The HEAL Project
What is HEAL? Healing-Centered Engagement through Access and Love
The HEAL Project connects CSUN at-promise students with resources they need to thrive in college and promote student success. The HEAL Project uses healing-centered engagement (HCE) and a holistic educational approach to provide access to support services for students who have been negatively impacted by systemic inequities.
We do not provide therapy, rather we create a relationship process that provides additional support to students who are experiencing challenges that hinder their full potential. Through this process, the HEAL Project team understands the importance of utilizing a cultural humility lens to meet students’ needs and ensure they have the necessary tools and support to thrive at CSUN.
Mission Statement
The HEAL Project assists diverse and underrepresented student communities by providing safe spaces to explore individual potential barriers while integrating healing-centered engagement to foster positive well-being and promote self-efficacy. We honor the intersectionalities and lived experiences of all students from different walks of life and strive to empower students to reach their academic, personal and professional aspirations.
Healing Centered Engagement Principles
Culture — The values and norms that connect us to a shared identity.
Agency — The individual and collective power to act, create and change personal conditions and external systems.
Relationships — The capacity to create, sustain and grow healthy connections with others.
Meaning — The profound discovery of who we are, why we are and what purpose we were born to serve.
Aspirations — The capacity to imagine, set and accomplish goals for personal and collective livelihood and advancement.
Referrals
- Students can be referred by CSUN faculty or staff.
- Students can be referred by a University Student Union (USU) Resource Center (DREAM Center, Pride Center, Veterans Resource Center) staff.
Student Support Request Form
- Students can fill out a support request form and a HEAL project staff will reach out to them to schedule a meeting.“‘
- Students can directly contact the HEAL Project Coordinator at angelouise.legaspi@csun.edu or healproject@csun.edu.
- Basic Needs: housing, food insecurity, safety and household essential items
- Health: mental health, physical health, wellness and coping mechanisms
- Academics: classroom expectations, student/professor relationships, enrollment barriers, semester/year deferment and academic probation
- Financial: Financial Aid concerns, loss of job/income, struggling to take care of household members, unexpected emergency situations, etc.
- Inter/Intra-Personal Barriers: intimate partner/violence/domestic violence, relationships, alcohol/substance abuse, identity development, etc.
- ... and more! If your concerns are not listed above, please feel free to contact us.
First Meeting
- Explore students’ success barriers and what kind of support the student is hoping to receive.
- Develop an action plan with student to maximize success outcomes.
- A follow-up schedule will be discussed with students to provide continued support.
Resource Connections
- Connect students to a specific contact person for relevant resources based on their needs.
- Ensure the resources we are connecting students to are inclusive and the student meets their eligibility requirements.
Follow-Up
- Follow-up with students to check in on how they’re doing and making sure they feel supported.
- Depending on the students’ needs, schedule future follow-up meetings.
- Inquire if there are any other types of support needed.
Angelouise Legaspi
HEAL Project Coordinator
angelouise.legaspi@csun.edu
Angelouise “Angel” Legaspi (she/her/hers) is the HEAL Project Coordinator. She works closely with resource centers including the DREAM Center, Pride Center and the Veterans Resource Center to provide additional support to students experiencing different barriers throughout their academic journey. Angel graduated from CSUN with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, Applied Fitness & Active Lifestyle Development and most recently with a master’s degree in Counseling, specializing in College Counseling & Student Services.
As a first-generation Filipina-American college graduate, she understands the difficulties of assimilating into higher education and the barriers that can impede academic success. Angel is passionate about advocating for and supporting diverse students while providing a safe and brave space for students coming from different walks of life. She believes it is imperative to find alternative ways to close equity gaps and promote access to services that help students achieve their goals. Her interests also include mental health and intersectionalities within underrepresented communities.
Annabelle Magdaleno
HEAL Project MSW Intern
healproject@csun.edu
Hi everyone, I am Annabelle Magdaleno, and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I am the Fall 2023/Spring 2024 MSW Intern for The HEAL Project, and I am super excited to be here helping out! I hope to bring in some fresh ideas, positivity, and hard work to our team. Some identities to know about me are that I am a woman, I am Mexican, and I identify as queer. These are also communities I care deeply about and hope to be involved with here at CSUN. Other things to know about me are that I enjoy hearing new music and attending concerts, I tend to watch anime or movies, and I love going thrifting or browsing at 5 Below. One can catch me at the HEAL project office in the Sol Center or at the Library in between classes; so if you see me around feel free to say hi and get to know me further!
HEAL Project Resources
- MataCare Grant
- Veterans Resource Center
- Affordable Learning Solutions (ALS)
- Matador Exchange
- CSUN Financial Aid Appeals/Special Circumstances
- CSUN Installment Payment Plan (IPP)
- Federal Student Loan Debt Relief (deadline Dec. 31, 2023)
- Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Application Assistance
- CSUN myMatador Scholarships
- University Counseling Services
- Mitchell Family Services
- Klotz Student Health Center
- Student Recreation Center (SRC)
- Oasis Wellness Center
- Strength United — Campus Care Advocates (confidential resource for CSUN students)
- University Counseling Services (UCS) urgent care assistance, call (818) 677-2366, Option 3.
- For potentially life-threatening situations, call 911 or the Department of Police Services at (818) 677-2111.
- Call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at (800)273-TALK (8255) (open 24 hours a day).
- Military Veterans can call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at (800)273-TALK (8255), press 1.
- Para asistencia en Espanol, llame a la línea directa de prevención del suicidio al (800)273-TALK (8255), oprima el numero 2.
- Call the LGBT Youth Suicide Hotline at (866)4-U-TREVOR.
- Text the Crisis Text Line by texting "START" to 741-741 (Free, 24/7, confidential).
- For rape or sexual assault services, call Strength United at (818)866-0453 (open 24 hours a day).
- Call the Helpline of Southern California at (562)596-5548.
- Call the Drug Helpline at (800) 559-9503.