Deana Stinson: Creating a Mental Health Resource for Students

Bluefield College sophomore Deana Stinson is taking a leap toward providing a website with access to resources that could help BC students in need of mental support. 

A psychology major with a certification as a mental health aid, Stinson said she has seen the struggles associated with Bluefield College having what she considers a lack of awareness of mental health issues – specifically, the absence of a school counselor. 

“I believe the college should have some type of mental health resource, and the fact that nothing along those lines is offered shows in the students who leave,” said Stinson. “Some leave because the school does not have the (proper) resources that they need to be successful.” 

Deciding something should be done, Stinson acted. Collaborating with Dr. Chaka Ward-Hatcher, professor and chair of the Psychology Department, she pulled together research on what would be beneficial for Bluefield College. From the research, the idea of a mental health resource website bloomed. 

“The creation of a resource website would benefit the students by providing a place where they can look up different things that might help them overcome what they are dealing with,” she said. “It would be a very large collective list.”

The collective list would provide resources for those who struggle with depression, anxiety, and other important mental health issues. Offered within each list would be hotlines, chatrooms, text services, links to mental health websites, and other features for students seeking additional options for support. 

“Coming from personal experience, it took a while for me to get the support I needed,” said Stinson. “At school, students obviously struggle. They get stressed and burned out with nowhere to go.”

With the help of this website, Stinson said she hopes Bluefield College students find the support they need, despite the lack of a counselor on campus. She said she also hopes it helps the school realize that the site could be built upon, improved, and have great potential. 

Although the development of the website is still in the beginning phase, Stinson said she has high hopes for it to be up and running by the fall 2019 semester.