This material was written by a Dallas College licensed counselor. All views expressed in this piece are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Dallas College.
Written by Dr. Jesse Gonzalez, personal counselor at Dallas College
Have you ever heard of MHE? It’s not a new medicine or treatment. It’s not one of the vaccines that will be ready in the next few months. This acronym stands for something different. Something we all should take the time grasp.
MHE actually stands for mental health education. That plain and simple! MHE can empower you to learn about and understand the feelings you are having in the midst of this different and strange new world where it seems like everything is changing. It also helps you understand what’s going on and how it’s affecting you, what you’re feeling and how to deal with life during COVID.
Let’s talk about how you can place the power of knowledge in your hands.
How MHE Impacts You
- You’re not the only one —Everyone is being affected, just in different ways, and lots of folks are being affected the way you are. You’re not the only one feeling the way that you do. Find out how others are coping, and find things that work.
- You’re not alone —There are people who will understand how you feel, who care about how you feel — and are trained to help you as you work your way through it.
- There is hope and help —These things mean that you can feel better — you can learn to both understand how you feel and why, then learn things that will make things better for you.
- There are things you can do —Things that you control, things that are free, things that you can do at home (or while you go for a walk), things that are simple to learn and simple to do.
- There are resources — Websites, apps, videos, etc., that will give you ideas of things to do, things to read or watch or listen to, skills you can learn. Resources that can even lead you to other resources.
The quickest way to for you to explore MHE is to contact Dallas College Counseling Services. Our team can introduce you to the above concepts and show you the resources you need — for free! As a Dallas College student, you receive free, confidential and easily available individual appointments. Due to safety precautions, our counseling sessions are virtual for now, but one day we’ll be back in person on campus. Scroll further to see our contact info.
COVID is inescapable, no matter how tired we are of it. It can affect us in lots of ways, most of them very bad. But MHE can help you cope in a much healthier way.
Dallas College Free Online Counseling for Students
It’s OK to say you’re not OK. Do you need to speak to someone about something you’re dealing with? At Dallas College, we never want you to feel alone. Our certified, professional counselors are here to help you — for free!
Our team offers virtual, one-on-one sessions for any student currently enrolled in Fall 2020 classes. To get started, all you need to do is contact your campus Counseling Center at the email address listed below:
Brookhaven Counseling Center: bhccounseling@dcccd.edu
Cedar Valley Counseling Center: cvccounseling@dcccd.edu
Eastfield Counseling Center: jasminegarcia@dcccd.edu
El Centro Counseling Center: ECCStudentCounseling@dcccd.edu
Mountain View Counseling Center: jgonzalez@dcccd.edu
North Lake Counseling Center: nlccounseling@dcccd.edu
Richland Counseling Center: Counseling-RLC@dcccd.edu
Please note: If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call 911 or visit the nearest hospital emergency room rather than requesting an online counseling session.
Interactive Sessions By Topic
Our counselors also offer a variety of psychoeducational workshops and Let’s Talk Series to assist students in developing academic skills, exploring career options, making career decisions and growing as a person. These interactive sessions are free and available just about every week! Join us for the following events:
Brave Spaces: Being a Minority and the First in My Family To Go to College
Tuesday, Oct. 29 | 1-2 p.m.
Join in via this WebEx link
Cultural Understanding: Setting Your Biases Aside
Monday, Nov. 2 | 1-2 p.m.
Join in via this WebEx link
Healthy Relationships
Tuesday, Nov. 3 | 11 a.m.-noon
Join in via this WebEx link
It’s Okay To Say: Self Care
Wednesday, Nov. 4 | 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Join in via this WebEx link
Our team of Dallas College counselors also proudly support TAO (Therapy Assistance Online) as a helpful, free resource that offers more than 150 brief, interactive sessions on various topics such as mental health, wellness and substance abuse. Check out the following sessions that are available on demand:
Healthy Relationships
Join in:taoconnect.org/relationships
Enrollment Key: #Love
Let’s Talk About Anxiety
Join in: taoconnect.org/anxiety
Enrollment Key: #kick-it
Mindfulness 101
Join in: taoconnect.org/mindfulness
Enrollment Key: #keepcalm
Stress Management
Join in: taoconnect.org/stress
Enrollment Key: #kickstress
Explore our full list of events by visiting our counseling workshops and events page.
Community Mental Health Resources Available in Our Area
- North Texas Behavioral Health Authority can help pay for community psychiatric, mental health and substance abuse services — please call 214-366-9407.
- Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas — please call 214-828-1000.
- National Veterans Crisis Line — please call 800-273-8255 and press 1.
- National Domestic Violence Hotline — please call 800-799-7233.
- National Sexual Assault Hotline — please call 800-656-4673.
- Message 741741 from anywhere in the United States to text with a trained crisis counselor. Heads up — standard messaging rates may apply.
It’s okay to say. Our college encourages and supports all students and employees in their efforts to openly talk about mental health. Even if you’re not dealing with a specific mental health issue, chances are someone you know is. If you see something that could be helpful to someone else, spread the word and share this information.