Andrews Hosts Inaugural Mental Health Symposium

Themed "Building a Mental Health Friendly Campus"

John T. Boston II, evangelist and motivational speaker, spoke at the opening session of the symposium. (Photo by Darren Heslop)

From Sept. 11–14, Andrews University hosted the first Thrive: Mental Health Symposium. Coordinated by the University’s Counseling & Testing Center, the symposium was themed “Building a Mental Health Friendly Campus” and featured several breakout sessions, plenary presentations and multiple resource fairs. Throughout the weekend, attendees were inspired, empowered and equipped to build healthier relationships with mental health and to foster a more caring campus community.

The symposium was created in response to the University’s Summit on Social Consciousness, which took place from March 31–April 1, 2025. The summit was themed “Our Mental Health Crisis” and explored mental health problems facing both the Andrews campus and wider society. To address these ongoing conversations, organizers planned the Thrive: Mental Health Symposium to take place at the start of the 2025–2026 school year.

The event began with an outdoor resource fair on Thursday afternoon, which exhibited a variety of mental health resources available on campus. At the symposium’s opening session that evening, Stacey Nicely, director of the Counseling & Testing Center, spoke on the creation of the event, noting, “Rather than always looking at mental health through a crisis lens, what if we created a space—an annual event—to help people learn strategies not just to survive … but teaching you how to thrive.”

The session continued with acknowledgements, a moment of remembrance for Sept. 11, 2001, and a special musical performance from graduate student and Juno-award-winner K-Anthony. Plenary presenter John T. Boston II, evangelist and motivational speaker, shared his personal testimony surrounding mental health and God’s miracles and protection in his life.

Boston affirmed to listeners, “Your pain is not lost. Your purpose is not forgotten. You are seen. You are visible. The reason we have a mental health symposium is because we’ve been through some mess. The beautiful thing is … you will be reminded that no matter how long it’s been or what you’ve been through, you were not rejected; you were protected.”

The session closed with a presentation by Jennifer Burrill, assistant vice president for Campus & Student Life and Residence Life, who spoke about the University Student Intervention Team and support services offered on campus. Participants were then encouraged to attend breakout sessions led by students, faculty and members of the community. These sessions continued on Friday morning, covering topics such as suicide, digital wellness, behavioral therapy tools and brain function.

On Saturday, Sept. 13, attendees were invited to a second resource fair that displayed mental health resources available in the surrounding community. Esther Caro, a graduate counseling psychology student and therapist with The Empowerment Center, a domestic violence shelter in Benton Harbor, shared, “I’m here to let the community know [about] this free service that we offer. They can get free therapy services, free legal help, free shelter if they have been through intimate partner violence.” She added, “It’s good to get the word out and help people know that we have these services—that they don’t have to go through it alone.”

The Andrews Community Counseling Center, which has been in service for over 30 years, also offers free counseling to community members. Allen Nansasi, a graduate student studying clinical mental health counseling, noted, “It doesn’t matter what age group; as long as you need services, you can always come and receive counseling … couples, family or any[thing] else.”

Other community-led groups, such as Pioneer Memorial Church’s Belong Ministries, focus on building connections between students and local families. Panankosi Mbunjwa, one of Belong’s representatives, explained that the ministry is important because it “provides a place for students to go.” He continued, “Students come here—sometimes they come by themselves, they leave their families far away. We try to provide a home away from home for them.”

The afternoon session began after the resource fair with a prayer, welcome and second musical performance by K-Anthony. Participants were then invited to attend a third and final round of breakout sessions, covering topics including boundaries, campus care, mental fitness, therapy and social emotional competence.

After the breakout sessions, Nicely chaired a panel discussion on the topic of faith and mental health. Panel members included Carole Woolford-Hunt, chair of the School of Graduate Psychology & Counseling; L. Ann Hamel, psychologist; Karl Bailey, professor of psychology; Natasha Richards, assistant professor of chaplaincy; and Lindsay Syeh, commissioned pastor.

The panelists discussed spiritual struggles and mental health struggles; how to change one’s picture of God; and support tools and resources. Speaking on the interconnectedness of faith and mental health, Bailey shared, “Our educational ministries, our health ministries and our development ministries go alongside our preaching ministries.” He added, “We have to approach faith not just as a set of beliefs but as a set of actions.”

Each panelist also shared messages of hope with those gathered. “God made us in community,” said Woolford-Hunt. “We are meant to be in community, and community is meant to help and support us. We can’t pull away from it … we need to get back in community with each other.”

The symposium closed with final remarks, followed by a prayer from Shane Anderson, lead pastor of Pioneer Memorial Church. Frances Faehner, vice president for Campus & Student Life, encouraged each participant to pray for God’s heart as they returned to their communities, remarking, “Just as Jesus gives us new mercies every morning, He puts people in our path to be His hands and feet for Him every day.”

Thrive: Mental Health Symposium will return next year, with a focus on hyperconnectivity, artificial intelligence and implications for mental health.