At St. Mike’s mental health matters

In just under two years since taking on the inaugural role of Manager of Community Wellness (MCW), Emily VanBerkum-Farahat continues to be profoundly impacted by the strides the University of St. Michael’s College is making for students’ mental health.

The position at St. Michael’s sees VanBerkum-Farahat deliver various forms of community support that promote holistic well-being through one-on-one subclinical care for students. She also designs, coordinates and implements programming, educational outreach, special wellness initiatives and training opportunities regarding the overall health and well-being of students, staff and faculty.

The role is designed to bring health support to the St. Michael’s community to ensure students access support more easily.

“Dedicated to the education of the whole person, SMC is devoted to nurturing the dignity and holistic health and wellbeing of all community members so that they can develop their strengths and contribute their unique gifts in service of the common good,” VanBerkum-Farahat said. 

VanBerkum-Farahat is no stranger to the St. Michael’s community. She graduated from St. Mike’s Christianity & Culture program in 2012 before serving as a residence don and on the campus ministry team. She earned a Master of Divinity degree from St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology in 2015 as well as having worked as an outreach coordinator and director of pastoral ministries at St. Basil’s Church before being appointed Dean of Residence at Loretto College.

As the manager of community wellness, her responsibilities as a registered social worker range greatly to meet the needs at the school. Daily one-on-one wellness advising appointments see her co-identify immediate needs, explain health services and make referrals for practical next steps, whereas some days may see her pivot student needs to other campus partners and departments.

She spoke to the inherent benefits of being able to leverage St. Michael’s faith-based support systems through her work when students reach out for supplemental referrals to on-campus spiritual support and pastoral care.

“That collaborative relationship with our campus ministry helps to provide more holistic care because we are honouring that aspect of a student’s identity.  A big component of mental health is also community life and finding a sense of belonging, purpose and meaning and campus ministry can be an important asset in that regard,” she said. “I try to take into account the fullness of their identity and faith may be an important aspect of that. It is something that could also be leveraged as a resource or a mechanism for their care, coping or treatment.”

Her message goes back to the initial creation of the position at St. Mike’s, to create a hub or holistic, wraparound care that can best amplify the school’s close-knit community in an accessible, non-daunting way. 

While support has been going exceedingly well since her arrival, with multiple students taking advantage of the one-on-one meetings each week, problems concerning the ever-prevalent stigma around mental health still linger.

“Sometimes, due to everything a student must balance, it can be very difficult to be proactive about seeking support,” she said. “Our world is changing kind of rapidly and the pressures that students face in their studies today are not the same as they were even a couple of years ago, especially post-pandemic.”

VanBerkum-Farahat is seeing the benefit of the role and how her support is helping students thrive mentally and in their studies. She hopes this trend continues as the position gains permanency.

“The undergraduate journey consists of many formative years in a young person’s life, and having an MCW on staff to coordinate community support and work directly with students is an important aspect of nurturing the development of the whole human person,” VanBerkum-Farahat said. “As a college community, I hope we can engage in consistent, positive dialogue about mental health and normalize asking for help when needed.”