Talking Stick - March/April 2009 - 36

g The S WIDeNIN UniversiTy of MinnesoTa, Twin ciTies a f eT y N eT Purdue University has formed a 16person Parent Advisory Council, which meets biannually and participates in a number of committees and advising forums. Members are trained through the Counseling and Psychological Services Department and are informed about programs such as PEEPS (Positive Education Experiences for Purdue Students), which advocates healthy alternatives to dangerous behavior. “Through training, we get them to be advocates, and it gives us a parent-to-parent peer group,” says Frazee. “Keeping them informed adds credibility to what we’re doing.” The group also conducts a program called “Year in the Life of Residence Life,” which shows parents what students may experience month- Parents review campus life information at Minnesota’s orientation. Savage says they welcome parent involvement, especially when students need support for dealing with mental health issues. P arents, perhaps the best link to students, are playing a bigger role in today’s mental health environment than ever before. According to the survey, 25 percent of directors said that their counseling centers now have a greater role in parent orientation programs, and 37 percent noted an increase in the number of phone calls from parents inquiring about counseling services. Recognizing that parents are effective advocates for mental health, college and university professionals are finding new ways to include them in a broader outreach program. The University of Minnesota in Twin Cities is proud of its University Parent Program, which includes resources for educating parents about mental health, including a Web site, biweekly e-mail, newsletter, online workshops, podcasts, and videos. “When it comes to mental health, parent involvement is a good thing,” says Marjorie Savage, director of the program. “We want to educate parents because when something happens, the university can only do so much. Parents need to know the warning signs also.” PaRentS need an RX foR undeRStanding dRug infoRmation? As more and more students come to campus with prescription drugs, housing staff struggle to understand what the drugs are, why they are prescribed, and what effects they have. Here is a short list of references recommended by Dr. Kelly Bennett, assistant professor in the School of Medicine at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. She notes that “These sites are free and run by either pharmacies (using FDA and Physicians’ Desk Reference information) or they are online health sources.” CVS pharmacy: www.cvs.com/CVSApp/health/drug_information_center.jsp Walgreens pharmacy: www.walgreens.com/library/finddrug/druginfosearch.jsp?cf=ln indePendent SiteS: www.drugs.com This site runs on information supplied by four major medical information providers: Wolters Kluwer Health, Physicians’ Desk Reference, Cerner Multum, and Thomson Micromedex. www.RxList.com RxList.com is owned and operated by WebMD. 3 Talking STick

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/health/drug_information_center.jsp http://www.walgreens.com/library/finddrug/druginfosearch.jsp?cf=ln http://www.drugs.com http://www.RxList.com http://www.RxList.com

Talking Stick - March/April 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - March/April 2009