Welcome to January

National Mental Health Awareness Month!

In recognition of National Mental Health Awareness Month, January serves as a time to reflect on the importance of taking care of our mental well-being. This month, we’re focusing on promoting mental health awareness and offering resources. Keep an eye out on our social media channels (see below) for posts promoting mental health well-being and resources to help!

Resources for Mental Health

Websites for Mental Health

Headspace: www.headspace.com

Headspace is an effective website for facilitating self-care tools. Visitors can receive meditation, stress relief, and mental health support.

Woebot: www.woebothealth.com

Woebot is a 24/7 service website that provides support and assistance for mental health issues.

Mindshift CBT: https://healthify.nz/apps/m/mindshift-app/

This website promotes the techniques of cognitive behavior therapy for users. Those on the website will receive CBT-designed help.

Phone Numbers for Mental Health

Crisis Text Line

Text: HOME to 741741 (24/7)

Text-based support for various emotional crises offers free, confidential support.

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline

Call: 1-800-950-NAMI (1-800-950-6264)

NAMI’s helpline provides free, confidential support for people facing mental health challenges and their families, including information on local mental health services.

TeenLine

Call: 1-800-852-8336

Provides confidential peer support for teens and young adults experiencing mental health crises, stress, or other emotional difficulties.

Our social work interns are also a great resource for mental health! They are all pursuing a Masters degree in Social Work. Each of them has an abundance of information on support and mental health.

In January, Julissa S. Germosén visited with our College Student Leaders and talked about her new book, Latina Madrina. The special event began with a brief introduction by Roselyn, Program Resource Fellow, Fairleigh Dickinson University, BA and MA, May 25. Julissa shared words of wisdom about her journey as a groundbreaking Latina leader in tech and how she navigated personal and professional challenges. A lively question and answer period followed. Then Julissa took the time to speak individually with each of our students as she signed their books.

Click on the image (left) to see a clip of the event.

The Cost of College

In the weeks ahead, our students will be working to understand the cost of attending college. The sticker price for tuition is NOT the same as the actual cost of attendance. Juniors and seniors will be unpacking financial aid awards, understanding the real affordability of different schools, and navigating the hidden costs of higher education.

Ask a Question

Never hesitate to ask a question. Ask anything and everything by going to this form. Your questions are welcomed and encouraged bit.ly/AskMTB

Question: How much can a student expect to pay for course materials?

Answer: The cost of course materials varies widely from course to course and school to school. It is not unusual for a student to spend hundreds of dollars on course materials.

The cost of course materials is one of the hidden costs of higher education. However, there are resources to help students bring down that cost. Websites such as Library Genesis and OpenStax offer a wide variety of free textbooks. Sometimes, students can rent a textbook instead of buying it. Some school libraries will have the textbook on reserve. And professors sometimes have extra copies.

The bottom line: students need to be sure they have access to the course materials in order to be successful, and they need to anticipate these costs at the beginning of the semester.

Coming Soon - Mark Your Planner!

Our next Full Group Meeting is: 

• Saturday, February 15th, at 10 AM (Zoom)
• Sunday, February 16th at 4 PM (Zoom)

We will be talking about the cost of college.

Families, this month you can expect your students to learn more about college affordability, financial aid, and how to read a financial aid award letter! 

Follow MTB on Social Media!