BATON ROUGE - Baton Rouge Community College cut the ribbon and officially opened The Safe Space at BRCC Wednesday in the newly renovated Counseling and Accessibility Center located in the Bienvenue Center on the Mid City Campus.
The Safe Space includes:
- Licensed Counselors and Counseling Interns
- Private spaces for individual and group counseling
- A relaxation pod for stress relief
- A meditation room for mindfulness and reflection
- Space for workshops, seminars, and group sessions
The Safe Space is open to all BRCC students, faculty and staff and is intended to serve as a stigma-free area for support, wellness and connection.
“The Safe Space represents a proactive, compassionate response to the realities facing our students,” BRCC Provost and Vice Chancellor for Workforce and Student Development Sarah Barlow said. “We know that our students are balancing complicated lives outside of the classroom along with their educational journey, and too often those challenges go unseen or unsupported.
“This center has been intentionally designed to provide accessible, stigma-free support for our campus community.”
Housed inside The Safe Space is the office of Counseling & Accessibility Services (CAS) that facilitates the accommodations process for students with a psychological, learning or physical disability.
The Louisiana Department of Health subsidized The Safe Space through their Mental Health Fund, and the renovation was completed in less than a year.
“I want to express our sincere appreciation to the Louisiana Department of Health,” Barlow said. “Through their investment, the vision has become a reality. Their commitment recognizes what we know to be true. Mental health is public health, and when we strengthen one, we strengthen our entire community.”