Florida State University Panama City to host mental health summit for young adults

PANAMA CITY — Florida State University Panama City is hosting a "STEM-focused" mental health summit on July 20. The gathering, organized and led for the second consecutive year by the United Hands Project, is designed to help provide people with coping mechanisms.

According to an FSU press release, the event will use STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) platforms to teach people ages 10 to 25 how to better cope with mental health challenges.

Registration is required at TheUnitedHP.org. The summit will last from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and be held in the Holley Academic Center’s St. Joe Community Foundation Lecture Hall, 4750 Collegiate Drive.

The United Hands Project is a nonprofit that started in 2022. It specializes in counseling young adults.

According to its website, the United Hands Project was created by Panama City-based United Hands Counseling & Consulting. The goal of the project, according to the website, is "to close the gaps in services for adolescence, teens, and young adults."

The project's current focus, according to the website, is "on increasing awareness of mental health and the effects on the body."

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As for the July 20 summit: "When people are afforded the opportunity to be the best version of themselves, innovation takes form and becomes a change agent in reducing anxiety and depression,” Sophia Crittenden, licensed clinical social worker and FSU Panama City professor, said in the FSU press release. “Managing this can aid in people finding ways to cope with mental health diagnoses and overcome their challenges.”

This event is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided.