Graduate Peer Support (GPS)

Shared Experiences: A Conversation Series – Suicide Prevention and Mental Health on Thursday, September 16, 2021 at 7pm EST on Zoom

The second session of GPS’ Shared Experiences conversation series is a collaboration with GradCast’s special episode for World Suicide Prevention Day; The GradCast episode will be released Sept 7, 2021. The topic of discussion for this Shared Experiences session will focus primarily on suicide and mental health, particularly from the grad student perspective.

Our goal with this collaboration is to extend the conversation beyond the GradCast episode to further spread awareness and offer a safe space to talk about these issues on a more personal level. Those involved with the World Suicide Prevention Day special episode will be present to answer any questions, provide clarification or elaboration, and further share their experiences and thoughts about suicide, suicidal ideation, and mental health struggles during grad school, including how the pandemic has impacted these experiences. Given the topic of conversation for this session is an extension of GradCast’s special episode for World Suicide Prevention Day, it would be ideal for those in attendance to have listened to the episode, however this certainly isn’t a requirement!

We welcome all who’d like to have a safe space to share personal experiences, ask questions, or just listen to the experiences of your peers. Suicide prevention, awareness, and de-stigmatization starts with open, honest, direct conversations – and this session is us adding to that conversation. We hope to see you there!

Shared Experiences: A Conversation Series about Psychotropic Medications and Mental Health on Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at 6pm EST on Zoom

Introducing the SOGS Graduate Peer Support committee’s Shared Experiences: A Conversation Series! This series will have sessions focused on different wellness-related topics. The goal of these sessions is exactly what the title suggests: to promote conversation.  Each session in the series will start with a short informational presentation, which will lead into an informal discussion. Our aim for this series is to create a safe space where people can learn more about different, potentially sensitive, topics and share their own experiences if they so choose. The level of participation is completely up to each individual’s personal discretion. We welcome everyone, even if you attend only to listen.

The first topic for conversation is psychotropic medications, which include (but aren’t limited to) antidepressants, anxiolytics, antipsychotics, and stimulants. We aim to break the stigma surrounding these types of medications by providing a safe space to address common myths, tackle some unknowns, and promote open, honest discussion. Most importantly, our Shared Experiences series promotes asking and answering questions safely and without judgment. Being on psychotropic medications can be a difficult and frustrating experience, thinking about the possibility of needing these medications can be scary, navigating the online information and misinformation about them can be daunting, and trying to figure out how best to support individuals who do use these medications can be confusing – if you relate to any of these statements, this conversation is for you. Come share your experiences, or just listen to others share their experiences.