Anyone who says 2020 and 2021 has been easy is probably lying or delusional. The COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on many people’s mental health. 

Good thing the Health and Wellness Center at Grossmont has your back. It holds events that are not only fun, but also helpful and beneficial. For example, “Mindful Mondays” will be held over Zoom from 11 a.m. to noon beginning Oct. 4.

“It’s a series of workshops designed to raise awareness of mental health and mindfulness,” according to Mental Health Counselor Matthew Ring. 

“What we’re going to be doing for October is ‘Mental Health Jeopardy,’” he continued. “This will allow people to learn more terminology about mental health and different resources, different things that are offered at Grossmont College. It is designed to be a fun and interactive experience.”

Prizes such as a fountain speaker will also be given away, said Ring, who encouraged people to watch for programming. The center has different programs coming out each month.

The center’s staff members work hard to make sure they are doing the best they can to help out the students at Grossmont. 

“The reason I was attracted to student health is that I feel like there’s a genuine need,” said Grossmont’s Nurse Practitioner Michelle McCurdy. “Prevention is so important.” 

Therapy is not always in the cards for everyone, so this program could help and should be taken advantage of while it is available.

“We primarily follow all COVID cases right now,” Grossmont’s Nurse Pauline Parmar said. “We have been working a lot on making sure campus is safe and ensuring that the COVID cases are followed up fairly quickly and timely.” 

Both McCurdy and Parmar are busy due to being short-staffed. The two are balancing COVID-19 cases as well as counseling. 

“We’ve got the phone messages calling, we’ve got emails that are coming in from students as well from higher-ups, the lab letting us know, ‘Hey, we’ve got these positive cases,’” McCurdy said. 

Follow @health_wellness_grossmont on Instagram to keep up with Health and Wellness Center events.