Panelists announced for 20th March Web Discussion on University Mental Health Policy

Student Wellbeing Web Summit Panel Discussion, Wednesday 20th March, 14.00-15.30pm

Higher Education and mental health experts will be exploring the question ‘What should a university mental health policy look like?’ as part of the Web Summit ran by Mental Wealth UK
and Open Your Mind.

In 2011, the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ urged all universities to have in place a formal mental health policy. The issue has been made all the more pressing by data released in 2012 that suggested that there has been a marked increase in student suicides since 2008.

  • Considering that every institution is different, what measures should institutions put in place to support the mental health of their students?
  • As the student community changes each year, how should a policy be maintained to ensure it’s up to date and fit for purpose?

It is hoped that this discussion  will be useful to staff and students working to promote mental health on campuses, as well as further national efforts to coordinate the promotion of mental health across the sector.

To take part please register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4245777693707723776. You will then be sent information about how to access the discussion room and will have the opportunity to share your thoughts and questions during the event.

The full schedule for the web summit can be found here or here.

You can also share the event or your opinions as it unfolds by tweeting @mentalwealthuk and using the hashtag  #mwukweb

The Panelists…

Chris Brill, Policy Advisor, Equality Challenge Unit

In 2012, the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) reported on the problem of low disclosure rates from university students with mental health problems. The ECU is currently surveying students to look at how universities can support students experiencing mental health problems. Chris Brill is the project lead for work on Equality in Higher Education, and previously worked at the National Autistic Society where he gained experience in disability equality issues.

Ruth Caleb, Secretary, Working Group for Promotion of Mental Wellbeing in Higher Education (MWBHE), Head of Counselling, Brunel University

MWBHE is a national working group hosted by Universities UK and GuildHE that aims to promote collaboration between the different sectors, agencies and professional groups with responsibility for mental well-being in HE, and to influence policy within the subject area. The group contains membership from 9 of the leading bodies and groups concerned with mental health in higher education, and is due to survey universities to find out how many have mental health policies in place this year, following a similar survey in 2008 (as reported on in the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ 2011 report).

Sharon Doherty, Healthy University Coordinator, Healthy Universities / Healthy Settings Development Officer, University of Central Lancashire.

The Healthy Universities project has received widespread recognition and support for its advocacy of a whole-university approach to promoting health and wellbeing, and was recommended in the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ 2011 report into student mental health. Sharon Doherty has spent 20 years in public health & health promotion, and is currently based in the Healthy Settings Unit at the University of Central Lancashire, where, alongside supporting the Healthy Universities framework, she consults locally, regionally, and nationally, on delivering healthy settings approaches.

Colum McGuire, Welfare Zone Committee Member, National Union of Students / VP Welfare, Kent Students’ Union

As Vice President for Welfare, Colum represents students at Kent University on various issues relating to student welfare and recently led the Students’ Union’s Mental Health Week. He was also elected onto the NUS Welfare Committee, who steer the work of the National Union of Students Welfare Zone.

Ed Pinkney, Project Coordinator, Open Your Mind (National Union of Students – Union of Students Ireland)

Open Your Mind is the NUS Group’s Northern Ireland mental health project, and is co-run by NUS-USI and Mindwise. As the oldest student-led mental health project in the UK, having been launched in 2007 with support from the Big Lottery Fund, Open Your Mind delivers accredited mental health training and campaigning opportunities to students. Ed Pinkney took over leadership of the project in January 2013 after founding Mental Wealth UK in 2010, and has written about the challenges of implementing national guidelines for students’ mental health.

Stress Relief at the University of Birmingham

In spring 2011, this concept came out of Birmingham University. 

The University of Birmingham Disabled Students’ Officer (DSO) and Disability and Mental Health Students Association (DAMSA) are organising a Mental Health Awareness event for March 23rd and 24th 2011. March 23rd will be an introduction to mental health, where student groups will be running discussion events to help people learn more about what mental health is, before the main event on 24th: ‘How’s your mental health today?’

We hope that by taking this event onto campus as well as the Guild, we can reach every student on campus and promote the idea that everybody, not just those who define as having a mental health problem, has a mental health which needs caring for. This will help students to see the enhancement of mental health as part of a healthy lifestyle, both inside and outside of campus life.

To promote mental health care, we have teamed up with many university and student run support services and activities on campus will include, but not be limited to:

  • Yoga taster session and Thrive (nutrition) workshop by the Munrow Sports Centre
  • Body Image workshop by the Women’s Association 
  • Meditation with the Chaplaincy and Interfaith groups
  • Stress management workshop by University Counselling and Guidance
  • Introduction to Alternative Therapies by Well Naturally
  • Tours of the Winterbourne Botanical Gardens and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts to show students ‘safe’ quiet spaces on campus
  • A Nightline (student volunteer group) listening post
  • Coffee and cakes with DAMSA
  • Screening and discussion of a mental health film produced by the Guild TV society

In addition, the University has a mental health awareness officer who has contacts with Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health trust, and we are hoping that the trust and staff from the new mental health hospital will also come onto campus.

