Mental Health Advocacy and Research
Overview
- Research Study Coordinator at the Healthy Minds Network: coordinated local research studies to test effectiveness of digital mental health education tools for college students and national research studies to assess mental health climate of university campuses
- Organizing Member of AthletesConnected: mental health initiative for increased mental health support for student athletes
- Founder and President of the Healthy Minds Coalition (Student Group): organized campus' and country's first Tinyshifts National Film Competition and the Mental Health Monologues
From my work in mental health at Michigan, I was awarded the Jed Foundation's 2015 Student Voice of Mental Health Award.
Speaking Engagements
I would love to speak about mental health at your next event or to your organization. Please contact me at any time.
- Depression on College Campuses Conference 2016: "Mental Health Monologues Student Experiences, In their own Voices"
- Florida Seminars 2016: "Mental Wellness at Michigan"
- International OCD Conference 2016: "Mental Health Monologues: Sharing Stories, Reducing Stigma; and Performance by Dean Masello: "I'm So OCD"
Mental Health Monologues
I wanted to create a platform for students at the University of Michigan to speak out about their mental health. In 2015, I produced and directed the campus' first-annual Mental Health Monologues. This show brings students, faculty, and staff from the Michigan community to the stage to share their personal experiences dealing with mental illness in the form of spoken word, poem, rant, song, or dance. In the months leading up to the show, my team and I host weekly workshops for interested performers to get them comfortable sharing their stories, assist them in writing their scripts, and feel confident performing on stage.
Check out the Mental Health Monologues 2016 Performances here.
Bring the Mental Health Monologues to your campus with this How To: Mental Health Monologues Guide.
Tinyshifts National Film Competition
The Tinyshifts National Film Competition is an annual competition that started in 2014. Many people feel that technology is detrimental to mental health, but I have dedicated my mental health advocacy work at Michigan to changing that perspective. Technology, in fact, can be a powerful tool to increase mental health awareness and reduce barriers to help-seeking in a way that is engaging and interesting for young adults. For this reason, this competition calls on college students around the country to create and submit a brief two-minute film about how they cope with stress. Winners are selected based on quality and relevancy of film as well as number of views and social media shares. Students are not only thinking creatively about their mental wellbeing, but also discussing these issues within their social networks.