Linfield’s Student Health, Wellness and Counseling Center is engaging and helping students in all aspects of life in its second year as a newly integrated department.

After last year’s integration of the counseling, health and wellness centers, staff members are working together with students to take on a holistic approach in informing students about health care.

“Our goal is to help students mentally, emotionally and physically,” said Patty Haddeland, director of student health, wellness and counseling and nurse practitioner. “We’re trying to be more proactive.”

Because of the new “proactive” outlook on student health, staff members are working closely with students in order to figure out what students’ needs are and how to meet them.

“[Haddeland] has been very supportive in letting us do what we feel is wanted by the students instead of following a formulaic plan,” said Adria Godon-Bynum, coordinator of Student Health and Wellness Programming.

“Instead of just following a formulaic plan of ‘this is health promotion’ [we] really look at the survey results of what students’ issues are,” Godon-Bynum said.

Godon-Bynum was hired full-time in April of last spring and has taken charge of many projects and activities students can get involved with on campus this year. She leads the sexual assault prevention program on campus (CATS), alcohol and other drugs program (BASICS), Sexual Assault Response Team, peer health groups and is the advisor of the wellness chairs on campus.

Godon-Bynum is also leads the peer health education program on campus, and teaches several courses to help educate students about health and peer health educator techniques.

Topics include public health topics, prevention and looking at the multiple levels of things that can effect health.

“My goal is to have programming put forth by students,” Godon-Bynum said. “Things that are driven by students for students.”

Peer health advocates and educators are working alongside Godon-Bynum to plan events and programs on campus, and events will be happening on campus Nov. 19 and 20.

On Nov. 19 there will be a table with information on safe sex in Dillin Hall, and on Nov. 20 there will be a table in Walker Hall dedicated to physical activity, a de-stress walk at 4 p.m. in front of the Nicholson Library and a table in Dillin Hall focused on making healthy food choices while at Linfield.

Senior Kelsey Ludin, health and wellness intern at Linfield, is one of many students who work with Godon-Bynum to help educate peers on campus.

Ludin is currently enrolled in Godon-Bynum’s peer health methods course about wellness.

“I think we have a lot of great resources on campus that students don’t know about,” Ludin said. “I’ve seen a more things around campus [this year].”

Peer health educators, as well as Godon-Bynum, hope that with more options, more students will get involved in learning about healthy living styles.

“Based on what I’ve heard, the overall impression is that there are more events are happening [and] students are getting more involved,” Godon-Bynum said. “I’ve been really impressed with the ideas students come with. I think, for me, we’re really in a building phase of getting students into that peer health model.”

Samantha Sigler / Editor-in-chief

Samantha Sigler can be reached at [email protected].