Seeing students on an ongoing basis, faculty and staff are ideally positioned to observe changes in students’ mental health, and also influence their personal well-being through their daily interactions. We hope you find the following information and suggestions helpful in supporting and influencing the students that you interact with at þƵ!
Supporting student mental health
One of our key goals within the Student Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy [2016 – 2020] reads: "Engage the þƵ community in a process of valuing and initiating the recommended actions that promote student mental health and well-being, support students who are experiencing psychological distress, and connect them to campus services".
Concerned about a student?
If you are concerned about a student because of their behaviour or something that has been communicated to you, please refer to the Supporting Students in Distress: Employee Reference Guide. This folder lists campus support service contact numbers and provides a quick reference guide for signs of student distress, tips for assisting a student in distress, and a flowchart for reporting student behaviour of concern. In addition, after hours community service contact numbers are provided.
Mental health literacy training
Mental health and well-being matter to everyone at þƵ College. At þƵ, we believe that our employees are core to our college's strengths and successes. To support employee (and student) success and strengthen our individual resources, þƵ is committed to providing employees with mental health literacy education and the appropriate tools and training to bolster confidence for effective mental health support for our students, and for each other.
Mental health literacy resources
Healthy Minds learning guides and related mental health material is available to employees for (requires access to the þƵ Intranet).
Well-being strategies for the classroom
Higher education researchers assert that the central role of post-secondary instructors is to contribute to the development of the "whole student". This encompasses not only their academic knowledge and skill acquisition but also their overall health and well-being. Positive well-being is related not only to physical, social, and psychological health, it also influences learning effectiveness and student success.
To learn more about the determinants of well-being in the learning environment, check the resources below:
- The determinants of well-being
- Underlying principles
- Chart of determinants of well-being in the learning environment
Activity suggestions for each well-being category: