Ross Szabo will present an On Track program entitled “Behind Happy Faces” at the Doc Bryan Student Services Center Lecture Hall from 6-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9.
Szabo is a mental health advocate, author and consultant. He was director of outreach for the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign from 2002-2010 and a member of the U.S. Peace Corps in Botswana from 2010-12.
According to his website, Szabo’s “Behind Happy Faces” program “reduces stigma, empowers others to seek help and educates people about mental health.”
Anticipated outcomes of attending the session include:
- Ability to define mental health as how we address and balance the challenges in our lives
- Consideration of the largest barriers preventing people from seeking help for mental health
- Recognition of the different mental health challenges students are experiencing
- Desire to lessen the stigma surrounding mental health by hearing a first-hand account of a person who is functioning well despite having a diagnosed mental health disorder
- Identify the steps that are necessary to change ineffective coping mechanisms
On Track is an undergraduate co-curricular experience designed to enhance Arkansas Tech student development beyond the classroom setting, encourage students to network socially among peers and to include students in traditional and signature university events.
