The staff from Counseling and Wellness Services invites all students and staff to join us this month in supporting mental health awareness.
Our friends at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) are hosting several events for Mental Health Awareness Month. NAMI’s mission is to provide advocacy, education, support and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives. The following upcoming events are aimed at doing just that.
Cafe NAMI: Support & Spread Mental Health Awareness!
Join us Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m. for NAMI CAFE , a night of live performances!
- Enjoy a variety of performers, musicians, dancers, poets
and much more…
- Email info@naminys.org to sign up for a spot in our lineup to share your talents!
NAMI-NYS Night of Musicals featuring Zak Sandler and a Musical Inspired Karaoke After Party on Saturday, May 16 at 7 p.m.
- Register to receive the zoom link: NAMI-NYS Night of Musicals
- Zak Sandler is a mental health advocate with a musical twist, inspiring audiences, big and small, with his theatrical work. In his performances, he draws on his personal experience with bipolar to open a conversation on mental health with a unique sense of lightness and humor. Zak has appeared on “This Is Actually Happening” (a podcast with 44K+ plays), and “Moments of Clarity” (a radio show with 1M+ listeners). He is a featured speaker with This Is My Brave and the JED Foundation, and in 2018, he won the Young Leader Award from NAMI-NYS. Zak has played piano on Broadway for WICKED, MEAN GIRLS, MOTOWN, and THE COLOR PURPLE. His musical about bipolar, INSIDE MY HEAD, premiered at New York Theatre Barn, and was a semi-finalist at the O’Neill Theater’s National Music Theater Conference. The show will be touring the US in 2020. Zak is also creating and hosting a docuseries that explores the link between creativity and mental conditions among celebrity artists and up-and-coming artists, called “Insanely Talented.” He has a BA in music from Yale University
- www.zaksandler.com
(Zak does not use the phrases “mental illness” or “bipolar disorder,” because he feels they set a negative tone and imply there’s something wrong with him. He prefers the more neutral terms “mental conditions” and simply, “bipolar.” Our words have the power to transform the conversation.)
For more information visit about the National Alliance on Mental Illness visit their website at https://www.nami.org/home.
Stay safe and well!
Wellness Center Staff
Published: Thu, 14 May 2020 12:00:01 +0000 by k.weeks