FSU PANAMA CITY TO HOST ‘STEM’ FOCUSED MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT IN JULY

Florida State University Panama City will host the United Hands Project’s second annual STEMental Health Summit on July 20.

The event uses STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) platforms to teach people from 10 to 25 years old how to better cope with mental health difficulties. The event is free to attend, but registration is required at TheUnitedHP.org.

The summit will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Holley Academic Center’s St. Joe Community Foundation Lecture Hall, 4750 Collegiate Drive, Panama City. Lunch will be provided.

According to event organizers, the use of STEM to cope with mental health stressors has long been an untapped opportunity for growth and development for individuals as well as innovators. 
“When people are afforded the opportunity to be the best version of themselves, innovation takes form and becomes a change agent in reducing anxiety and depression,” said Sophia Crittenden, licensed clinical social worker and FSU Panama City professor. “Managing this can aid in people finding ways to cope with mental health diagnoses and overcome their challenges.”

United Hands Project, formed in 2022, is a nonprofit counseling and mental health consulting agency. Its mission was to close the gaps in services for adolescents, teens and young adults.

TheUnitedHP.orgDuring the 2023 summit, organizers provided ways for people to use STEM platforms to grow and build on basic concepts to better cope with various mental conditions they may face. One of those methods involved the “STEM in a Box” project provided by FSU Panama City’s STEM Institute.