In this increasingly isolating world Mental Health has been declining for a while. However since the COVID-19 pandemic it has plummeted to unseen lows. A survey by BeMSA Gent in 2020 revealed the dire situation.
That’s why we developed Start to Talk. This project hosts support group meetings every two weeks for people who want to talk about their Mental Health. These support groups are safe spaces where people can share their experiences and talk about their feelings.
By facilitating these conversations we hope to normalise speaking about mental wellbeing and mental illness. To further enable people to share tips and experiences we created a Discord server. On the server people can interact and share whenever they like.
Because mental wellbeing is a sensitive subject these conversations are moderated by medical students who receive a special training. The training is fairly elaborate, consisting of exploring the basics of mental health, recognizing red flags and managing difficult conversations.Moteraters are active during the support group meetings and on the Dicord server.
By training moderators we offer medical students the opportunity to improve on their communicative skills regarding mental health. A skill increasingly relevant for not only primary care physicians but specialised doctors as well.
Vision
Students are aware of their mental health and have the opportunity to discuss their mental health with others.
Medical students can moderate conversations about Mental Health.
Mission
Every two weeks students can join group conversations in a safe space to discuss their mental wellbeing. These discussions are aimed at normalising mental health. Students can join an online server as well for more immediate and accessible conversation.
Medical students are capacitated to moderate discussions surrounding mental health. They are able to establish a safe space and are taught to recognize red flags.
Organised by:
- BeMSA Gent
Get Involved
National: npo@bemsa.be
BeMSA Gent: lpo@bemsa-gent.be - starttotalk@bemsa-gent.be