FARMINGTON, ME (October 1, 2024)—The University of Maine at Farmington is featuring a panel discussion on “Mental Health: At Home, School and in the Community,” for its next UMF Public Forum. This event will take place Wednesday, Oct. 9, 7-8 p.m., in the Performance Space in the UMF Emery Community Arts Center. It is free and open to the public.
Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how individuals think, feel, and act. This panel discussion will explore challenges and resources related to supporting an individual’s mental health needs at home, in school and in the community.
Panelists and their topics include:
Sarah Carnahan – “Concerns on Campus”
Carnahan ‘06, director of Mental Health & Counseling services at UMF, will provide an overview of national and local mental health trends on college campuses. Additionally, she will describe the ways in which the college setting provides unique opportunities to support the mental health of young adults.
Lisa-Ann Henry – “State of Maine Challenges”
Henry, director of the Master’s in Counseling Psychology with an Emphasis in the Creative Arts program at UMF,will explore the critical need for mental health services among Maine citizens and highlight the initiatives undertaken by UMF to enhance the availability of clinicians in the field and how we’re making a difference in mental health care for our communities.
Laura Seames – “Mental Health 101 – A collective well-being perspective”
Seames ’99, M.S. ’22, is a conditional clinically licensed counselor in the state of Maine practicing in Wilton. She will present anintroduction to mental health basics that empower individual investment in mental well-being and how that investment leads to stronger and more vibrant communities.
Valentina Levesque – “First Generation Students and Adolescent Mental Health”
Levesque, a UMF senior and psychology major, will provide insight into first-generation/low-income students’ mental health challenges and their strengths as individuals and as a community.
The panel discussion will be moderated by Natasha Lekes, UMF professor of psychology, followed by a Q&A and a reception with light refreshments.
The UMF Public Forum presents thematic panel discussions and readings that explore creative and academic topics while engaging perspectives from UMF faculty, students and members of the Farmington community. The last UMF Public Forum for the fall semester will be “The Literary, Cultural and Psychological Importance of Video Games” on Nov. 13.
More information on panelists:
Sarah Carnahan (she/her), M.A., MSW, LCSW, has graduate degrees in both clinical social work and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies from The Ohio State University. In addition to her work at UMF, Carnahan is also the president of The Eating Disorders Association of Maine.
Lisa-Ann Henry with over 30 years of experience in the mental health field, she has been a licensed clinical professional counselor and alcohol and drug counselor in Maine for more than 20 years. Her diverse career spans outpatient settings, public schools, and private practice where she has refined her clinical counseling expertise. Henry earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Maine at Orono, followed by two master’s degrees in counseling psychology and human service administration from Antioch University, New England.
Laura Seames (she/her) is owner of We Gather (Maine). She completed both her undergraduate degree in mathematics and graduate degree in counseling at the University of Maine at Farmington. In addition to providing mental health counseling, Seames is passionate about empowering all Mainers to invest in their own mental wellness to create better lives for themselves, their family, their neighbors and the state of Maine as a whole.
Valentina Levesque (she/her) grew up in Madawaska, Maine, and is a senior psychology student at UMF. She was awarded the “Outstanding Major Award in Psychology (Counseling)” last spring and continues to expand her learning by working with others. Levesque enjoys being a peer mentor, peer educator and student mental health advisor on campus so she can further develop connections with those around her.
More on University of Maine at Farmington
A nationally recognized public liberal arts college known for its commitment to the creative arts, teacher preparation, the health arts and sciences, the environment, business and public service, UMF provides a challenging yet supportive environment to prepare students for both careers and further study. Located in the heart of Maine’s four-season outdoor recreational region, UMF is a welcoming, close-knit academic community that prepares students for enriching professional careers, engaged citizenship and an enduring love of learning.
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