Ibrahim Gardner
The transition to university life can be challenging for many students, with the need to learn how to live and study independently. Students may also be dealing with moving away from home, arriving from another country, or facing financial and academic pressures. These factors can all contribute to emotional difficulties and mental health issues.
Universities have a responsibility to support student well-being and promote holistic student development. This includes addressing basic needs such as affordable housing and food security, as well as providing resources for physical and mental health.
- Offering mental health services, such as counselling and support groups
- Providing academic advising and learning support
- Creating safe and inclusive spaces for students to seek help
- Promoting healthy lifestyles, including exercise, sleep, and proper nutrition
- Fostering social connections and a sense of belonging through student groups and community activities
- Collaborating with faculty to identify and support students who may be struggling
- Addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion to create a welcoming environment for all students
- Conducting regular surveys and assessments to understand student needs and measure the effectiveness of well-being initiatives
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Raising awareness and addressing stigma | Leadership can reduce barriers of access to mental health support facilities, while destigmatizing the need to seek mental health support. |
| Creating and designing a culture for wellbeing | Institutions should hire more counsellors to address the student mental health crisis. |
| Digital mental health services | Technology solutions, like smartphone apps, make advisors more accessible. Through these, students can reach out and are more likely to seek assistance. |
| Personalization and belonging | Surveys have shown that students value online communities as crucial to mental health and adaptation needs during the pandemic. |
| Conduct continuous surveys and assessments | Mental health support staff and faculty should be empowered with platforms to conduct online wellbeing checks. |
| Measure success | Technology can also help with tracking data and analytics. Data solutions can enable equity and foster belonging to properly measure the success of mental health programs on campuses. |
| Providing work-integrated learning opportunities | Students who have the opportunity to get out of the classroom can gain genuine business and industry insights, develop their awareness of workplace culture, and also enhance critical workplace skills, such as positive leadership and communication. |
| Building student-professor trust | Professors and lecturers aren’t just teachers – they’re mentors too. For students to see and understand the paths their professors have been on to get where they are today can be both inspiring and valuable. |
| Encouraging students to get out of their comfort zones | Exploration in both your academic and personal life is important. |
What You'll Learn
Raising awareness and addressing stigma
Raising Awareness
- Leadership should actively reduce barriers to accessing mental health support facilities.
- University leaders should destigmatize the need to seek mental health support.
- Develop and implement integrated peer-to-peer programs and student-led outreach programs to initiate conversations about mental health and increase empathy among students.
- Utilize digital platforms and technology solutions, such as smartphone apps, to improve accessibility and encourage students to reach out for assistance.
- Emphasize the importance of mental health and make it a priority within the campus culture.
- Conduct continuous surveys, assessments, and online wellbeing checks to understand students' stress levels and gather feedback on the effectiveness of support services.
- Utilize data and analytics to track the success of mental health programs and foster a sense of belonging.
Addressing Stigma
- Implement upstream solutions, including teaching programs focused on resiliency, stress management, and other behavioural challenges to prevent downstream problems.
- Develop student wellness centres that address student wellbeing on multiple levels, including emotional, physical, social, intellectual, and financial dimensions.
- Ensure that mental health support staff are trained and equipped to provide effective support and address the individual needs of students.
- Create safe and confidential spaces for students to address their mental health concerns without fear of judgement.
- Collaborate with faculty and staff to integrate mental health awareness and support into their interactions with students, fostering deeper student-faculty relationships.
- Encourage students to view mistakes and setbacks as opportunities for growth and learning.
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Creating a culture for wellbeing
Hire more counsellors
The mental health of students is a growing concern for universities, with 70% of university presidents viewing it as their most pressing issue. To address this, institutions should hire more counsellors to address the student mental health crisis.
Teach programmes focused on resilience, stress management, and other behavioural challenges
Upstream solutions are recommended by organisations such as NASPA. Teaching programmes that focus on resilience, stress management, and other behavioural challenges can help prevent downstream problems.
Raise awareness and address stigma
Leadership can reduce barriers to accessing mental health support facilities and destigmatise the need to seek mental health support. Integrated peer-to-peer programmes and student-led outreach programmes can open up conversations to better understand and support learners' needs. These can also help students empathise with each other and raise awareness of available mental health resources.
Use digital mental health services
Technology solutions, like smartphone apps, make advisors more accessible. Through these, students are more likely to reach out and seek assistance.
Measure success
Technology can also help with tracking data and analytics. Data solutions can enable equity and foster belonging to properly measure the success of mental health programmes on campuses.
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Digital mental health services
Effectiveness of Digital Mental Health Interventions
Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) can support college students' mental health. However, there is limited research on the effectiveness of these interventions, especially for specific tools. While DMHIs can help improve mental health, there is a lack of direct evidence of how they support student populations. The greatest benefit of these tools is often their accessibility for students who may not otherwise engage in traditional counseling or preventative health tools.
