Carolina experts available for World Mental Health Day

Oct. 10 is World Mental Health Day, an international day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma. UNC-Chapel Hill experts are available to discuss issues related to mental health, suicide prevention and well-being.

To connect with an expert, email [email protected].

Avery Cook, LCSW, is Director of Counseling and Psychological Services. Cook works with students on a variety of issues including crisis work, adjustment, anxiety, depression, substance abuse as well as issues related to LGB clients, gender identity, and gender expression. Cook is available for interviews Wednesday.

Jonathan S. Abramowitz, PhD, a distinguished professor of clinical psychology and director of the UNC-Chapel Hill Clinical Psychology PhD Program, conducts research on understanding, preventing, and treating clinical anxiety. Abramowitz can discuss stress, anxiety, and OCD.

Alicia Freeman, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist, can discuss Carolina's Mental Health First Aid Training aimed at equipping people to recognize and intervene safely in mental health crisis situations.

Rachel Goode, PhD, MPH, MSW, does research on developing, implementing, and evaluating equitable and community-engaged interventions to treat eating disorders. She can provide insight on this umbrella of mental health issues, as well as racial inequities in diagnosis and treatment.

Melissa Lippold, PhD, MPP, is interested in family-based interventions aimed to improve family relationships and promote youth and parent well-being. She can discuss the role of parenting in early substance use prevention, as well as the impact of family-related stress on youth and parent well-being.

Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody, MD, MPH is the Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at UNC-Chapel Hill and Director of the UNC Center for Women's Mood Disorders. In her role as chair, Dr. Meltzer-Brody works with UNC Health and the state on strategies to address mental health concerns broadly in North Carolina. She is an internationally known expert in depression during pregnancy and postpartum. Dr. Meltzer-Brody can discuss an array of mental health issues, as well as best practices for addressing mental health clinically and in the community.

Cheryl L. Woods Giscombé, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, FAAN, is interested in understanding and reducing stress-related health disparities among African Americans. Her research focuses on how stress and coping strategies, including mindfulness meditation, contribute to stress-related health psychological and physical health outcomes.

Sonyia Richardson, PhD, MSW, LCSW is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a secondary appointment in the School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Richardson's research interests include identifying and removing barriers (practical, systemic, organizational, and cultural) to mental health treatment for diverse populations to prevent suicide and developing interventions to support their persistence in mental health treatment. She can also address mental health disparities and equity approaches.

Ed Fisher, PhD is a psychologist and public health expert. He can discuss the impact of loneliness and loneliness on mental health.