By Breanne Brown
NAIT is introducing a new mental health and resilience trainer right in your pocket. Headversity is an app that gives you the ongoing ability to maintain good mental health.
The Nugget had the opportunity to speak with Lynn Ryan, mental health coordinator for NAIT. Lynn has been with NAIT for the last 12 years and with the well-being department for the last two and a half years.
Ryan feels the new mental health app will play an important role in student’s management of their health during COVID-19, primarily by helping users train their resilience.
“Resilience is the skill that helps us weather change and adversity. This is more important than ever as we navigate all the changes associated with COVID,” said Ryan.
Although the app was in the works well before the effects of COVID-19, there’s never been a better time for the app to be introduced.
Students can follow NAIT Student Well-being on Instagram for details on how to access the app, or they can check their Student Portal or NAIT Student Well-being on Ookslife.ca for access instructions. There is full anonymity when using the app; it is solely designed for the student’s well being and not for data collection.
“The app uses a science and technology based approach to organizational mental health and resilience that empowers users to measure, track, and train their own resilience,” added Ryan.
Once downloaded, students will take an assessment to find a baseline for 6 resilience skills: mental health, self expertise, mindfulness, mental fitness, hardiness, and energy management. Students can then get a custom learning path to practice and track their daily progress.
The app is available to all NAIT students and staff starting on October 8, 2020.
