The Garnet Guide

A resource from Mount Allison University.

This project is designed with the goal of transforming perspectives on mental health and wellness at Mount Allison University. While there has been significant progress toward destigmatizing and normalizing mental health, most understandings continue to center conversations around mental illness, which often makes it confusing to navigate and understand mental health outside of this perspective. The Garnet Guide serves as the foundation for promoting a stepped-care approach to mental health and wellness both on and off campus. By acknowledging the barriers and challenges that impact the mental health of post-secondary students, we can ensure the necessary supports are in place to prevent students from needing to access professional mental health care, while still ensuring it is available when needed.

Resources such as counseling therapy can be effective tools for helping those navigating mental health problems or distress develop skills and coping tools. However, the reality of maintaining ‘good’ mental health goes beyond only seeing a therapist during especially challenging periods. Having ‘good’ mental health is not just the absence of distressing emotions or circumstances – it’s also about taking steps to ensure that when stress arises, we are able to cope in healthy ways, by prioritizing and remaining proactive in our well-being. Ideally, students have access to the resources they need to maintain their mental health so that when stress does arise, they can cope accordingly. Unfortunately, many students don’t seek support until they have hit a breaking point – which also leads to long wait times for counselors. It is crucial to ensure students can access things like housing, financial support, sexual violence resources, and so much more, to ensure they don’t get to that breaking point. If they do, they know they will be supported.

Taking a holistic approach to mental health acknowledges that providing mental health support goes beyond access to counselors. A mentally healthy campus is one that is connected, supported, and educated on mental health; one that has access to the resources they need to navigate the challenges of both post-secondary and modern society; and one that provides access to mental health practitioners when an individual needs extra support. The Garnet Guide is designed with the goal of meeting students where they’re at and ensuring access to and knowledge of the many resources available to support students proactively through the challenges of post-secondary education.