FEATURE: MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING
Why we must change the mental health and wellbeing narrative for students in further education
pandemic began and 85% of colleges have seen a significant number of students with undiagnosed mental health difficulties. The effect of the pandemic on the student
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n our second feature-length look at mental health and wellbeing in education, Gemma
Williams, Student Wellbeing Manager at Leeds City College, surveys the current mental health and wellbeing landscape in further education, and offers advice and practical ideas for institutions looking to improve their approach to student mental health and wellbeing.
The current mental health and wellbeing landscape across further education institutions is a troubling one. The Association of Colleges Mental Health Report in Colleges 2021 found that nearly half of colleges (41%) say that mental health referrals have been significantly higher since the
body has manifested itself in many ways; many students are experiencing low mood, high levels of anxiety, disengagement, and feelings of withdrawal. The pandemic and consequent isolation has made it difficult to identify when students’ mental health is suffering; they may feel uncomfortable participating in video calls, therefore making it difficult to gauge their moods and feelings. As a result of this, we’re still in the dark about the extent to which students are suffering with mental health difficulties, which can only be fully understood when we return to full-time face-to-face learning. The pandemic has, however, brought about a
catalyst for change and has urged us to reflect on how we respond to mental health within education settings. We must concentrate on reducing the current mental health stigma and changing the culture to a setting which puts the students’ wellbeing at the heart of their learning experience, enabling academic success and promoting long-term good mental health and wellbeing. If we fail to prioritise and promote social and
emotional wellbeing for all, we could begin to see the effects, including lower attainment levels, poorer attendance and lack of engagement. Although work needs to be done on shifting
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the student wellbeing and mental health culture within further education, the barriers to accessing mental health support need to be identified. When assessing the 735 student referrals made to our Student Wellbeing team at Leeds City College in 2019/20, we found that 70% of students were females, 70% were White British and 70% were 16 to 18 year olds.
Starting with a holistic approach Adjusting the current student mental health narrative needs to start with a holistic approach, recognising the broad aspects of wellbeing and the interrelated elements of the social, emotional, physical and environmental factors on wellbeing. As an example, within further education ESOL
departments, some students are experiencing low mood and high stress due to finance and housing issues. It’s important to understand the root cause of the issue and assess students on a case-by-case basis, in order to signpost to the appropriate support. In this case, instead of counselling, these students would benefit from connecting with local charities who support practical elements, such as financial aid. Understanding students’ mental health and
wellbeing and providing a person-centred approach is one way we can bring about change. Not everyone is comfortable engaging in direct counselling or mental health support, therefore social prescribing is one way for addressing this. Commonly known as ‘community referral’, social
September 2021
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