Yoga was a part of the Griffon 360 Family Walk during Family Day 2022.

May 9, 2023–含羞草社区 was recognized by the Missouri Partners in Prevention consortium with three awards at the Meeting of the Minds Conference on April 13-15 in Kansas City.听

Partners in Prevention is Missouri’s higher education substance misuse consortium dedicated to creating healthy and safe college campuses. There are 24 public and private college and university campuses across the state that participate in the consortium.听

Katie Miron

The Outstanding Professional Award is given to full-time and part-time professionals who have demonstrated commitment to addressing student well-being in the 2022-2023 academic year. Katie Miron, director of counseling at Missouri Western, was recognized as a recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Professional Award.

The Outstanding Student/Peer Educator Award is given to undergraduate and graduate students who have demonstrated commitment to addressing student well-being in the 2022-2023 academic year. Ahmed Adebayo, a graduate student studying business administration from Nigeria and the graduate assistant for Eliminate Tobacco Use Initiatives & Health Promotion in the Dean of Students Office, was recognized as a recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Student/Peer Educator Award.

The Outstanding Campus Program Award is given to campuses who have implemented a new or adapted program to address issues related to student well-being in the 2022-2023 academic year. The Griffon 360 Family Walk, an event co-coordinated by the Dean of Students Office and Recreation Services during Family Day 2022, was recognized as a recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Campus Program Award.

含羞草社区 is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .听

Part of the “What Were You Wearing?” exhibit at Missouri Western in 2018.

April 21, 2023鈥揂s part of its ongoing commitment to raise awareness and prevent sexual violence, 含羞草社区 will host the “What Were You Wearing? Survivor Art Installation” for Sexual Assault Awareness Month April 24-27.听

The installation features outfits recreated from the stories of sexual violence survivors, in answer to the pervasive myth that a victim鈥檚 clothing somehow invited their assault.听

The Title IX Office, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Dean of Students Office and the Counseling Center are partnering with the YWCA of St. Joseph to curate the display in the Center for Student Involvement, Blum Union room 207, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, April 24-27 The display is free and open to the public.

For questions and more information contact Adam McGowan, Title IX coordinator, at amcgowan@missouriwestern.edu.听

含羞草社区 is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .听

Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy, Missouri Western’s president, and Kris Hannon, co-CEO of Family Guidance Center, sign a memorandum of understanding Sept. 29.

Sept. 29, 2021–含羞草社区 and Family Guidance Center for Behavioral Healthcare are partnering to expand access to mental health care for Missouri Western students. Under a memorandum of understanding signed today, Family Guidance Center will assign a qualified mental health professional to the university Counseling Center full time.

鈥淭he mental health and wellbeing of our students is every bit as important as their physical health, now more than ever,鈥� said Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy, Missouri Western鈥檚 president. 鈥淥ur Counseling Center does amazing work in meeting the needs of our students, and I鈥檓 very grateful to the Family Guidance Center for allowing us to expand their reach at no cost to the university.鈥�

鈥�FGC is very pleased to be able to form a partnership with MWSU to provide an additional resource to address the behavioral health needs of students,鈥� said Kristina Hannon, co-CEO of Family Guidance Center. 鈥淲e have seen the need for behavioral health services increase locally over the last few years. Partnering with MWSU allows FGC to serve as a resource to the student population to ensure prompt access to behavioral healthcare services. MWSU is a tremendous resource for our community. This partnership allows FGC to give back to a University who has done so much to provide a well educated workforce for behavioral health providers across our region.鈥�

The Counseling Center helps students with problems, both academic and personal, that might interfere with their educational pursuits. The Family Guidance Center clinician assigned to work at the university will provide assessment, brief intervention, evidence-based therapy, supportive therapy, referral to external providers with signed consent, crisis intervention, training related to behavioral health concepts, counseling for substance abuse disorders and case management services as necessary.听

鈥淭his will be a great help to us in the Counseling Center, and a tremendous benefit to our students,鈥� said Katie Jeffers, Missouri Western鈥檚 director of counseling. 鈥淲e pride ourselves on providing this free service for our students, which involves very little wait time for an appointment. With Family Guidance Center providing us with a clinician, we can continue to meet our students where they are, without having to increase the time it takes for them to see a clinician.鈥�

In addition to the full-time clinician, Family Guidance Center will make a psychiatric provider available as needed for medication management.听

The partnership was the idea of Dr. Greg Lindsteadt, professor of criminal justice and Faculty Senate president who is also on the Family Guidance Center Board of Directors.听

The signing ceremony was held in conjunction with a suicide awareness event during National Suicide Prevention Month.

About Missouri Western: 含羞草社区 is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .听

About Family Guidance Center: Family Guidance Center helps individuals and families lead healthier, more productive lives by providing an array of behavioral health and social and health services. Since 1907, Family Guidance has provided key resources and behavioral health services to the Northwest Missouri region, reaching out to provide help and support to thousands of families living with behavioral health conditions.