The panel will discuss issues including the intersections of students' feelings of belonging to a campus, anxiety, depression, aggression, and their use of mental health services. The panel will also explore data showing the potential consequences of being disembodied on Zoom for students’ self-perceptions and emotional health; and will present an analysis of language used in college communications, which reveals underlying assumptions of people and institutions. Panelists will share strategies for promoting social connectedness, strengthening life skills, and coping repertoires to build mental health resilience and support for students who are struggling.

View the recording on Youtube or read the transcript.

Moderators: 

Kristi Erdal, Ph.D. 

Professor, Psychology
Chair, Human Biology & Kinesiology
A.B. in Psychology, Brown University
M.A. in Clinical Psychology, Arizona State University
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Arizona State University

Kristi Erdal has conducted clinical and experimental research in depression and anxiety in Parkinson's disease, and on cross-cultural issues in depression and its treatment. She has conducted experimental research in the malingering of head injury, placebo sleep, while in recent years focusing on sport-related topics such as sport superstition, sport concussion, stereotyping in athletes, and on how athletes may fake neuropsychological baseline tests to affect return-to-play decisions postconcussion.

Her 2018 book, "The Adulteration of Children's Sports: Waning Health and Well-being in the Age of Organized Play" (Lexington Books, a division of Rowman & Littlefield), was written with the support of the Robert C. Fox Professorship at Colorado College. 

Heather Horton, Ph.D.

Heather Horton, Ph.D., is the acting director of student health & well-being and director of the Wellness Resource Center at Colorado College.  A licensed clinical psychologist, she has 20+ years of experience in providing mental health services and working with survivors of interpersonal violence.  During her 15 years at CC, much of her energy has gone toward developing and implementing programs focused on preventing gender-based violence, promoting mental health, and creating a healthy, caring campus community.

Panelists:

Tomi-Ann Roberts, Ph.D.

Professor, Chair, Psychology

Tomi-Ann Roberts has been a professor of psychology at Colorado College since 1993, and is currently the department chair. She earned her BA from Smith College and her Ph.D. from Stanford University. Her research focuses on the psychological consequences of the sexualization and objectification of girls and women. Her first article on this topic, "Objectification Theory," is the most cited article in the 40-year history of the journal Psychology of Women Quarterly. At CC, she teaches intro to psych, personality theory, emotions, gender, and often incorporates art (sometimes at the FAC, sometimes for a block in the city of Florence) to examine questions of empathy, individuality, and expression. 

Chantal Figueroa, Ph.D.

Chantal Figueroa, Ph.D. earned her doctorate from the University of Minnesota in Comparative and International Development Education and is currently an assistant professor of sociology at Colorado College. Her research focuses on understanding the constructions of mental health from a critical and interdisciplinary perspective. As a result of this work, Figueroa bridges education and mental health.