Types of Digital Mental Health Interventions
DMHIs can take many forms, including websites, mobile apps, virtual reality, and online platforms. These interventions are not the same as traditional counseling offered over virtual platforms like Zoom but are instead consumer-facing, skill-building platforms.
Recommendations for Digital Mental Health Services
- Research-based decision-making: Further investigation is needed to understand how these tools can be employed effectively. Institutional leaders should ask providers about their usage data to understand the evidence for their effectiveness.
- Needs and inclusion of diverse student populations: Before employing a tool to serve the entire campus community, leaders should look for efficacy across diverse populations and survey the campus population to understand their needs and preferences.
- Financing of tools: Institutions should consider expanding budgets for DMHIs instead of making tough choices with limited funds. Grant programs should also fund evaluation studies to address the need for further research.
- Holistic support: Online tools should not replace traditional mental health supports like counseling but should be used as a supplement. DMHIs can also serve as preventative resources to support students with less acute needs and potentially reduce the need for future mental health care.
- Data security and user experience: Institutional leaders should consider the effectiveness, data security, user experience, and cost of the product they choose to use.
- Raising awareness and addressing stigma: Leadership can reduce barriers to accessing mental health support facilities and destigmatize the need to seek mental health support. Integrated peer-to-peer programs and student-led outreach programs can open up conversations and help students empathize with each other.
- Digital solutions: Technology solutions, like smartphone apps, can make advisors more accessible and increase the likelihood that students will seek assistance.
- Personalization and belonging: Online communities are crucial for students' mental health and adaptation needs during the pandemic. Receiving personalized communication from their institutions also shows students that their institutions care about their success.
- Continuous surveys and assessments: Mental health support staff and faculty should be empowered with platforms to conduct online wellbeing checks to determine student stress levels and learn what works and what doesn't.
- Measuring success: Technology can help track data and analytics to enable equity and foster belonging to properly measure the success of mental health programs.
Examples of Digital Mental Health Tools
- TELUS Health Student Support
- WellTrack Ecosystem by ProtoCall Services
- SilverCloud by Amwell
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Personalization and belonging
Firstly, universities can encourage students to get out of their comfort zones and explore their academic and personal interests. This might involve joining or setting up a student organization, society, or club that aligns with their passions. This can help build students' confidence, positivity, and engagement within the local community.
Secondly, universities can foster a sense of community and belonging by creating opportunities for social connection, especially for those living in residential settings. This could include regular social activities, outings, volunteer work, competitions, and study groups. These initiatives can help reduce social isolation, which is a potential contributor to mental health issues and depression, particularly for minority student groups.
Thirdly, universities can leverage digital technology and online communities to create a sense of belonging and support students' mental health needs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, almost 30% of students reported that online communities created a sense of belonging to their institution, while 25% said these communities supported their well-being.
Additionally, universities can promote personalization and belonging by providing personalized communication and showing students that their institutions care about their success. This can be achieved through regular surveys and assessments to understand students' needs and challenges.
Lastly, universities can work to address basic needs, such as affordable housing and food insecurity, which are critical for student success. By conducting resource and needs assessments, institutions can identify gaps and allocate resources effectively to support students' well-being.
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Conduct continuous surveys and assessments
Universities can use surveys and assessments to monitor student mental health and wellbeing. This enables them to identify areas of concern and develop effective strategies to support their students. For example, the Student Well-being Institutional Support Survey (SWISS) was designed to give actionable information to practitioners about areas of strength and opportunity in their work to support holistic student well-being.
The Healthy Minds Network and the American College Health Association found that student anxiety in higher education institutions jumped from 17% to 31% in just six years. This highlights the importance of continuous surveys and assessments to track student mental health trends and inform support services.
Surveys and assessments can also help universities determine the effectiveness of their support services and identify areas for improvement. For instance, universities can use surveys to assess the affordability and nutritional value of dining options, as well as the availability of affordable housing. This information can then be used to make informed decisions about resource allocation and improve student support.
Furthermore, digital mental health services, such as smartphone apps, can increase accessibility and encourage students to seek assistance. These technologies can also help track data and analytics, enabling universities to measure the success of their mental health programmes and make data-driven decisions.
By conducting continuous surveys and assessments, universities can proactively address student mental health and wellbeing concerns, creating a supportive and inclusive environment for their students.
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Frequently asked questions
Universities can support students' well-being by providing mental health advisers, counsellors, and support groups. They can also offer practical advice on time management and how to access support services.
Universities can ensure students are aware of the support available by providing clear information on their websites and in prospectuses. They can also encourage students to ask for help if they need it and reassure them that their problems won't be dismissed or minimised.
Some specific initiatives include creating a dedicated Institute for Happiness and Wellbeing, offering work-integrated learning opportunities, and fostering collaboration rather than competition between students.
Universities can support the well-being of specific student populations, such as first-generation students, international students, and students with disabilities, by providing targeted resources and services. They can also work to reduce stigma and create safe spaces for students to discuss their experiences.
