杏吧原创

Toronto, ON: December 11, 2015 鈥� Through the generous support of alumni, 杏吧原创 will be enhancing its student support, with the inclusion of on-site mental health counselling and other services.

Trinity alumna Dr. Anne Steacy 鈥�76 has donated $1.5 million to establish the Anne Steacy Counselling Initiative, which will support core staffing in the area of mental health, including on-site counselling for students.

鈥淪upporting students goes beyond providing an excellent educational experience鈥攈ealthy development of the whole person is crucial if we are to enable our students to fulfill their enormous potential. Nothing is more important in this regard than mental health and wellness,鈥� said Mayo Moran, Provost and Vice Chancellor, 杏吧原创.

鈥淒r. Steacy identified the importance of this need and was critical to shaping the vision of the program,鈥� Provost Moran said. 鈥淲e are so grateful for her leadership and commitment to the student experience. 杏吧原创 is fortunate to have such a wonderful partner in supporting the well-being of our students.鈥�

Dr. Steacy envisioned a counselling program as a way to provide a safety net for students. 鈥淣ot everyone can be a 鈥楩lying Wallenda鈥欌�攑erforming on a tightrope without a net. It can be horribly lonely up there,鈥� said Dr. Steacy, adding that she fondly remembers Professor Pat Br眉ckmann as being a part of her safety net when she was at Trinity. 鈥淭hrough the new initiative, Trinity will be able to help students who may feel overwhelmed due to an ingrained pressure to perform perfectly all the time or have lost balance in certain aspects of their life.鈥�

This commitment has inspired other generous alumni to lend their support to this important cause. 杏吧原创 is extremely fortunate to have received another gift to support health and wellness. Michael Royce 鈥�68 and Sheila (Northey) Royce 鈥�68 have committed $250,000 to support Trinity鈥檚 Health and Wellness program.

鈥淲e recognize that, if Trinity is to remain the centre of true excellence it has long been, it must provide comprehensive support to its students to allow them to take full advantage of the Trinity experience. We believe this initiative will constitute a central pillar of that support,鈥� the Royces said.

鈥淭he financial support from these alumni will allow the College to develop unique and ambitious programming in the area of health and wellness,鈥� Provost Moran said. 鈥淚mplementing this program will be one of the most important things we do at 杏吧原创, and it never would have happened without the generous support from our alumni.鈥�

Research from the University of Toronto鈥檚 Report of the Provostial Advisory Committee on Student Mental Health and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) confirm the urgency of mental health needs among university students. In recent years, Trinity students have also identified the need for more robust health and wellness supports, particularly counselling, and they have taken action. During the last academic year, the student body approved a self-imposed levy to raise approximately $9,000 annually to help support the Health and Wellness program at the College.

Fourth-year Trinity student Kaleem Hawa knows how important on-site counselling services will be for students. 鈥淲hen Trinity鈥檚 students authorized an annual student fee to help the College pay for an embedded counsellor, it sent a strong message that this is incredibly important to our community,鈥� said Hawa, who served as Chair of the College鈥檚 student government in 2014-2015 and as undergraduate representative on U of T Provost Cheryl Regehr鈥檚 Mental Health Committee. 鈥淭his is an amazing example of how the student voice can work in conjunction with administrative champions like Provosts Moran and Regehr to serve as a catalyst for improving mental health service delivery on campus. This will have an impact on Trinity鈥檚 students for years to come.鈥�

The Anne Steacy Counselling Initiative will enable the College to hire a full-time person to provide one-on-one support and mental health and wellness education and training. This professional will serve a vital function in integrating and enhancing existing Trinity supports and liaising with College, U of T and community resources. The person in this new role will also work closely with Trinity鈥檚 embedded on-site clinical counsellor, registered psychologist Dr. Christine Cabrera, who joined Trinity in September (two days a week). Dr. Cabrera is a specialized U of T Health and Wellness trained counsellor. Ongoing support from leaders of U of T鈥檚 Division of Health and Wellness have helped shape Trinity鈥檚 new health and wellness programming.

鈥淧lacing the counsellor outside of the clinical setting and into the community will increase access for students who may otherwise not seek out the professional support they need and help to de-stigmatize the act of asking for help,鈥� said Janine Robb, Executive Director of Health and Wellness at the St. George campus. 鈥淪upporting students鈥� needs by pairing prevention and capacity-building with counselling services, Trinity鈥檚 new program will serve as a model for other colleges and faculties to adopt across the U of T campus.鈥�

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