Why is it important to seek help when you’re struggling in life? According to the Suicide Resource Prevention Center, suicide is a leading cause of death for college students. 

Castleton University offers many psychology classes and opportunities to get involved with mental awareness and support. The Wellness Center on campus provides free mental health services for all students and therapy dogs visit the Calvin Coolidge Library every Thursday. 

Greg Engel, associate professor of psychology at CU, had a lot to say about mental health and the role psychology plays in addressing mental health.

“Psychology is an important perspective for just learning how to understand those around us,” Engel said. “One of the major take-homes of psychology is having empathy for others and understanding them. We can empathize with them more and I think that can be really critical for anyone…We are our minds.” 

Engel also mentioned that there is always more that can be done at CU to provide support for students, as is the case at any college. 

Students also had a lot to say about mental health and the support provided by CU. As a student, life can seem hard with all the factors that come with college life — being away from home, meeting new people and constantly working. 

“Castleton provides enough mental support if you find the right places to look,” student Lucas Granger said. 

Granger added that everyone should go to therapy, even if the situation isn’t that serious. 

Student Alexandra Brouilette said she is grateful that she took a psychology class to understand the minds of herself and others. 

“It’s important for people with bad mental health to get the help that they need and to grow,” she said.

According to Olivia Laporte, a therapist from Enosburg Falls, Vermont, therapy is not only important for students, but for therapists themselves as well. 

“We also maintain a good network because even though we are therapists, we still need people to talk to for ourselves. And we also deal with similar things as our patients,” she said.

According to many at CU, reaching out is crucial for well-being and mental health — no matter who you are or what you’ve been through. 

“Seeing (people’s) lives change is the best part of my job,” Laporte said.