As part of McGill’s Student Wellness Hub, a team of Local Wellness Advisors and counsellors work with students across faculties and units to provide innovative and critical mental health support. The challenges are as wide-ranging as McGill’s diverse student body.
Melissa Cobbler, Sabine Nérée and Angela Ahenkorah are three mental health professionals who advise Black students on issues that range from traditional mental health struggles to dealing with cultural clashes and systemic racism.
A clinical social worker, couple and family therapist, and psychotherapist, Cobbler is the Local Wellness Advisor (LWA) supporting Black, Indigenous and students of colour (BIPOC). Ahenkorah, an Advanced Practice nurse with a speciality in mental health, is a LWA supporting Black students. Nérée, a clinical psychologist, counsels Black students at the Wellness Hub.
We spoke with them recently about their work.
Q. What kinds of support are students seeking when they reach out to the Wellness Hub?
Sabine Nérée: All the classic mental health challenges: depression, anxiety, ADD, family challenges, partnership break up, academic challenges, racism, discrimination on and off-campus, sexual violence, family violence, intimate partner violence, and experiences of trauma as well.
Q. Are there challenges that are unique to Black students at McGill?
Melissa Cobbler: Yes, one is navigating their academic and social spaces as a racialized person. But also for newcomers, it’s understanding Canadian culture, acculturation, and dealing with racism and discrimination on or off campus.
Angela Ahenkorah: The weather: for some, it’s their first winter. And language and accents, especially for graduate students, can contribute to some challenges with their supervisors, or to not having a voice.
Sabine Nérée: Conflicts between a parent who’s not acculturated to Canada and a student who’s born here. The clash of cultures and understanding: I see a lot of that. Also, the desire to define their cultural identity can be a challenge for them.
Q. What about issues of discrimination, racism and unconscious bias?
Angela Ahenkorah: When we talk culture with the clients, it’s a whole book that we have opened. It’s good to see them feel that sense of openness. It’s like a safe space to explore that. It’s mind-blowing to see that they can go on and on. Some even ask, is it okay for me to talk about this?
Q. The three of you recently held a workshop for Black students on navigating the challenges of graduate school. Can you share how that went and what themes were covered?
Melissa Cobbler: We had 18 students come in person, and that for us is a huge success. They were able to talk with one another. We are also doing our best to promote connection amongst students, because we understand with research that social support and connection supports mental health and overall wellbeing. When they see each other, they realize that their challenges are similar – as well as the rewards of coming to McGill. They’re able to say, I’m not in this experience alone.
We also have monthly support groups with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars. The first one that we had was with five students. The energy was great. It really is a safe space for students from sub-Saharan Africa to discuss being newcomers to Canada, facing racism, wanting to date, wanting to connect – all those different things.
Angela Ahenkorah: One of the things that we try our best to promote is affinity spaces. Students come in and they want to connect, but you also have students who don’t want to come for individualized counselling. So, any opportunity we get, we create a space where they feel there’s a sense of connection.
Q. What have you learned from your time working with McGill students?
Melissa Cobbler: Our presence is important. The unfortunate reality is that racism here at McGill, and outside of McGill, is happening. Among all the other themes that all our students speak about – anxiety, depression, dating, figuring themselves out – a lot of our students have the added burden and hardship of having to navigate a world where people might discriminate against them simply because of who they are. What I’ve learned is that these systems that we all have to navigate can be harmful to Black students, and our support here, and our ability to connect with them, is profound.
Angela Ahenkorah: It’s a great thing to know that these Black students are getting the opportunity to be empowered to effectively navigate the challenges to their wellness through the services we provide before they go out of school to impact their world, because we’re talking about racism, and racism is systemic. To be able to get the support because they came to McGill – it’s a different Black student out there in the world. The need is very real and support is critical.
Q. What do you find fulfilling about your work?
Angela Ahenkorah: It’s rewarding to see the students’ resilience shine through, where their strengths are revived and unearthed. It is truly something else. I believe it is a blessed opportunity to give back to my community and alma mater.
Sabine Nérée: It’s my dream job. I love working with young people, making a difference in the lives of students, and the synergy and connections I have with my colleagues. And the fact that McGill supports its anti-Black racism initiative is important. It’s not perfect, but they want to strive towards better equity, diversity, and inclusion.