We hope that the benefits of such a day will encourage all students to engage in activities which will improve their mental health, as well as meet people and societies which will offer new friendship groups. We strongly believe that peer support is of utmost importance when it comes to mental health care, and a clear show of support on campus will help students to realise that all people have a mental health to take care of! When students realise that they have both professional and peer support on campus, this will give students more focus on mental wellbeing, making people happier and redirecting those who would otherwise have considered suicide, while those who continue to contemplate suicide will know where they can find support.

Although most of the activities will not require funding as they are student-led, we will not be able to promote this event outside of the Guild and reach the full 28,000 university students without help towards advertising costs. We need to promote this event to students through marketing (posters, banners, flyers, t-shirts and electronic messages and bulletins) on all campuses and halls of residence, to spread a message of mental wellbeing.

Wellbeing ‘Exam Kits’, An Idea from EUSA.

An idea for a mental health project put forward by Edinburgh University in 2011:

Last year worrying statistics were published by NUS Scotland concerning the number of students who felt stressed out and what the most common triggers student stress. In response to this report EUSA, and more specifically, the student welfare forum and disabled student action group, wanted to take action. During last semester, to coincide with our exam period, we published a mental wellbeing guide, which included lots of tips and ideas on how to de-stress. For the exam period this semester, we would like to re-run a mental health campaign and build on our efforts last semester.

EUSA would like to produce a few hundred ‘exam kits’ for students this semester. Our student helpline society ‘Nightline’ produced a similar product last year, but on a much smaller scale. We would like to both continue and extend this innovative project and reach hundreds of students who will be experiencing stressful exam revision.

The ‘exam kits’ will contain a mental wellbeing guide, exam revision guides as well as some light relief in the form of snacks, drinks and extra stationary. They will also contain a wide range of information from mental health charities, including Mental Wealth UK, and other organisation, such as NUS Scotland, the NHS LGBT organisations, internal student counseling services and suicide prevention charities, such as the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust and the Samaritans. We have a large amount of valuable information we wish to distribute to students and funding will help us distribute resources in an appealing way. The ‘exam kits’ will package the information in a variety of ways including bookmarks, pens and leaflets.

Funding will go towards the ‘exam kit’ project by allowing us to pay for designing and producing of the mental health guide into a more concise format, suitable for exam kits. We can also purchase more, environmentally sound, canvas bags which will hold the exam kit, as well as some of the content, namely pens, snacks and drinks.

We hope that the exam kits and the mental health campaign of this semester will give students a stress relieving boost whilst they study. The exam kits are intended to be a fund source of light relief but also contain information about serious mental health issues linked to students, namely stress, depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. By balancing the message of the campaign between lightweight and more serious elements, whilst simultaneously providing several hundred ‘exam kits’, we hope to reach numerous students who would otherwise feel isolated and stressed at this time.

Keep Calm And Love Life

KEEP CALM AND LOVE LIFE

A campaign concept from Cardiff University Mental Wealth Group


In the UK around 2,000 young people under the age of 35 take their own lives each year.

Some of them are students.

 

And suicide doesn’t just affect the individual involved; instead it leaves behind a trail of bewildered and devastated friends and family.

SO WHAT CAN BE DONE?

We cannot stop suicide from occurring; it has always been part of our society. But there is sufficient evidence prevention and intervention can go a long way in helping somebody STOP from making the decision to take that final irreversible step.

STIGMA: Students with experience of suicidal thoughts at Cardiff University have indicated that there was sufficient shame and anxiety in discussing their suicidal intentions with others due to fear of being dismissed as overly-dramatic or being forced into situations where they were constantly under surveillance. This relates to discussions with both friends and mental health professionals.

THERE IS A NEED TO TACKLE THESE ISSUES ACROSS UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES IN A STUDENT-FRIENDLY WAY.

Project proposal: KEEP CALM AND LOVE LIFE.

AIMS: 1)To initiate self-worth and higher levels of self-esteem we want to ask students to think of the reasons why they are alive and what benefits they bring to this world that nobody else can.

HOW WE ARE GOING TO DO THIS:

1)     Ask students to answer the simple question ‘why did you get out of bed this morning?’ Was it to see your friends, go to your lectures, go on a night out etc? Ask students to record these on camera, place these on our website, facebook twitter etc.

2)     Ask students to write these and place on boards around the SU.

3)     Do the same thing for the question ‘what do you do for others that is unique?’ ie are you good at making people laugh and smile etc, again camera, fb. Twitter.

See the Powerpoint Presentation for more! http://www.slideshare.net/mentalwealthuk/keep-calm