Psychology, Alumni, Community
Art & Mindfulness event addresses mental health barriers
Breaking down the stigmas and barriers for those who experience mental health challenges depends on a continuing effort to raise awareness. With that in mind SFU alumna Linda Chang hopes a culturally inclusive event at SFU’s Surrey campus will have an impact on the local community.
Art and Mindfulness for Mental Health is being hosted by Moving Forward Family Services, where Chang works as event coordinator, together with the SFU-TD Community Engagement Centre (CEC).
“We’ve invited people who can tell their stories about how they overcame or learned to live with their mental health challenges through writing, drawing, singing, dancing and mindful meditation,” says Chang, a psychology major at SFU who graduated in 2009.
“My hope is that the event will bring more awareness to the community about mental health challenges while inspiring greater inclusion. Many are mothers, fathers, co-workers and artists, each learning to live with their own challenges.”
Chang, from Beijing, is working towards her master of counselling degree at Adler University's Vancouver campus. She became involved with Moving Forward Family Services while looking for a practicum site that focused on social justice and inclusion. The organization offers a sliding scale to free counselling to the community.