In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, UO students, faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in a 45-minute online training to learn about the UO community members who may be struggling with mental health.

Hosted on the Kognito platform, the training is an immersive simulation that teaches users how to identify when an individual who may be struggling with mental health and teaches strategies for intervening effectively.

Any UO student, faculty member or staff member who completes the training before the end of May will be entered into a drawing to win one of 50 $20 gift cards to a vendor of the winner’s choosing.

“We provide a lot of trainings through our department, and Kognito is one of my favorites because it offers a low-stakes opportunity to practice having a sensitive conversation,” said Suzie Stadelman, education and prevention coordinator for University Counseling Services. “It’s difficult to recreate this in role-plays, and I think Kognito provides really helpful feedback and suggestions so these conversations go smoother and the user feels more confident to support a student or peer.”

UO students, faculty members and staff who have completed the simulation have shared their enthusiasm for the software, with a large majority saying they would recommend it to their peers and colleagues.

“We get really positive feedback during our Kognito debriefs, where we review content learned from the module, answer any questions and share specific campus resources,” Stadelman said. “We know from the post-survey that 92-94 percent of the UO community who has already taken the module would recommend it to someone else.”

People can log in using their Duck ID to complete the training. For more information and to take the training, visit the University Counseling Services website.

— By Nikki Zing, University Communications