03/27/2009
Colleen Coffey, a program manager for the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign who overcame her own struggles with a mental disorder, will discuss mental health awareness on Monday, April 6, at SUNY Cortland.
Titled "Out of the Shadows: Talking Honestly About Mental Health," Coffey's talk will take place at 8 p.m. in Old Main Brown Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.
Coffey grew up in an environment that seemed to guarantee every success, yet she never imagined she would suffer from a mental disorder. She was hospitalized in ninth grade due to multiple disorders. She struggled with eating disorders, anxiety and depression throughout high school and college before she found a way to treat them.
In her program, Coffey offers student audiences a way to address their personal stigmas about mental disorders and mental health issues and encourages them to examine how mental wellness impacts their lives.
"This is a program that empowers not just those who may be feeling down, but anyone who wants to help a friend or family member that may be suffering from depression or any other mental issue," said Michael Discenza, SUNY Cortland athletics coordinator for student services and head women's golf coach. "Colleen's message is simple: mental health is something we should all have and take care of, just like any other facet of our health."
Coffey is a doctoral student in the field of leadership where her primary research focus is help seeking behavior among college students for mental health issues. She has a bachelor's degree in social work from Belmont University and a master's degree in college student affairs from Eastern Illinois University.
While at Eastern Illinois University, Coffey became actively involved in sorority life serving the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority in several capacities on the national and local levels. She serves as a consultant for Phired Up Productions, and co-authored and published the first book on sorority recruitment, titled I Heart Recruitment: The Eight Steps to Limitless Possibilities for Sororities.
The presentation is sponsored by Athletics, the Campus Artist and Lecture Series (CALS), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), SUNY Cortland Health Promotions and the Counseling Center.
For more information, contact Discenza at (607) 753-4923.