Yale Student Mental Health Association (YSMHA)

Mission

MISSION STATEMENT: Yale Student Mental Health Association is a student organization that aims to raise awareness about mental illness and mental health resources and advocate for changes that promote mental health in the Yale community. GOALS To educate students about mental illness through guest speakers, film screenings, and discussions To advocate for policy and culture changes that promote mental health To reduce stigma surrounding mental illness by creating a platform for students to share their experiences of mental illness at student panels To create a forum for open discussion of mental health issues on campus

Student Leaders

Hubert Tran – Co-Coordinator/Co-President Tony Vega – Co-Coordinator/Co-President

Activities

Chosen & Connected: An Intergenerational Queer Community Night Direct Service Chosen & Connected: An Intergenerational Queer Community Night is a community-centered gathering hosted in collaboration with the New Haven Pride Center that brings together LGBTQ+ students (18+) and New Haven community members for an evening focused on connection, affirmation, and mutual care. The event creates a welcoming, low-pressure space for conversation, listening, and shared presence across generations. Name tags, affirmation stickers, and small stress or fidget items will be used to support accessibility, ease social interaction, and provide comforting, tactile tools that help participants feel grounded and included. The event emphasizes chosen family, belonging, and community resilience in an affirming environment. Letters to Seniors Direct Service Senior Care & Connection Visit is a direct service event in which student volunteers visit a local memory care facility to spend one-on-one time with older adults experiencing memory loss. The event centers on building meaningful, respectful relationships through gentle conversation, shared activities, and sensory engagement. Volunteers will use small, comforting ?cute goodies,? personalized cards, and simple games as tools to spark connection, support reminiscence, and provide moments of joy and companionship. Designed to be calm, accessible, and dementia-informed, this visit prioritizes emotional comfort, dignity, and human connection while fostering intergenerational care and mutual understanding. Mind Over Matter Direct Service Mind Over Matter is an annual fair hosted by the Yale Student Mental Health Association (YSMHA) during the spring semester. YSMHA is hosting the Mind Over Matter Fair on Saturday, April 5th on Yale?s campus in Downtown New Haven! Mind Over Matter creates a positive atmosphere for open dialogue on mental health and illness and educates the Yale community on the vast array of mental health resources available to them on campus. At the event, we will have several booths run by different clubs and organizations that will discuss various topics, including handling academic stress, practicing mindfulness techniques, understanding how race, culture, and ethnicity intersect with mental health, and other important and relevant topics. There will also be food available to all and performances by various student groups YSMHA Undergraduate Study Social (Ramen Theme) Direct Service Evening study social that will be held at an accessible on-campus location and will be open to all students. We will play lo-fi music while modeling healthy and realistic approach to work-life balance. This study social will be themed as a “Ramen Night”. YSMHA Undergraduate Study Social Direct Service Take a mental and academic break, with YSMHA, from studying! Pizza and drinks provided. Inside Out 2 – Movie Screening Advocacy or Activism In Inside Out 2, Riley is dealing with some new emotions! We hope this film screening about animated characters will better help students label and process their emotions. World Mental Health Day Tabling Advocacy or Activism To celebrate World Mental Health Day, we will be tabling on Cross Campus, distributing mental wellness awareness materials, candy, cookies, and joy! We hope to be joined by a bubble maker, Heidi, and Handsome Day. Mindfulness Painting Session Advocacy or Activism In collaboration with the undergraduate art collective Indigo Club, YSMHA will be hosting a mindfulness painting tutorial session led by students, guiding 202-25 other students through an artistic and creative practice of creating joy and wonder. Friendsgiving Advocacy or Activism Before Thanksigivng Break, YSMHA will be hosting a Friendsgiving in collaboration with other wellness-focused student groups on campus such as Walden Peer Counselors, the Queer Student Association, and Hypertension Awareness & Prevention Program at Yale (HAPPY). It will be a potluck-style gathering to spend time with friends and have a good time before break in an accessible, on-campus location for all students to attend. World Kindness Day Tabling Event Advocacy or Activism For World Mental Health Day, we will be hosting a tabling event on Cross Campus where students can write a kind note and gift it to another person. Participants will have the choice between putting the note in either a small glass jar or molding air dry clay into the shape of a fortune cookie. National Random Acts of Kindness Day (Tabling) Advocacy or Activism We will be tabling in the Schwartzman Center and giving out candy and nice notes to different students. First Year Heart 2 Heart Open Discussion Advocacy or Activism We will be hosting a workshop for first year students on how to adapt to college life and will have a panel of upperclassmen to answer questions Letters to Seniors (i.e. Geriatrics) (Collaboration Event with Alzheimer Buddies) Advocacy or Activism We will be recruiting students to write kind letters to patients at memory care facilities. Mindfulness Pottery Event Advocacy or Activism This is an art relaxation event open to all students. The event involve creating personal sculptures with air-dry clay. National Random Acts of Kindness Day (Tabling) Advocacy or Activism Join the Yale Student Mental Health Association on February 17, 2025 as we celebrate National Random Acts of Kindness Day with a welcoming tabling event focused on spreading encouragement and connection across campus. Students are invited to stop by, write motivational and uplifting messages on sticky notes, and place them in a shared jar for others to read and take. Participants can enjoy free candy as a small thank-you for contributing kindness to our community. This low-pressure, open event is designed to promote positivity, peer support, and mental well-being: one kind message at a time. Community Gratitude Poster Advocacy or Activism Community Gratitude Poster is a tabling-style campus event, designed to encourage students to reflect on and share gratitude as a collective practice. Students will be invited to write messages of appreciation, thanks, or positive reflections on sticky notes and place them on a large shared poster. This evolving display will serve as a visible reminder of community care, connection, and mutual support. Candy will be provided as a small incentive for participation. The event promotes mental well-being by creating a low-barrier, inclusive space for students to express gratitude and engage with one another. Bob Ross Wellness Painting Night Social/Cultural/Team-Building This is an art relaxation and mindfulness painting event open to all students. The event involve painting alongside Bob Ross videos, and attendees will be provided with art supplies to use for their pieces. Mindfulness Pottery Night Social/Cultural/Team-Building Evening pottery night open to all students. This event is designed to give students the opportunity to practice mindfulness by grounding oneself in the moment through tactile creation of art. We will provide participants with clay for the pottery activity. There will also be cookies provided to the attending students to consume and enjoy.

How Others Get Involved

Sign up via our mailing list on https://yaleconnect.yale.edu/ycysmha/home/ or contact us via Instagram @ysmha_yale