Founded in 2019, the UNC Mental Health Coalition disbanded in 2021 due to leadership changes during the pandemic. However, juniors Harini Somanchi and Neha Sagi revived the group in January this year. Both are co-directors of student welfare and safety in the Undergraduate Executive Branch.
The Mental Health Coalition aims to bring together student leaders from a variety of identity-based and mental health organizations on campus. Somanchi and Saggi reached out to organizations previously involved in forming the coalition, working closely with UNC Student Wellness. Their goal is to increase awareness of mental health resources on campus and coordinate the efforts of various student groups.
The coalition is now represented by about 15 organizations, including the Carolina Covenant Student Advisory Council, the National Alliance on Campus Mental Illness and the Minority Student Club. Serves as a collaborative body for individuals interested in mental health on campus to streamline their efforts.
In January, the coalition held its first meeting as a new group, where representatives heard from UNC Director of Counseling and Psychological Services Avery Cook about the myths surrounding CAPS and mental health resources at UNC. Emily Hernandez, a UNC junior and resilience intern for Healthy Heels, indicated that there was positive feedback from coalition members after the meeting.
Looking ahead, representatives are planning a social media campaign to spread the information shared during the meeting. This includes letting others know that CAPS offers short therapy appointments and care services. Somanchi emphasized the importance of disseminating this information to organizations and promoting mental health resources across campus.