Description
Elevate mental health awareness and support at USC
Goals
- Increase awareness, knowledge of, and sensitivity towards mental health issues in the USC community
- Educate the community about all existing mental health resources both on and off campus
- Provide meaningful programming to create avenues for open communication about mental health across USC workplace settings
- Identify barriers to accessing services, reduce stigma associated with mental health services, and find solutions to common barriers, with a special focus on underrepresented community members
- Advocate for policies to improve access to quality mental health and well-being services for all employees
May Mental Health Activities for May sponsored by The Mental Health Subcommittee of Healthy Campus
The USC WorkWell Center provides programs, resources, and services to USC benefits-eligible faculty, staff, post-docs, and retirees that help them thrive in all areas of work-life wellness.
Mental Health First Aid Training | May 5, 2026
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a nationally recognized, evidence-based training program designed to teach individuals how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance-use challenges. As part of the USC-wide Mental Health Initiative, USC WorkWell Center is offering monthly trainings free of charge to 300 USC staff and faculty on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign up today.
WalkUSC is an on-campus and remote program led by volunteer faculty and staff. If you’re looking to improve your health, get outside, and connect with colleagues across campus, consider joining a weekly event to walk, roll, or move in any way you prefer with WalkUSC!
Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month with WalkUSC
Join USC mental health and well-being leaders for a 20-minute walk or roll to recharge, connect, and support your well-being.
May 28 | 12 PM – Health Sciences Campus (meet at Pappas Quad) – with Steve Shapiro, Senior Vice President, and Steve Siegel, Vice President for Behavioral Health, Health Affairs
All are welcome to participate in a way that feels comfortable, including walking/rolling at your own pace or joining for connection and support.
TELUS
This benefit offers supportive counseling. The TELUS Health EAP is an affiliate partner, providing a broad diversity of counseling specialties, languages, race/ethnicities, and genders. Learn more on our TELUS Health webpage.
RULA Mental Health Awareness Month
Even when therapy is available and covered by insurance, many people delay getting started. Here’s how you can silence the inner dialogue that’s preventing you from seeking care.
- Join the Turn off the Talk Track Webinar
- Join the Mental Health Awareness Month Webinar
Events
Taking place during May’s national Mental Health Awareness Month, join university experts in wellness, psychology, and clinical services to learn about navigating conversations related to mental health and accessing resources at USC.
Courage to Go Forward Recordings
To support Mental Health Awareness Month in May 2023, the USC WorkWell Center’s Healthy Campus Mental Health subcommittee hosted a five-week webinar series called “Courage to Go Forward,” designed to elevate mental health awareness and support at USC. View the recordings here.
Resources
Therapy FAQs: A Beginners Guide
Understand the process of getting started with therapy with this helpful guide.
Manager Checklist for a Mentally Healthy Team
Employee Checklist for a Mentally Healthy Team
These checklists contains suggested actions to consider
incorporating into your daily, weekly, monthly, and
quarterly interactions with your team. One version is for managers supporting their teams and the other one is colleagues supporting each other.
Internal Mental Health Resources
Explore the list of mental health services available through USC.
External Mental Health Resources
Explore the list of mental health services outside of USC.
Mental Health Awareness Email Signatures
Developed by the Mental Health subcommittee anti-stigma workgroup, these mental health awareness email signatures are available for faculty and staff who would like to help promote awareness and demonstrate support for the well-being of our campus community.
Download your preferred signature below and follow the video tutorials for setup and accessibility guidance.
Email Signature Setup & Accessibility Guide
For instructions on adding the signature image to Outlook or Gmail, adding hyperlinks, and applying Alt Text for accessibility and screen reader compatibility, please refer to this link.
Co-leads
Cynthia Ryan
Associate Director, Clinical Services,
USC WorkWell Center
Jesus Chavez
Assistant Director, Office of Community Expectations,
Student Affairs
Marcos Briano
Associate Professor/Director & Department Chair PEMBH,
Dornsife Department of Physical Education and Mind Body Health (PEMBH)
Michelle Tam
Employee Development Specialist,
Learning and Organizational Development
Contact
Have questions or want to get involved? Reach out to us through our Contact Us page or email workwell@usc.edu.