Andreas Maercke is a German clinical psychologist and international expert in traumatic stress related mental disorders working at UZH. He also contributed to lifespan and sociocultural aspects of trauma sequelae, e.g. the Janus-Face model of post-traumatic growth.
Join us for an insightful lecture during our Mental Health Month as we explore the topic
of mortality and how to navigate the loss of a loved one. While often overlooked in younger adulthood,
it is crucial to address the realities of this subject considering that accidents and suicides are the leading
causes of death during this phase of life.
We are pleased to welcome Prof. Dr. phil. Dr. med. Andreas Maercker from UZH as our speaker.
Drawing from his expertise in clinical psychology and psychiatry, Professor Maercker will share valuable insights on the effects of confrontations with death and the trajectories of grief. Gain a deeper understanding of how to cope with the passing of loved ones and don’t miss this opportunity to enhance
your understanding of grief and find strategies to navigate this challenging journey.
Mental Health & Relationship
3rd October 2023, 18:00 - 19:30
Location: UZH
Valentina Rauch-Anderegg is a clinical psychologist and federally recognised psychotherapist counselling couples and individuals. Earning her PhD at the UZH within the study «Couples becoming Parents» founded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, she later completed her post-doctoral degree at the Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston (USA) and is still doing research about parenthood and romantic couples’ relationships. Aside from her work as a therapist, supervisor and researcher, Valentina Rauch-Anderegg gives talks and conducts workshops.
Our speaker will present findings on ways in which different types of social relationships have an influence on individual well-being. In a second part, she will present specific research findings on partnership relationships and their great importance for positive mental health. The lecture will be rounded off with practical inputs in order to transform the above knowledge into practical everyday life applications.
Mental Health in der queeren Community
5th October 2023, 18:30 - 19:30
Location: ETH HG D 7.1
In collaboration with HoPZ Homepage
Wie steht es um die Mental Health der queeren Community? Welche Fakten gibt es aus der Wissenschaft? Wie können wir einander als Community unterstützen? Diese Themen diskutieren wir unter der Leitung von Max Kranich am Panel. Fragen aus dem Publikum sind erwünscht und im Anschluss gibt es Zeit für weiteren Austausch mit Apero.
Mental Health ist ein wichtiges Thema, das viele Menschen betrifft, insbesondere solche aus der LGBTIQ+ Community. Wir diskutieren die Erfahrungen mit Mental Health unserer Gäste, welche Zahlen und Fakten die Wissenschaft für uns bereithält und wie wir einander als Community unterstützen können. Zu Gast haben wir:
- T (Trish) Benvenutti ist 38 Jahre alt und identifiziert sich als transmaskulin. Beruflich war er lange Sicherheitsspezialist bei der SBB, hat danach für das Bierwerk in Zürich gearbeitet und nimmt sich jetzt eine Auszeit, um sich seiner mentalen Gesundheit zu widmen. Seit 2.5 Jahren dokumentiert er seine Transition in Videotagebüchern auf Instagram (@trish_in_transition). Damit will er anderen Menschen auf einem ähnlichen Weg eine mentale Stütze aus der Ferne sein. Wie wichtig ihm mentale Gesundheit ist, hat er auch mit seiner diesjährigen Rede an der Zürich Pride gezeigt.
- Dr. Tabea Hässler hat eine Oberassistenz am Psychologischen Institut der UZH inne. Zusammen mit Léïla Eisner hat Tabea das Schweizer LGBTIQ+ Panel gegründet und ist ausserdem Mitglied des Leitungsausschusses der europäischen “COST Action CA19103 on LGBTI+ Social and Economic (In)equalities”. Tabea erforscht, wie Mitglieder verschiedener sozialer Gruppen (z.B. im Kontext von sexueller Orientierung, Geschlechtsidentität, Migrationshintergrund, usw.) auf Ungleichheiten reagieren, mit einem Schwerpunkt auf LGBTIQ+ Personen. Ein zentrales Ziel von Tabeas Arbeit ist die Förderung inklusiverer Gesellschaften und von sozialer Gerechtigkeit.
- Chiara Bono studiert englische Literaturwissenschaften und Ethnologie an der UZH, arbeitet gleichzeitig Teilzeit, hat ADHS, ist politisch aktiv und hat daneben noch ca. 50 weitere Engagements und Hobbys. Mit ihren 26 Jahren ist sie in der Kombination all dieser Aufgaben schon mehrere Male an ihre Grenzen gestossen. Deshalb versucht sie aktiv durch ihren politischen Aktivismus und als Teil der queeren Community ihre Mitmenschen zu einem besseren Umgang mit Kapazitäten und Mental Health zu bewegen.
Trigger-Warnung: psychische Probleme, Suizidalität
Understanding stress and learning the bases of stress management strategies
Mental Health and Balance: Understanding stress and learning the bases of stress management strategies
18th October 2023, 18:00 - 19:30
Location: ZHAW Hochschulbibliothek Zürich, Room ZT 6.T62
Dr. sc. ETH Ariane Orosz holds a PhD in neuroscience and completed an advanced training in coaching/ counseling at the IBP institute for integrative body psychotherapy. She is working at the center of stress-related illnesses of the Sanatorium Kilchberg and is responsible for the stress management group training for patients with stress-related disorders and for biofeedback treatments. She is also co-project leader in a study investigating therapy outcome in stress-related disorders, conducted together with the Translational Neuromodeling Unit (University of Zurich and ETH Zurich). On a self-employed basis she offers individual coaching, and holds workshops and trainings on stress and stress management.
In this presentation Dr. Ariane Orosz will illustrate some of the underlying mechanisms of our stress response in everyday situations as well as our “anti-stress systems”. Based on this knowledge and findings from burnout research, we will discover approaches and practical techniques to help us develop individual stress management strategies to reach more balance and well-being in our lives.
Sanitas health insurance sponsors sports gel for event participants.
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services to help them stay healthy autonomously, provide straightforward assistance in the event
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Global Happiness Exhibition
During the mental health month, the poster exhibition "Global Happiness" will be displayed at different universities.
| Dates | University | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 02.10 - 06.10 | UZH | Lichthof |
| 09.10 - 13.10 | ETH | HPH D Floor |
| 16.10 - 27.10 | ZHdK | Toni-Areal |
Copyright Adrian Zwyssig
Activities by Other Organizations
This October other organizations are also planning mental health related events.
Mental Health Awareness Week by Mindful[L]
Sponsors
We would like to thank our sponsors Alias and VSETH.
A particular thank you to the Georg und Bertha Schwyzer-Winiker Stiftung for supporting the MHM 2023 with a grant of 5000.-
