Mental health issues affect all of us in some way: about one in
every five adult Americans is living with mental illness. And only 41% of
people who had a mental illness in the past year received professional health
care or other services, while many wait years to seek help because of the
stigma attached to mental health problems.
To break down these barriers and increase mental health
literacy, the Indiana Counseling Association (ICA) and Porter-Starke Services
offer the Community Awareness, Research, and Education (CARE) Project
for Indiana middle school, high school, and college undergraduate students. The
CARE Project is designed to raise mental health awareness among students and
communities, and to increase student involvement in research and the science of
mental health.
For this initiative, students design and present projects
focused on mental health.
Students study a mental health topic, conduct original research, and present
their work. All participating students are invited to present at the Indiana
Counseling Association Conference in Columbus, IN during April 2017 (date
TBD). A total of 51 students participated in the CARE Project last year. At the
ICA Conference, students presented posters of their work on topics such as the
effects of stereotyping, lying, and conformity.
The benefits for participating are numerous. When students present their work at the
ICA Conference, they see how their research contributes to the community of
mental health providers. Conducting and presenting original research is also a
great addition to college applications. Doing research as undergraduates can
lead to students presenting their work at other research conferences. Through
their CARE Project work, students learn about the mind and mental health, how
people perceive mental health, the intersection of mental health and
communities, and more.
For educators new to research, this initiative has developed a
Resource Guide that contains assignments, a project timeline, lessons, example
topics, and more. The Resource Guide is meant to be helpful, not required, and
is free online at our website: http://www.porterstarke.org/careproject.
Virtual meetings can be offered to orient new participants as well. No costs are associated with
participating, except for transportation to the ICA Conference. All
projects must be completed by April 1, 2017 to be included in the ICA
Conference.
Join us for this fantastic opportunity to raise mental health
awareness and enhance interest in the sciences and mental health fields! More
information is available in the attached project overview. Sign up on our
online contact page to receive updated conference
information and learn more.
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