If you have a student who is struggling with mental health issues support is available for them.
Though people can feel anxious about seeking help for mental health issues, that first step is often the hardest.
Géraldine Dufour, Head of the Student Counselling Service
To mark Mental Health Awareness Week Géraldine Dufour, Head of the Student Counselling Service at the University, looks at how tackling the issues faced while studying can stand students in good stead for the rest of their lives.
Mental health is often thought of as a continuum. A person’s place on that continuum changes depending on their personal circumstances and their history.
Going to university can be a challenging time as it is a period of transition.
A young person might be moving out of the family home and taking responsibility for their own health and welfare are big steps for young people. They might be in a new city, faced with the challenge of making new friends and managing their own life and money.
An older students might be struggling to help their family adapt to a new city while they have a busy studying schedule.
Contrary to popular belief, the problems students face are not just about leaving home or breaking up with their girlfriend or boyfriend. Research shows that the mental health issues faced by students are on par with those accessing counselling in primary care in the NHS.
If students are struggling with their mental health, they can find it difficult to study. Depression and anxiety may also make it difficult for students to make the most of the extra-curricular opportunities available to them at university.
More positively, learning to cope with failure, finding ways to manage anxiety, and learning to manage symptoms or serious mental conditions are skills that will leave young people better equipped to face not only university, but their future life. Because of this, universities take an interest in the mental health of their students.
Working in a university counselling service is a complex role, which requires practitioners to use their clinical skills to support students in making the most of their student experience while maintaining their mental health.
The University Counselling Service opened 42 years ago to help students at the University of Cambridge. We are funded by the colleges to support their students and we now see over 1500 students annually.
We have a large team of therapists, and are lucky to have counsellors who can offer different models of therapy, and have backgrounds in different areas of counselling and psychotherapy.
Because of the severity of some of the issues that students face, the support which universities - including the University of Cambridge – provide is sophisticated.
Informally, we encourage students to access peer to peer support and to make use of self-help resources. A telephone service, “linkline,” is delivered to fellow students by volunteers.
The University Counselling Service makes available some carefully selected self-help material, including leaflets and relaxation exercises, and students can follow online Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) modules.
For those students who are experiencing more acute or on-going difficulty, the Mental Health Advisors working in the Counselling Service provide support and guidance.
The support available spans from one-off workshops on exam anxiety to specialist groups on bereavement or CBT groups on managing moods or feelings.
Referrals can also be arranged with a Consultant Psychiatrist, who attends the Service once a week.
All clinical staff are trained and accredited by their professional bodies and abide by their codes of practice. While maintaining their client’s confidentiality they can work in conjunction with college and university staff as appropriate.
Staff of the Counselling Service are dedicated to their roles and while it can be challenging at times, they are committed to helping students to reach their full potential and develop strategies to manage their difficulties.
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme is “Anxiety.” Though people can feel anxious about seeking help for mental health issues, that first step is often the hardest.
I hope that Mental Health Awareness Week will encourage anyone to seek help if they feel they need it.
Géraldine Dufour, Head of the Student Counselling Service, University Counselling Service