The App State Center for Prevention and Wellness is using video games to help address mental health on campus and offer a place of community for students.
The Center for Wellness and Prevention combines streaming of games on Twitch with discussions on mental health and gives students a space to listen and discuss topics related to mental health. Discussions take place through the university’s Discord channel. Once students join the channel, they can access Twitch live streams from the Center for Wellness and Prevention, allowing them to join in on discussions and video games with their peers.
Elisabeth Cavallaro, assistant principal and student mental wellness coordinator, said she thought of Twitch streams as a way to “meet students in the middle.” Cavallaro wanted to use the students’ own interests to create a community for open discussions about mental health.
“People are finding a community in gaming and a lot of times, people are talking about how they need support and things that are going on in their lives,” Cavallaro said.
The Center for Wellness and Prevention wanted a relaxing space where students felt welcome. Cavallaro thought about the places where students feel most comfortable and examined social networks, particularly how students flocked to selected online communities.
“We know that’s where a lot of students have fun,” Cavallaro said. “One of our wellness missions is to meet students where they are.”
The idea started before the pandemic when Cavallaro and wellness director Alex Howard brainstormed ways to bring wellness discussions to students in an engaging way.
Cavallaro was inspired by popular activities enjoyed by college students. Games soon entered his radar.
The Center for Wellness and Prevention noticed that people were building communities through games and discussions about mental health in those spaces. Cavallaro and Howard wanted to replicate those natural conversations with App State students using university resources. The original idea was to play video games and talk about wellness, Cavallaro said.
When the university transitioned online, all face-to-face activities were suspended. Digital interaction became the university’s source of contact between staff and students. Through research and discussions of it, Cavallaro settled on Twitch streaming.
With streaming, you can still encourage and promote a community while bringing together a larger group of people who are uncomfortable attending events in person.
During the installation, employees at Cavallaro and the Center for Wellness and Prevention noted that their equipment could not provide the professional quality needed to broadcast.
The university applied for a grant from the American College Health Foundation. The ACHF focuses on innovative mental health and wellness projects. Upon acceptance, the university purchased the equipment necessary to produce a professional broadcast.
“We can create what is essentially our game studio with a green screen, a camera and a microphone,” Cavallaro said.
Cavallaro said Twitch streams are COVID-19 and introvert-friendly. Students who are uncomfortable with in-person events can participate from the safety of their room. Inclusion is the goal of the Center for Wellness and Prevention. Currents give outgoing students a chance to open up and talk; while those more reserved can still find solace in a supportive community.
In college, Cavallaro said he watched close friends struggle with their mental health, and without knowing the right resources, most of them suffered alone.
“I had a lot of friends who were struggling with mental health issues and didn’t know where to turn,” Cavallaro said. “When I graduated, I wanted to make sure that other college students didn’t experience the same thing that my friends and I did.”
Users can use a screen name while chatting or watching the broadcast, providing anonymity to the audience. Cavallaro said the streams are a great way for anyone looking to engage in mental wellness and be active in a like-minded community.
Viewers have the option to join the chat or sit back and watch. All discussions within the chat are moderated by WE COACH peer education coaches, A program Provide peer guidance by undergraduate students, to ensure a safe, nurturing and productive environment, according to the university. WE TRAIN page.
“We really want to try to create a supportive community on Twitch where people feel like they can keep coming back and having these conversations,” Cavallaro said. “We want them to feel like they are being listened to and listened to.”
The Center for Wellness and Prevention held the first broadcast on January 24, where peer wellness coach Brielle Kaluzny played crash team racing with the participants and discussed tips for starting the semester off strong and reducing stress.
Kaluzny, who has been part of WE COACH for seven months, said he thought the concept of online gaming during COVID-19 would give people the help they needed to connect with students.
“It’s a really great way to get a sense of support, especially coming from another colleague who has been through the same circumstances,” Kaluzny said. “That closeness in age can make students feel more comfortable talking to a friend than having a nervous reaction to a professional they’ve never met.”
Kaluzny liked the “closeness of age” between the student wellness coaches and their peers, which bridged the gap between hosts and participants. Kaluzny wants students to feel comfortable while participating in the broadcasts. He also doesn’t want students to feel nervous about joining Twitch streams.
“It’s just a safe space where if you need something addressed or if you have any questions, some wonderful people in mental health can answer them,” Kaluzny said.
“Video games and their effects on mental health can be complex,” said psychology professor Mary Ballard, whose research interests include video games.
“It seems like a great way to get students into an activity so that Prevention and Wellness Services can present mental health topics while students play,” Ballard said. “There are more positive outcomes if people use games to connect socially with others in a way that provides them with social support and positive social interactions.”
Kevin Ha, a junior marketing student, said that he plays video games regularly. “The show sounds like an amazing app idea, as opening up to people on the internet, especially through games, is easier than in real life,” said Ha.
Students can join the next Twitch broadcast on February 21. Kyra Patel, student welfare coordinator and Red Flag Educators, will talk about relationships, dating, setting healthy boundaries and communication, according to the Center for Wellness and Prevention Twitch broadcast schedule.
The Center for Wellness and Prevention hosts Twitch streams every other Monday from 7-9 p.m. Students can find archives of streams at the Web of the Wellness and Prevention Center in Additional Resources — Twitch Streams. New streams are archived for up to 14 days on Twitch.
